The fields of archaeological excavation technology and excavation documentation are currently undergoing a far- reaching revolution thanks to the increasing employment of modern surveying equipment and computer technologies.

It is an increasingly common opinion, both in international and German archaeology that certain tasks can only be carried out with the help of computers. Large area excavations are necessary due to the immense consumption of countryside and urban land today and the subsequent, time consuming evaluation of data can only be managed with appropriate, computer-supported technologies. Such large area excavations are, after all, the bread and butter of archaeologists and it is only by using such technology that coherent interrelations can be deciphered and understood within large settlement excavations or grave complexes, for example.

During the last few years, considerable advances have been made in Europe towards the development and production of EDP-supported excavation documentation. The annual CAA conference (Computer Applications in Archaeology) provides a comprehensive and regular international forum for the diverse work carried out in this field (in which Great Britain is a pioneering force). It is supplemented by numerous other smaller events and workshops which provide specialists with essential further opportunities to extend and exchange their knowledge. CAD (abbreviation for Computer Aided Design) and database supported excavations have been being carried out in Germany for over a decade.

Due to the partial privatisation of the excavation sector, heritage authorities and, in particular, commercial excavation companies have been intensively engaged in the development and application of EDP in archaeological excavation. The development of new systems was spurred on resulting in software packages for digital excavation documentation, which are today employed by national and municipal heritage authorities as well as in so-called commercial archaeology. Some regional authorities and district archaeologists in southern Germany and the former East Germany have been examining these technologies intensively and continuously for the past few years. This research has proven the new technologies to be efficient and economical and has resulted in them being increasingly accepted even in official archaeological circles.

Nevertheless, widely varying demands are made on EDP documentation by the different levels of complexity present in excavation features. These varying demands are difficult to reconcile with the necessary generalisations and standardisations made in digital excavation documentation. The problem of standardisation is very likely to be one of the main areas of employment for historical site heritage authorities in the future, alongside archiving and maintaining digital excavation documentation.

Knowledge of modern hard and software is as essential to the deployment of EDP on excavations as is an understanding of technical surveying instruments. With this knowledge, the potential of EDP supported documentation technology can certainly be developed. Keeping up-to-date is particularly important as current hard and software solutions will be overtaken in a few years due to the constant and rapid advances being made in this area. In the field of computer documentation as for excavation technology, it is imperative to keep up-to-date and to take full advantage of further developments in hardware and of new software versions. A new occupational image is emerging for excavation scientists and technicians due to these advances in technology. They must now be conversant with electronic surveying technology and the applications of CAD and image processing as well as carrying out their other manifold tasks.

We should also consider the time and effort required from the scientists and excavation technicians who dare to enter this field. From the moment they begin, they are beleaguered by setbacks and difficulties. It is a lot to demand of them, especially when we consider that many of the tasks that they take over are in the areas of computer operation, maintenance and data security. Therefore, it is especially important for the technicians, scientists and management to agree on the work processes within heritage authorities and municipal or private excavation offices if the digital revision and archiving of their excavation documentation is to run smoothly.

Such a radical upheaval of work practices can only succeed if carried out in stages and necessitates an intensive period of learning for all who will be using the computer-supported systems. Those involved must first discuss any structural changes and establish areas of responsibility. Fortunately, all this hard work pays off if planning and training programmes are adequately addressed. Using computer supported systems for the documentation of excavations provides a wide range of benefits including increased speed and efficiency as well as completely new possibilities in all areas of excavation data processing. The various new technologies can be used extremely profitably.

The following remarks should be regarded as a selection of practical suggestions relevant to this topic. It is neither intended, nor at this moment possible, to compile a comprehensive catalogue of computer applications for excavation. Focus is concentrated on the specialist functions of the archaeological AutoCAD application ArchaeoCAD which ArcTron - Ausgrabungen & Computerdokumentationen Ltd. has been continuously developing since 1992. Likewise, in the chapter concerning digital surveying instruments, the equipment and documentation technology described is predominantly that which is linked to ArchaeoCAD. The program is supplemented by a range of further products which have been developed during the last eleven years. They enable archaeological mapping (ArchaeoMAP) in connection with an excavation database (ArchaeoDATA) and the generation of three dimensional reconstructions and visualisations (ArchaeoDGM).

These program developments have been practically deployed on large area settlement excavations, urban excavations and grave field excavations for many years. Our excavation company employs over 20 permanent staff and up to 40 seasonal workers which means that our hard and software is being constantly tried and tested in the field and in the office. This practical testing, coupled with the fact that our products are being constantly developed by our employees and in collaboration with external experts, means that the optimum practical efficiency of our system is guaranteed. The programs, surveying instruments and surveying techniques which we have developed will be presented in the following article. There are many advantageous possibilities for EDP supported documentation technology on excavations, aside from the obvious increase in productivity. For example:

• The application of modern surveying instruments such as the total station, digital pantograph and photogrammetry for objective and accelerated excavation surveying.
• CAD programs for evaluation-orientated plan documentation and three dimensional feature recording.
• Image editing programs for the scaled rectification of overview photos and detailed recordings etc.
• Databases for comprehensive excavation management and basic excavation processing: e.g. feature and finds management, descriptions, photos/slides etc.
• Rapid processing and preparation of all documentation up to the print-ready stage.
• Digital archiving.

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