Archaeology and QR Codes

Cara spotted a blog talking about some interesting ‘preservation’ of graphite being done using QR codes. It seems ‘Sweza’ has been going round taking photos of graphite and when it is removed or painted over placing a QR code (one of those square bar code things) in the spot. The QR code allows people with smart phones to scan it and link (in this case) to a picture of the graphite as it was or as they put it ‘to travel back in time’. I do wonder a little what stops the QR code being removed like the graphite was but I suppose it’s a bit less offensive?

http://sweza.com/graffyard/



Swezas work

However in a more general archaeological sense this technique could be used to show people what archaeology was discovered beneath buildings, roads and even in fields. Simply attaching a small QR code to a wall, lamp post or fence post would allow anyone with a smart phone to link to information on a site. This could be really useful on sights where there is restricted space or a new use. It might mean getting public friendly reports online as well.                  

On a less serious note you may enjoy (or disapprove of) this:

http://vimeo.com/mudlevel/robo-rainbow