Introduction: Digital Methods and Experiential Approaches to the Past

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors introduce the theme of computational/digital methods in the realm of sensory archaeologies. To this purpose, the concept of sensoriality and its relevance for the archaeological discourse is rediscussed. Key concepts such as perception of material culture help us in better defining possible modalities through which archaeologists can benefit from the use of formal methods to answer questions related to the relationship between ancient space and its original inhabitants. In this context, recent advances in the field of computational methods can now provide a significant contribution to the development of ‘digitally mediated’ sensory archaeologies.