DATABASE DESIGNER: Cavità 254

Eamon Dawes is a Latin minor, majoring in Computer Science. He has been taking Latin classes since his first semester at Saint Anselm College, supplemented with archaeology and relevant history classes. His work has included analysis of the Byland Abbey ghost stories as well as creating multimedia presentations to help first year students learn Latin grammar. In addition to tutoring Latin and manning the IT Help Desk, he currently serves as treasurer of the Classics Society.

This past summer at the department's Coriglia excavation, Eamon was a hardworking member of Trench C. Over October break, Eamon returned to Italy as part of a team who photographed over 5000 artifacts from Cavità 254, the pyramidal hypogeum beneath Orvieto. During his time in the lab, besides exhibiting skill with photography, computers and databases, he also demonstrated considerable culicicidal prowess.

Although the team managed to photograph only half of the artifacts from 2012, Eamon is currently working on the sorting and processing of some 35,000 photos. Once the photos have been tidied and formatted, he will incorporate them into the official inventory record. Eamon's ultimate goal is to create a web-based database that will allow anyone to view a three dimensional model of the numerous finds from the Orvieto dig. Given the nature of Cavità 254 and its overabundance of artifacts, this database will greatly advance research on the site and lead to its final publication.