From GIS to Game engines Case studies in archaeology from North Greece Vassilis Evangelidis Department of Culture and Creative Industries, ‘Athena’ Research Centre / ILSP Xanthi Despoina Tsiafaki Department of Culture and Creative Industries, ‘Athena’ Research Centre / ILSP Xanthi ABSTRACT Over the past two decades, there has been a surge of interest in applying spatial concepts and techniques in archaeology, underscoring the versatility of GIS technology as a crucial asset for humanities. e focus of this paper is to present an overview of GIS applications in the archaeology of North Greece, specifically highlighting the endeavors of the AeGIS Laboratory of Archaeological GIS (http://aegis.athenarc.gr/). e exploration spans from intra-site analysis and data management, exemplified by the Aristotle University excavation in Karabournaki, to macro-scale investigations, such as studying the interplay between environment and settlements in Aegean race. e paper also delves into the integration of GIS data with game engines, such as Unity 3D, for reconstructing and exploring movement and visibility in archaeological landscapes. Emphasizing the theoretical complexity of these spatial tools, the authors argue that, as familiarity with GIS and game engines grows in the archaeological community, these systems, particularly open-source GIS, offer an invaluable and adaptable toolbox. As archaeologists themselves, they contend that platforms like GIS and Unity 3D possess the potential to evolve into heuristic devices, aiding in challenging assumptions and framing insightful archaeological inquiries. e collaborative and open nature of these tools facilitates customization to suit the diverse requirements and preferences of archaeologists. 1. INTRODUCTION: GIS IN ARCHAEOLOGY Over the past thirty years, since the introduction of GIS in archaeology (Hasenstab 1983; Lock 2003), digital spatial analysis and Geographic Information Systems have evolved into pivotal tools for exploring, analyzing and interpreting spatial data (Verhagen 2018, 11–3). e capacity to operate within a multilayer and multiscalar spatial framework renders GIS technology exceptionally valuable for archaeologists. is utility is evident in various aspects: a) the digitization of vast amounts of data from excavations or surface surveys for subsequent analysis, b) the visualization and measurement of distributions of diverse cultural objects, c) the customization and visualization of landscape surveys, and d) the formulation of analyses and predictions for future surveys. Despite earlier skepticism within the archaeological community regarding the practical utility of GIS techniques as methodological and analytical tools (Kvamme 1999; Verhagen 2007, 13–25; McCoy and Ladefoged 2009), since the late 2000s, several GIS soſtware packages have emerged as the primary analytical tools for handling spatial archaeological data (Wheatley and Gillings 2002). is shiſt reflects a growing recognition of ΑURA 7 (2024): 85–97 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26247/aura7.3