ABSTRACT
Once the excavation has finished and the site archive is completed so that all the data categories within the written, drawn and photographic records are cross-referenced and accessible, it is usual for the time-consuming and complex task of post-excavation to begin in earnest. The previous chapter detailed the use of computers for excavation recording, although its final theme was one of integration and post-excavation analysis. The emerging conclusion, and one that is based on many years of evolving computer usage throughout archaeology, is that the early capture of excavation data within a digital environment greatly enhances the process of recording and can create a seamless transition from excavation to post-excavation. The catalogues and lists that comprise the Level II, or site, archive can be automated and then manipulated within the same software environment to create the framework of the Level III, or research and report, archive. While it was shown how this is based on the integration and analysis of finds and structural elements of the site within a framework of site phasing, there is much more to post-excavation. A major part of the complexity of a post-excavation project is the co-ordination of a variety of different specialists who contribute to the final report, many of whom are likely to use computers in ways specific to their own analyses whether at the scale of artefact, site or landscape synthesis. Below we look at some examples of such specialist usage including dating, categories of artefacts, environmental aspects and visualising the site by computer modelling.
