ABSTRACT
The reality of archaeology as a practical activity and intellectual discipline is being extended and challenged by the development of graphics-oriented computer simulations. A simulation represents some aspect of the complex reality of an actual environment, generally for the purpose of problem-solving; a user commonly faces a set of problematic conditions and devises a strategy to overcome them. As such a situation can be endlessly recreated, the problem can be attacked in different ways over and over again until the user finds a satisfactory solution. The use of simulations has the potential, therefore, to improve practical and interpretive skills in the real world. Simulated environments have recently been developed for the teaching of excavation techniques, where they provide some significant advantages over traditional training excavations and field schools. Archaeological evidence is generally scarce and complex and there may be practical, social or ethical problems surrounding the disturbance of a site or the removal of artefacts; the excavation of a simulated site can potentially avoid such problems, providing a creative learning environment without the need for the violation or destruction of cultural property.
