Ararat Plain Southeast Archaeological Project (APSAP)

i have three archaeology and heritage starter packs, and more folks and ords have joined since i last updated them. here's 1
go.bsky.app/FrmtR15

Photo of HKU students visiting Garni Temple

🌍 Ever thought about doing real archaeology outside the classroom? Read the post of Kristy, a BA Humanities and Digital Technologies student from HKU. She recently returned from an amazing two-week field trip in Armenia with the #ARTH2110 course — it was epic!🏺💥
🔗 openarchaeology.org/armenia/2025...

2 Photos of students wearing VR headsets, photos of Minoan pottery, Parthenon and an excavation site in Armenia

#HKU’s course selection period begins August 5! Check out these archaeological courses for a unique experience! They are ARTH2102, ARTH2110, and CCHU9080 – all about archaeology, especially of the east Mediterranean and Armenia. Open to all students, no prerequisites!

a world map with a pinpoint showing the location of Hong Kong

HKU achieved an interesting milestone, rising to rank #11 globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026. It reflects the contributions of the entire HKU community. We’re proud that APSAP grows within this academic hub where heritage, innovation, and research come together.

Been thinking about how #AI, #robotics, or #automation may impact archaeological labor in the coming years? Consider turning that into a Digital Review for @saa-aap.bsky.social of @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org for an upcoming theme issue on labor - call details: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Photo of a simulated site, photos of children trying on-site excavation, AR/VR technology and museum activities

Dig, discover, and display. What happens when kids become archaeologists for real? The unique program organized by the Armenian Heritage Development Foundation, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside lets young minds explore the full journey of artifacts in Armenia. doi.org/10.1080/2051...

Submit an article Interested in submitting an article to Antiquity? Find out more, including our submission guidelines for authors and details about our editorial processes, here. Find out more

Where in the world are you researching? Wherever it is, we want to hear from you! We publish archaeology from all over the world, so find out how you can get your research in front of a global audience 🌏
🏺 #Archaeology

Screencap of the article in Communications of the ACM and photo of an ancient site in the background

How is #AI reshaping the way we study the human past? A news article in the Communications of the ACM by Karen Emslie highlights how archaeologists are using #machinelearning and #computervision to uncover the stories of human culture. Read more: cacm.acm.org/news/researc...

Screencap of the article in Cambridge University Press and cover of Human Development Report 2025

Our article in @saa-aap.bsky.social by @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org is cited in the #UN Human Development Report 2025! Explores #largelanguagemodels and #generativeai in #archaeology. Research contributing to global #AI conversations! doi.org/10.1017/aap...., hdr.undp.org/content/huma...

What’s it like to dig into ancient sites and explore stunning landscapes? One HKU student joined ARTH2110 this summer and went to Armenia for two weeks. Check out her HKU-published vlog for real-life excavation, hiking, and fun! You might want to join next time!
www.instagram.com/reel/DLURUeL...

Photo of an archaeologist comparing the 3D model of a virtual pottery sherd with an adjoining real sherd using a MR headset

Researchers at HKU are reshaping the future of archaeology by integrating high-resolution #3D scanning and #AR/#MR technologies into excavation workflows. This method allows archaeologists to virtually revisit sites long after excavation. bulletin.hku.hk/research/int...

Photos of secondary school students experiencing VR technology in the HKU Arts Tech Lab

Photos of secondary school students experiencing VR technology in the HKU Arts Tech Lab

On 8 May 2025, secondary school students visited the Arts Tech Lab for an HKU Arts Undergrad Info Session on the BA in Humanities and Digital Tech. Students explored a VR+AR showcase of our archaeological site and joined a lecture on #3D #archaeology. We hope all participants enjoyed the event!

Scopus screen shot

Congratulations to the journal @saa-aap.bsky.social of @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org, which just moved up from ranking around 25th last year to ranking around 15th this year, of all archaeological journals in the world, according to Scopus!

Photo of students at our station at Student Learning Festival

Photos of students showing their work to visitors with VR headsets

Photos of students showing their work to visitors with VR headsets

Photo of student showing their work to visitors at our station

At the HKU Common Core Student Learning Festival, HKU students from the course CCHU9080 – Dead People’s Things: #Excavating the Past with #Archaeology showcased an #immersive #VR experience that brought past sites to life. Visitors stepped into the past through this interdisciplinary project.

Photos of students at the Vedi Fortress in Armenia

Photos of students doing fieldwork at the Vedi Fortress in Armenia

Photos of students doing fieldwork at the Vedi Fortress in Armenia

🗾⛰️🔎 We’re excited to start the APSAP 2025 season with our first site visit for #archaeological #excavation in Armenia on May 29 Thur, accompanied by HKU students from the HKU Art History ARTH2110 course. It’s great to return to the field with new #students! Stay tuned for more updates!

