Minimum System Requirements
Hardware IBM‐compatible computer with VGA graphics display (640 x 480 pixels & 256 colors)
double‐speed CD‐ROM drive
486/66 processor
8 MB of RAM (16 MB RAM for Windows 95)
sound card
mouse or Windows‐compatible pointing device
25 MB of available hard disk space
Software
Windows 3.1 or 95
Excavating Occaneechi Town is a remarkable educational tool for anyone interested in North American archaeology. The detailed maps, photographs, and scholarly descriptions make it painlessly easy for an archaeological novice, such as myself, to grasp the principles of an archaeological excavation quickly and from there explore the remains of this fascinating Indian village. After exploring this virtual archaeological dig, I felt that I had learned a tremendous amount about the Occaneechi Indians and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Occaneechi Town is better known among archaeologists as the Fredricks site, an eighteenth‐century Occaneechi Indian community located near present‐day Hillsborough, North Carolina, on the banks of the Eno River. It was a small but economically important village that controlled trade in north‐central North Carolina and southern Virginia.
The CD is easy to install using the instructions provided; and it responds quickly using the minimum required hardware and software. The main menu is logically laid out. The sheer mass of information is an obstacle in itself (more than 1,000 color photographs and maps, as well as detailed information on more than 100,000 artifacts); but the designers have created a user interface consisting of a carefully linked network of interactive elements ‐ maps, charts, photographs, articles, and bibliographic citations ‐ that make it reasonably easy for users to sift through. The text of the entire CD is searchable using Boolean operators. Text may also be printed.
The main menu provides a guide to how to use the CD, the archaeological and historical background of the site, a general archaeological primer, an introduction to the types of artifacts found at Occaneechi, and an excavation grid. Users can select portions of the grid and explore the terrain on their own, delving into pits and structures and uncovering innumerable artifacts.
Excavating Occaneechi Town also contains a teaching tool called the Electronic Dig. It begins with a blank excavation grid and allows students to “excavate” the site by clicking on a square and thereby opening it. As students excavate, they get access to all the information associated with the squares they have opened ‐ including descriptions, photographs, drawings, and tabulations of all the key finds.
Documentation provided with the disk was very brief; however, clear, logical, and extensive online help is provided; and the publisher also maintains a guide to the CD on the Web at <http://sunsite.unc.edu/uncpress/ occaneechi/>. In addition, technical support can be received via e‐mail at <occanee@sunsite.unc.edu> or by faxing 919‐966‐3829.
I highly recommend this CD as a scholarly reference work and a dynamic teaching tool for academic libraries.
