Architects have been instrumental in developing the methods and standards for documenting, studying and publishing architectural remains in archaeology. At many sites, their reconstruction drawings shape our understanding of destroyed monuments. Architects often play a leading role in the restoration and reconstruction of buildings. In many countries they also direct archaeological field projects. In this introduction to archaeological building research, the questions, methods, techniques and possible results of the work of architects in archaeology are presented, based on the work of the internationally active German Archaeological Institute. Emphasis is placed on the importance of drawings in documenting observations made in the field, as well as on methods of reconstruction and architectural analysis of building remains. The aim is to introduce architects and students of architecture to a special field of work, and to give experts from other disciplines an insight into the research questions and methodology of architects and their potential contribution to archaeology and cultural history.
Felix Arnold is a German architect working in archaeology. He graduated from the Technical University of Karlsruhe, Germany, with a doctorate in architecture. After receiving a travel grant from the German Archaeological Institute, he was a research associate at the departments in Madrid and Cairo. His field of work ranges from Pharaonic to Islamic architectural history. In Egypt he has led projects at the pyramids of Dahshur and the ancient city of Elephantine. In Spain he has worked in Almería, Córdoba, the Alhambra, and since 2016 at Madinat al-Zahra. His many publications include Islamic Palace Architecture in the Western Mediterranean. A History (Oxford University Press, 2017) and Ancient Egyptian Architecture in Fifteen Monuments (Cairo University Press, 2022). Since 2021 he is the scientific director of the Madrid Department of the German Archaeological Institute.
