FAIR4RS in Action: Lightweight Tooling for Computational Archaeology

Abstract

This paper presents a best-practice case study of FAIRification in Computational Archaeology through community-driven Research Software Engineering (RSE). Focusing on lightweight tools developed by the Research Squirrel Engineers Network, such as the SPARQLing Unicorn Toolkit and Jupyter Python Minions, we explore how FAIR4RS principles can be implemented in semantic workflows. Practical use cases from archaeology and geosciences—including Ogham stones and Campanian Ignimbrite sites—demonstrate how open, reusable code supports transparency, interoperability, and sustainability. The tools are critically discussed concerning the FAIR4RS and REAL (Reproducible, Executable, Attributable, Literal) frameworks, highlighting strengths and ongoing challenges. We argue that bottom-up RSE practices offer a viable path to sustainable, domain-specific FAIRification.