Exploring Past Senses II: Digital Approaches to Reconstructing Ancient Sensory Worlds

CfP for CAA in Santiago (Chile) 17-20 May 2027.

CfP deadline 1 October 2026

Posted on behalf of Kamil Kopij (Jagiellonian University, Kraków)
Gustavo Sebastian Navas Reascos (National Autonomous University of Mexico)

Our session, S22 – Exploring Past Senses II: Digital Approaches to Reconstructing Ancient Sensory Worlds, welcomes papers exploring how digital and computational methods can help reconstruct, analyse, and interpret past sensory environments and experiences.

We particularly encourage contributions addressing digital approaches to sensory archaeology, including GIS-based spatial analysis, 3D reconstruction, photogrammetry, laser scanning, virtual and augmented reality, acoustic simulations, auralization, lighting and visibility studies, agent-based modelling, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and the integration of empirical field data with digital modelling. You can find the full abstract of the session below.

Abstracts can be submitted through the CAA 2027 submission system: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/User/Login?ReturnUrl=%2FCAA2027%2F

Session Abstract

How did people in the past experience the spaces they inhabited? Beyond architecture and material culture, past environments were perceived through sight, sound, smell, touch, and movement, shaping memory, emotion, communication, and social interaction. While these sensory dimensions are inherently ephemeral, recent advances in digital archaeology have created unprecedented opportunities to investigate and reconstruct past sensory experiences.

Computational methods – including GIS-based spatial analysis, 3D reconstruction, photogrammetry, laser scanning, virtual and augmented reality, acoustic simulations, auralization, and lighting simulations, visibility studies, agent-based modelling (ABM), artificial intelligence, and digital twins – are increasingly being employed to model ancient sensory environments (sensory landscapes or sensoryscapes). These approaches not only enable more sophisticated reconstructions but also provide new perspectives on how sensory stimuli influenced human behaviour, ritual practices, movement, decision-making, and the experience of built and natural environments. Increasingly, these digital approaches are also being integrated with empirical field data, including acoustic measurements, spatial surveys, and experimental archaeology, allowing for more robust and reproducible reconstructions of past sensory environments.

This session aims to bring together researchers working at the intersection of digital archaeology and sensory archaeology to explore both methodological innovation and theoretical reflection. We particularly welcome contributions addressing questions such as:

• Modelling: How can computational methods and digital tools reconstruct past sensory environments and experiences, including soundscapes, smellscapes, and multisensory interactions?
• Interpretation: How can digitally reconstructed sensory environments improve our understanding of social interaction, cognition, ritual, memory, identity, and human–environment relationships?
• Evaluation: What are the methodological, epistemological, and ethical challenges of reconstructing sensory experiences, and how can we critically assess the reliability and interpretative value of digital sensory models?

We invite papers presenting methodological advances, interdisciplinary case studies, experimental approaches, and critical discussions from all chronological periods and geographical regions. Contributions employing emerging technologies – including AI-assisted analyses, immersive environments, and computational simulations – as well as studies integrating empirical measurements with digital modelling are especially encouraged. We also welcome contributions exploring applications in cultural heritage interpretation, conservation, museum experiences, and public engagement.

By fostering dialogue between computational innovation and archaeological theory, this session seeks to advance sensory archaeology as a dynamic field within digital archaeology and to stimulate discussion on future directions for reconstructing and interpreting the lived experiences of past societies across diverse cultural traditions and archaeological contexts.