Augmented reality applications or
situated simulations can be used in combination with virtual reconstructions of archaeological structures, monuments, finds and sites in order to communicate scientific results in a novel way and to permit access to archaeological information to the wider public on-site, access which so far often has been limited to museums.
It is of course important that scientific archaeological reconstructions are based on solid facts, and that it is made clear which parts of a reconstruction are hypothetical and which have been verified by empirical methods. Sir Arthur Evan's reconstructions of parts of the palace of Knossos on Crete could be studied in this regard, in order to find out how not to do it, or how augmented reality could be employed in order to derive different, more flexible visualizations how past environments could have looked like.
The data underlying virtual reconstructions can be derived by traditional archaeological means, such as excavations, or by the use of non-invasive prospection methodology. The advantages of the latter methods are that the site remains unaltered and that it is possible to map large areas, up to entire landscapes. The advantage of the former is that real objects can be unearthed, objects that bear information on past cultures and that can permit the dating of the site.
Regarding archaeological interpretation, the results derived both from archaeological excavations as well as from geophysical archaeological prospection require experienced professionals, since in either case the interpretation is a subjective process.