Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Center for the Electronic Reconstruction of Historical and Archaeological Sites wins Preservation Merit Award

At the annual meeting of the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Association of Historical Societies & Museums, held Sept. 29 in Columbus, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office presented the University of Cincinnati's Center for the Electronic Reconstruction of Historical and Archaeological Sites with a Preservation Merit Award for 2007.

At its fall meeting Nov. 3, the Ohio Archaeological Council, Ohio's association of professional archaeologists, presented John Hancock, co-founder of the reconstruction center, with its Board of Directors Award.

These awards recognize the remarkable achievements of the center in creating computerized renderings of ancient sites that either have been obliterated over the centuries or are difficult to appreciate because of their imposing scale.

Hancock is a professor of architectural history and associate dean of research at the University of Cincinnati. He directs the reconstruction center's EarthWorks project, which focuses on the monumental earthen architecture of the Adena and Hopewell cultures.

The detailed and accurate digital re-creations of Ohio's earthworks that he and his team have developed allow the public, as well as archaeologists, to experience these sites as part of the landscape. This makes them effective tools for both education and research.