With a Trowel in Hand and a Database in Backpack: Archaeology 2.0

Archaeological research relies on data describing artefacts and their contexts. However, such data's growing volume and complexity present significant challenges, especially with traditional, highly customised relational databases, which often lack long-term sustainability and hinder data integration. The GeWis project at the University of Bern addresses these issues with a flexible, sustainable graph database tailored for archaeology. It supports diverse data types (texts, images, GIS, 3d models) and adapts to unexpected findings. By following standards like CIDOC-CRM and Open Research Data principles, GeWis ensures interoperability, machine readability, and long-term preservation. A user-friendly, narrative-based interface and ETL tools for integrating legacy data enhance usability and collaboration. GeWis offers an innovative and future-oriented solution for managing archaeological data effectively.