DIG-ARQ – Digitalisation, Accessibility, and Heritage Preservation of Archaeology in Angola (2024-2027)
In short
The Franco-Angolese project DIG-ARQ, « Digitalisation, Accessibility, and Heritage Preservation of Archaeology in Angola », results from the collaboration between the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela, the Higher Institute of Educational Sciences of Sumbe (ISCED-Sumbe), the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the National Museum of Natural History of Paris, with the support of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affaires as well as IFAS-Research. Directed by Dr Maria-Helena Benjamim (director of the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela), Dr Isis Mesfin (CNRS researcher in African Prehistory) and Dr Jacob Lussento Cupata (ISCED-Sumbe), DIG-ARQ is a research and training initiative which aims to digitise Angola’s archaeological heritage, with a special focus on prehistoric and pre-colonial remains.
What?
The project aims to promote studies and digitisation of Angola’s archaeological heritage, with a special focus on prehistoric and pre-colonial remains. Ultimately, the goal is to test, develop, and apply new preservation strategies for Angola’s archaeological heritage — currently threatened by human activities and ecological changes — while taking into account the national specificities of this challenge and reintegrate Angolan archaeology within African scientific debates.
By combining digitalisation for preservation and accessibility, with research and training, DIG-ARQ lays the foundations for a sustainable and global enhancement of Angola’s archaeological heritage, supported by fundamental research efforts and high-quality training for a new generation of Angolan archaeologists.
Where?
Between December 2024 and March 2025, the DIG-ARQ project team digitised the archaeological collections from the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela (Province of Luanda-Norte) as well as collections from recent excavations at the Dungo and Mormolo sites, led by Maria-Helena Benjamim and Isis Mesfin.
In addition, surveys on heritage collections conducted since 2024, allowed to identify sites in imminent danger and to document heritage sites. Consequently, several sites were also digitized:
- Caculo Cabaça, Cuanza-Norte: where hundreds of stone structures revealed insights into the funerary practices of the Ndongo Kingdom in the 15th and 16th centuries — which is expected to be destroyed due to the construction of a hydropower dam along the Kwanza River.
- Ndalambiri rock shelter, Cuanza Sul: a unique site with paintings combining remains from the Iron Age and the Later Stone Age, widely visited by tourists — a heritage threatened by natural degradation processes, weather conditions, and annual climatic variations.
- D’jolé, Cuanza-Sul: a small rock shelter that delivered important remains of iron production, quartz microlithic and ceramics but also a basal Stone Age deposits. The paintings being largely eroded, 3D scans allow to archive an up to date version of the rock art panels of this remote site.
- Tchitundo-Hulo, Namibe: a major heritage site presenting two painted rock shelters dated to almost 2 000 years ago, and thousands of engravings exposed to major erosive dynamics. All around the Tchitundo-Hulo inselbergs, thousands of scattered surface lithic artefacts suggest important Stone Age occupations.
How?
The scientific team uses different 3D scanning methods adapted to the characteristics of the various elements of Angola’s archaeological heritage (caves, artefacts, ancient necropolises, etc.).
For example, the necropolis discovered in Caculo Cabaça (province of Cuanza-Norte), along with an important collection of ceramics and evidence of ironworking, was recorded using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a remote-sensing method for modeling an object or a surface with a laser.
The Ndalambiri rock shelter (province of Cuanza-Sul) was modeled thanks to photogrammetry, a method based on photographies.
Concurrently, several fieldwork projects have been developed to diversify the archaeological heritage and to promote paleoscience development such as Pal-Humpata, directed by Dr Pierre Linchamps.
Who?
The DIG-ARQ project is funded mainly by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Partner institutions include the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela, the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the National Natural History Museum of Paris, IFAS-Research.
The project is directed by Dr Maria-Helena Benjamim (director of the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela), and Dr Isis Mesfin (CNRS / National Museum of Natural History of Paris).
The team includes researchers, academics, students and museums professionals from Angola, France and several other countries.
Results
The first 3D models of the DIG-ARQ digital museum is available here, on the Sketchfab platform.
Several datasets are currently being published or are already accessible online:
Mateus Simplicio d’Oliveira, S., Mesfin, I., Benjamim, E., de Saulieu, G., Raul, K., Coutros, P. R., Filipe Antonio, S., & Benjamim, M.-H. (2026). “First evidence of burial practices and stone constructions from the 15th century A.D. pre-colonial Middle Cuanza River, Angola”. Journal of Field Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2026.2623354
Mesfin, I., Coutros, P. R., Hanon, R., Raul, M. K., Vié, J.-T., Hammou, Y., Nafoia, J., Dehut, C., Sabao, N. D., Robion-Brunner, C., Benjamim, M.-H., & Cupata, J. L. (2026). “A new archaeological chrono-cultural sequence for the rock art site of Ndalambiri, Cuanza Sul, Angola”. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 73, 105805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105805
More on DIG-ARQ
> Two videos were created by Antoine Bahain as part of the Franco-Angolan project DIG-ARQ, summarising field activities conducted at coastal sites around Benguela, as well as work at the Caculo Cabaça hydropower dam.
> Coming soon : SheDigs : a video series to present portrait of African woman involved in archaeological and heritage research in Africa