The Distinctions
While the terms are often used interchangeably, precise stratigraphy requires separation:
- Digital Archaeology (Method A): Making the physical virtual. (e.g., Scanning a Greek pot into a 3D model). This is preservation of atoms via bits.
- Media Archaeology: Looking at the "deep time" of media technologies (e.g., studying the magic lantern as a precursor to the iPhone). This is history of hardware.
- Archaeobytology: The defense of born-digital artifacts against platform feudalism. It is not just studying the past, but fighting for the right to have a past in a rented future. This is sovereignty of bits.
Shared Roots
Both disciplines share a reverence for the "Materiality of the Digital." They both reject the idea that "The Cloud" is ethereal. They both know that a file format is a cultural decision, not just a technical spec.
Field Notes
The "LiDAR" Trap: A common misunderstanding in Digital Archaeology is confusing the map for the territory. Creating a perfect 3D scan of a ruin is impressive, but if the file format of the scan is proprietary and becomes obsolete in 5 years, you have effectively destroyed the site a second time.
Excavating the Virtual: Some game studies scholars practice "Digital Archaeology" by exploring the code of World of Warcraft to find "buried" assets—levels that were designed but never released. This overlaps heavily with the Archaeobytological method of Excavation.