Excavations atop Mound A, Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee.

WELCOME to the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR).  tDAR is an international digital archive and repository that houses data about archaeological investigations, research, resources, and scholarship.  tDAR provides researchers new avenues to discover and integrate information relevant to topics they are studying.   Users can search tDAR for digital documents, data sets, images, GIS files, and other data resources from archaeological projects spanning the globe.  For data sets, users also can use data integration tools in tDAR to simplify and illuminate comparative research.

ACCESS is a core feature of tDAR. tDAR supports broadening the access to a wide variety of archaeological data.  Browsing or searching the tDAR repository enables users to identify digital documents, data sets, images, and other kinds of archaeological data for research, learning, and teaching.  tDAR enables users to download data files, while maintaining the confidentiality of legally protected information and the privacy of digital resources on which a researcher is still working.

PRESERVATION is the other key part of tDAR’s mission. tDAR and its parent organization, Digital Antiquity, are dedicated to ensuring the long-term preservation of digital archaeological data.  These data document the archaeological record, the efforts of the archaeological and scientific community, and the material and social characteristics of the cultures studied.

GROWTH and IMPROVEMENT are part of  Digital Antiquity’s strategy for tDAR. Regular enhancements and improvements are planned in cooperation with a advisory team including, archaeologists, supporting agencies, preservation experts, and staff to incorporate advances in research methods, digital preservation, and technology.