Abstract

Recent GIS pilot projects (Gaffney, Stancic 1991) have demonstated great potential for the recording, study and managment of the archaeological resource, both above and below ground. The implementation of a well designed database with GIS allows the archaeologist to study the available data in ways that were not easy (or even possible) in the past and facilitates the analysis of past landscapes rather than the more traditional site based approach. Two projects within the archaeology department at the University of York are utilizing computer technology and a unified database design in order to bridge the gap between the study of a city and its enviorns. Together these two projects are increasing our understanding of the difficulties inherent in coupling disparate databases. This paper illistrates the solution adopeted by the YEP and YAA to overcome these difficulties.