Towards 2020. The legacy and challenges of archaeological computing

Archaeological computing today still reflects the theoretical legacy of the pioneering applications developed in the 1950s and 1960s. However, the most daring methodological challenges for the future are linked to the exponential development of techniques and tools for data acquisition, processing and representation. This review of the applications follows the main stages of archaeological research, from fieldwork, laboratory analyses, and safeguarding and enhancement of the archaeological heritage. In this discussion, the Journal Archeologia e Calcolatori, now in its twenty-fifth year of publication, constitutes a privileged observatory for the analysis and understanding of the current research scenario and allow us to outline future development trends in archaeological computing.