Francesca Cantone

Learning and teaching archaeology, particularly in the field of academic education, involves ICT with regard to two main activities: ICT as a key issue applied both in teaching strategies and in the learning process, and ICT as a topic in itself, that is as an aspect of the development of the methods pertaining to the archaeological discipline. This kind of dual relationship affects different methodological aspects and theoretical backgrounds, but, as a matter of fact, scientific research on computational methods in archaeology is more often related to the use of ICT as an educational support.

F. Cantone, The flower woman figurines from the Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary. Ancient coroplastic digital data management, analysis, and sharing, Archeologia e Calcolatori 26, 2015.
Abstract. The paper focuses on the digital strategies developed in the study of the corpus of flower woman terracotta figurines found in the excavations carried out by Paola Zancani Montuoro and Umberto Zanotti Bianco at the Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary and stored in the National Archaeological Museum of Paestum. The flower woman definition identifies the best known structure of the statuettes composed of a female bust supporting a flower orthogonal to the base. Actually, the scientific literature about these peculiar artifacts reveals a diffused vagueness and ambiguity in the definition, formalization, and functional exegesis, encouraging a new comprehensive study. The main results come from: digital management of the information; seriation analysis supported by a quantitative approach; visualization of occurrences in the Mediterranean Basin based on Fusion Tables; testing of multidisciplinary approaches to cooperative content building in archaeology. The study developed a whole technology-enhanced workflow, including multimedia data digital management and sharing; statistical techniques for the analysis of terracotta shrinkage in moulded coroplastic figurines seriation; webGIS visualization of occurrences in the ancient Mediterranean Basin and their relations.

F Cantone,  2001. 3D standards for scientific communication, - Archaeological Informatics: Pushing The Envelope. CAA2001. Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. Proceedings of the 29th Conference, Gotland, April 2001 (BAR International Series 1016), 163-72.

Abstract. This paper aims at verifying some of 3D modeling and VR
visualization techniques in archaeology and cultural heritage
management and at testing their use for scientific communication.
The monument chosen for this research is the eighteenth century great staircase of SS. Niccolò and Cataldo Monastery in Lecce, that was modeled by means of CAD, VRML, X3D forthcoming standard.
This way it was possible to examine each method's advantages, evaluating the economic and intuitive use of WYSYG tools versus the dimension of generated files, and the possibility of expansion and of updates. A particular focus was made on under- definition X3D standard, and on its possibilities in archaeological applications, in particular to build up 3D-DBMS, Virtual Reality scenes and Augmented-Reality applications.

FABRICATORE G, CANTONE F, F (2008). Pushing the Archaeological Interpretation by analysing workflow protocols: the "Variable Transparency Image Stacker" and DATARCH© Archaeological Data Management System. In: Layers of Perception. Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA), Berlin, April 26, 2007. Koll. Vor- u. Frühgesch. 10 (Bonn 2008) 8. Oxford:Archaeopress - British Archaeological Reports, ISBN: 978-3-7749-3556-3 .
Abstract. The main aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of managing archaeological data in a shared 3D environment. As already published by our research group, study and analysis of workow protocols are the basis for the development of soware able to support and improve archaeological data man
-agement, by introducing new methods and tools to analyze archaeological excavations (e.g. the DATARCH “Variable Transparency Image Stacker”). The progress of Web 2.0 and shared technologies makes it possible to go deeper with this research into archaeological workow protocols and data management, exploring 3D distributed environments and the possibility of their application to archaeology in particular. The case studies selected for this research are the recent excavations carried out by Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary and in the Cuma Forum

CANTONE F, GRECO G, FERRARA B (2008). Museo Narrante: The Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary Virtual Museum. In: Layers of Perception. Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA), Berlin, April 26, 2007. Koll. Vor- u. Frühgesch. 10 (Bonn 2008) . p. 418-425, OXFORD:Archaeopress - British Archaeological Reports international Series. Abstract. The communication of one century of archaeological research at the Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary has  been the main reason for the creation of a new virtual museum, for which a name that represents a museological approach, “Museo Narrante”, i.e. the Museum that tells stories has been chosen. The museum is conceived as a museum without objects, interactive, multi-sensorial, and multi-medial. Its main issues are: i. minor sites valorization; ii. museums as territorial communication networks; iii. levels of reliability; iv. multiple interpretation. The overall intent is to give viewers evidence and argument instead of a pre-packaged explanation. This paper shows how this concept guided the whole exhibition, with the realization of different tools to present to the public the stories of the Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary and the archaeological investigation of the area in a new way.

