ABSTRACT
The careful excavation of physical evidence and examination of contexts and provenance allows one to make informed hypotheses about the physical construction and location of past structures. When material aspects of the virtual characters are not taken into account, the characters act as spirits floating through dead worlds without influencing or being influenced. Humans remain elusive and paradoxical, always excessive of attempts to define their essence. By using tools and concepts such as affordances, effectivities and place, one can begin to understand how past places may have been used in order to better understand what has been left behind. The boundaries between bodies, tools, and environment are fluid and dependent upon relationships more than materials. Ecological approaches to embodiment maintain that tool use extends users' bodies beyond the surface of the skin. Through dynamic touch and probing, the user's perceptual body can be extended into the surrounding environment.