Screencap of the article in Cambridge University Press, survey results from 2019 and 2022, and screenshot of preparations for working in the field

#OpenAccess article in @saa-aap.bsky.social of @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org introduces interesting ideas for transforming #teamwork in #archaeological #education. Pedagogy enables collaboration, consider learning frameworks and prior knowledge people bring to learning. doi.org/10.1017/aap....

@juusonieminen.bsky.social

Screencap of our article in Teaching in Higher Education and the cover of Teaching in Higher Education

Our Open Access article with Juuso Nieminen of Deakin University is assigned a volume in Teaching in Higher Education🎉It explores how authentic assessment can foster students’ #epistemic #agency, based on a qualitative case study of a digitally-mediated #archaeology course. doi.org/10.1080/1356...

Welcome Allison!

Photos of participants trying the VR headsets in the seminar

Photos of Prof Cobb presenting and participants trying the VR headsets in the seminar

Photos of participants trying the VR headsets in the seminar

Photos of participants trying the VR headsets in the seminar

On Apr 14, TALIC hosted “Extending the Classroom: Teaching with VR in Higher Education” at HKU. We shared how VR enhances learning in archaeology & beyond—boosting spatial thinking, simulating fieldwork & sparking dialogue on tech in teaching. #HKU #VRinEducation

Photo of students experiencing VR tours of archaeological sites

Photo of students experiencing VR tours of archaeological sites

This sem HKU students in CCHU9080: “Dead People’s Things: Excavating the Past with #Archaeology” brought the past to life with #3D models and gave #VR tours of ancient sites! The course teaches how daily objects shape human experience. Thank everyone who joint the journey! commoncore.hku.hk/cchu9080

Mosaic depicting a mill building on a river with a water wheel.

This is a mosaic of a watermill from the Great Palace of Constantinople. #MosaicMonday

It was the only known depiction of a watermill in Roman art at the time of its discovery, over 80 years ago.

🔗 from 1939 (£) doi.org/10.1017/S000...

poster for our summer school 2025

We’re thrilled to announce our summer school "From the Field to the Museum" for children aged 8 to 15!
🔹July 8-11; July 16–19, 2025
It brings archaeology to life in Armenian and English. Partnership with Armenian Heritage Development Foundation, APSAP and National Gallery of Armenia. Stay tuned!

Photos of Sarah Hinkel and a greyware from Early Iron Age

Congratulations to Sarah Hinkel for presenting in the @upenn.edu School of Arts & Sciences Senior Colloquium on 24 April 2025! Her project studying the decorations on Early Iron Age greywares gives insight into the technology used in the creation of vessels. www.classics.upenn.edu/events/2025/...

A wee bit late (but who is counting?) issue 12(4) of Advances in Archaeological Practice is out! www.cambridge.org/core/journal... with articles about preparing college students for archaeological futures, experimental archaeology, data practices, and new directions in ethical curation.

Photo of Dr. Elvan Cobb and background historic photo with a tent beside a pond

Join HKU Dept of History's talk 'History in the Making – Mapping History: Confluence of Archaeology and Cartography in Southwest Asia' on May 7. Dr. Cobb of HKBU will introduce journeys of American classicist John Sitlington Sterrett through Ottoman Empire in 1880s. hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hd...

Congratulations @saa-aap.bsky.social and @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org on the publication of the latest issue: Volume 12, Issue 4: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

'Kalli', a dog, looks intently at the camera while a person holds a copy of "Advances in Archaeological Practice" published by the Society for American Archaeology.

Meet Kalli - the great-grandnephew of Kayle, from a past cover of the #SAA's @saa-aap.bsky.social and article on canine detection training and protocols: ✅
cup.org/4iuDlXN

Kalli is on duty at #SAA2025Denver. What a handsome chap!🐾 #archaeology #openaccess

Photos of our VR and AR demos on HKU Alumni Day

Photos of our station, VR and AR demos on HKU Alumni Day

Photos of our station, VR and AR demos on HKU Alumni Day

We hope you enjoyed our event on HKU Alumni Day! On March 16, 2025, we showcased some amazing VR and AR demos, bringing Vedi Fortress in Armenia to life. Thank you to everyone who came by and tried it out! We're excited to continue exploring how technology can enhance our understanding of the past.

Photo of student experiencing the technology with a VR headset after the presentation

Photos of Dr. Peter Cobb and Dr. Lukas Liu presenting in the XR guest lecture

Photos of Mr. Hayk Azizbekyan presenting and students from HUDT2205 in the XR guest lecture

Photo of students experiencing VR technology in the demo session

On March 27, 2025, HKU’s course Extended Reality (XR) in the Humanities hosted a guest lecture with Dr. Cobb, Dr. Lukas Liu and PhD students. The speakers shared how XR technologies enhance archaeological teaching through immersive site reconstructions, fostering spatial awareness and engagement.