The Ebla GIS: an Example of Reverse Archaeology

In the year 2017 the authors of the present paper developed a relational DataBase and an integrated GIS platform using as a case study the Ancient Bronze Age III-IVA1 archaeological contexts and materials ex- cavated by the MAIS Expedition (Italian Archaeological Mission to Syria) at Tell Mardikh/Ebla. The name of the project is ‘Ebla 2.0’. The DBRS has been organised to mirror the excavation system adopted since the 1960s by the MAIS Ex- pedition at Ebla (co-led by P. Matthiae and F. Pinnock). The paper will present the Ebla GIS as a case study of Reverse Archaeology. The aim is to discuss the solutions adopted by the authors to archive, manipulate and combine multiple datasets, providing a spatial dimension to the documentation preserved in the Ebla archives, and finally develop a useful tool to stimulate future research and applications.