Archaeological Resources Worldwide

Where to look on the Web for information on archaeology beyond the British Isles

I. General Guides to Archaeology on the Internet

• Archnet A guide to archaeological/anthropological/museum resources on the Web anywhere in the world. This is the ultimate 'list of lists' which is probably ultimately linked to everything, anywhere, remotely linked to archaeology. You can type in a keyword, or choose a category: regions, subject areas, academic departments, museums, journals and publishers, software. 'Subject Areas' is particularly useful, leading to lists of links related to ceramics, botany, mapping/GIS, and rock art, to name but a few categories.


• Anthropology Resources on the Internet. Originally known as Allen Lutins' List, this sorts links of anthropological and archaeological interest into similar categories to ArchNet.


• The Worldwide Email Directory of Anthropologists (WEDA). A list of people rather than websites, it isn't limited to anthropologists but includes many archaeologists, both professional and avocational. Students are also welcome. The opening page consists of a search form. You can search for a name (or part of a name), institution, geographical region or research interest. I tried two searches: 'Ireland' produced two anthropology departments in Irish universities, an archaeologist, a heritage company and a person of unknown status; 'megalithic' produced a German museum, an American company, a Swedish university and a Spanish museum.


• Archaeological Resource Guide for Europe (ARGE): This does for Europe what ArchNet does for the world. It is a database containing links to evaluated Internet resources (mainly web pages, but also other resources such as discussion lists) concerning European archaeology. You can choose to see the links listed according to country, subject or period, or you can do a simple or advanced search.


• About.com's Archaeology site. Another guide to worldwide archaeology on the Internet, but a very different style: cluttered, lots of colours, frames, columns, advertisements jumping out at you. If you prefer television to books you'll probably like it. However, it does seem to have a lot of useful links, though they're probably more useful to Americans than to Europeans. Although about.com is a commercial venture, the specialist areas are edited by named 'guides', in this case K. Kris Hirst, and archaeologist. The list of sites for academic journals is particularly good, as it tells how far back the on-line tables of contents go for each.


• Archäologie Online: German site about archaeology worldwide. Various articles. Guide to coming German TV programmes of archaeological interest, and recent relevant articles in the German press. Book reviews, a catalogue of CD ROMs, discussions, links to companies providing archaeological services. Archäologie-Online Club.


• Archaeology Daily News - an online newspaper about the latest archaeology, anthropology, palaeontology and fossil news, headlines and top stories. It is worldwide in scope and freely accessible. Free RSS feeds and e-mail newsletters are available, and there is a PDA-friendly version. You can also submit news.


• Great Archaeology - this site is subtitled 'History of archaeology', but in fact it is more than this. It is a guide to all aspects of archaeology, explaining the different branches and disciplines within archaeology, and with articles on famous discoveries and select World Heritage Sites. A great idea, but it needs a lot of improvement. Some parts appear to be machine translations into English. We are told that Caiaphas was 'the soaring priest of the Jews' and he was 'appointed to the self esteem' by the Procurator. The section on 'Movies based on archaeology' doesn't mention Black Emanuelle or Terror from the Year 5000 (AKA Cage of Doom). In places, archaeology seems to expand into modern history. However, it is a nicely designed site, without obtrusive advertising.

II. A Selection of Interesting Links

• Science Clarified - Archaeology A good introduction to archaeology for beginners


• Association for History and Computing: An international organisation which aims to promote and develop interest in the use of computers in all types of historical study (including archaeology) at every level, in both teaching and research. It includes a page of links to university archaeology departments and academic archaeological institutes.


• Souterrains Home Page Not only about souterrains as we know them, but all sorts of underground structures, ancient and modern. Links include sites about caving, mining, and 'draining'-the rather odd hobby of illegally exploring drains and other underground (and overground) structures. It provides abstracts of books and lists of organisations.


• The Archaeology Channel: site with video and audio material of archaeological interest from all over the world, accessible on line. A free service of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, a research and education corporation dedicated to bringing the benefits of archaeology to a wider public.


• Archaeology Magazine is a popular magazine, American-based but worldwide in scope. It is an official publication of the Archaeological Institute of America. The website includes the full texts of newsbriefs, reviews and selected longer articles of back issues from 1996 to the present. There is also information on the current issue and how to subscribe. Other pages include archaeological news headlines from around the world, forthcoming television programmes (in America) and events such as conferences. There is a special section devoted to the archaeology of New York, including an 'Interactive Dig' at the remains of an early 18th-century house in Brooklyn, where readers are invited to examine finds and documents, read the bone report and draw their own conclusions.


• Egypt: Internet resources: Links under various categories such as archaeology, history, religion, art and language.


• The Biblical Archaeology Society is a non-denominational organisation which publishes the Biblical Archaeological Review and Archaeology Odyssey (both glossy magazines, the latter more general). The Society also offers tour and seminar packages and provides information on volunteering for digs.


• Ephesus A guide to the ruined city of Ephesus, in southern Turkey, with its spectacular Roman ruins. Photographs of many of the sites and museum exhibits, including 3D panoramic photographs which you can spin 360 degrees in all directions, including up and down! Also information on the nearby resort of Kusadasi, which also has ancient sites, such as the House of the Virgin Mary and the Cave of the Seven Sleepers.


• Internet Archaeology. Founded in 1996, Internet Archaeology is a fully refereed e-journal with international scope. Publication on-line makes it possible for papers to include full colour images, photographs, searchable data sets, visualisations and interactive mapping. Access to the full articles is by subscription, but tables of contents and summaries are free to access. The summaries even include photographs and are followed by a list of key features and keywords. Subscription is per volume or per article, and a single payment gives you perpetual access to that article or volume. Internet Archaeology is published by the Council for British Archaeology


• Some Chinese archaeological abstracts The Far Asia Co, Ltd, a Beijing company whose products rang from diving equipment to road marking machines, is hosting an archaeological page on their website with abstracts of articles, especially about tomb paintings.