The rapid transformation of knowledge systems has changed methodologies and educational processes in a fast, continuous and substantial way. Among the various solutions, methodologies and technologies referred to by the term “e-learning”, this article focuses on experiments in “Blended Learning” in which lessons are integrated by online interaction. In particular, our experiment involved the preparation of a SCORM course of “Information Technology and Archaeology”, created using the IDEA (Instructional DEsigner Applications) software for Learning Objects, written, and implemented through the “Federico II” Campus platform, according to the paradigms of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. Re-structuring Virtual Archaeology didactical topics as Learning Objects led us to reect deeply on the contents to convey and on their new organization, which had to be modular, combin-able and granular in order to ensure the best re-usability in various educational contexts and the possibility to be customized according to the characteristics of students. The test covered different levels of classes (three-year degree, two-year degree, laboratory) for three academic years (2005/6-2007/2008). The number of students was limited to between ten and twenty per class in order to improve and control interaction and active participation by students. This paper describes and offers for discussion the main results of the experiment that was conducted, results of which were very encouraging in terms of: educational performance, construction of thematic e-communities, methodological innovation, preparation of re-mixable and re-usable didactical contents, testing of software/methodology IDEA available for free downloading and able to encourage and support dissemination of new teaching methods in archaeology, supporting and facilitating authors in the multimedia production workflow.

This paper examines some methodological issues related to the implementation of open approaches in teaching cultural heritage computing and archaeological informatics. The main results of experiments conducted at the Neapolitan Universities of Federico II and “L’Orientale” are presented, aimed at improving the overall quality of the learning experience by didactical innovation with an attempt at identifying and defining the main features, critical aspects and best practices for further case studies. The research on cultural heritage e-learning strategies, presented by the authors in the previous ArcheoFOSS workshops, lead inter alia to the proposal of a e-learning SCORM module for Archaeological Informatics didactics, a “MUVE” 3D model for the communication of an archaeological stratification, a whole Mas-ter Course on “Multimedia Environments for Cultural Heritage in Blended Learning”, and to the proposal and prototypal implementation of cultural heritage distributed and federated interdisciplinary repositories. Lifelong learning literature shows that students need to have the possibility of personalizing their learning experiences and to integrate highly specialized contents with basic skills supports. Starting from this methodological background, a shared construction of teaching materials about basic open source informatics skills was tested, as a new step in the federated repository modular construction. Methodological aspects of the processes implemented and preliminary results of the e-learning materials trial are outlined in the perspective of further research and investigation

Nello scenario polimorfico della Digital Literacy, dell'Open Science, dell'Open Innovation e della Smartness si sta muovendo anche l' Archeologia italiana, tra connotati digitali nativi e migrativi, e dimensioni transmediali della knowledge society. Nuove riflessioni di natura epistemologica e sociologica evidenziano la necessità di riconoscere e definire una digital literacy di dominio, in allineamento agli altri ambiti scientifici e culturali, di connotare una archaeological digital literacy. Come esprimere tale literacy? Come definire compiutamente digital literate la comunità archeologica? Attraverso quali percorsi e metodi caratterizzare, sperimentare e supportare nell'interazione competenze, conoscenze, figure e literacies attive nello scenario archeologico? Nello spazio di ibridazione e di confronto aperto dell'Archaeological Literacy Environment si avviano alcune indagini su questi temi fondamentali e alcune analisi strutturali necessarie al futuro immedi...

L’opera affronta con una serie di saggi monografici l’interazione tra le Discipline del Patrimonio Culturale e quelle della Multimedialità, enucleando alcuni dei percorsi tematici di maggiore complessità ed interesse: l’evoluzione degli scenari per la comunicazione e la didattica dei beni culturali; l’archeologia e il suo rapporto con i nuovi media e i nuovi metodi; le possibilità determinate dall’uso dei prodotti digitali e della multimedialità per lo sviluppo territoriale; le forme innovative digitali di divulgazione culturale. Presentazione di Giovanna Greco, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; contributi di Giuseppe Tortora, Istituto Italiano di Cultura München, Giuliano De Felice, Università degli Studi di Foggia – Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, Francesco Escalona, già Presidente del Parco Regionale Campi Flegrei, Luigi Scarpa, L.U.P.T. Laboratorio di Urbanistica e Progettazione Territoriale, Mauro Sciarelli, Direttore del C.I.R.T. Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca sul Turismo, Angela Tecce, direttrice del Complesso di Castel Sant’Elmo, Mario Franco, Accademia di Belle Arti.

The so-called “Donna-fiore” in the Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary. A project for data digitization. This study focuses on a peculiar corpus of terracotta figurines, the “Donna-fiore”, found in the excavations carried on by Paola Zancani and Umberto Zanotti Bianco at the Foce Sele Hera Sanctuary and stored in the National Archaeological Museum of Paestum,
in the South of Italy.