Nicolo Dell'Unto

Revisiting reflexive archaeology at Çatalhöyük : integrating digital and 3D technologies at the trowel’s edge

Abstract Excavations at Çatalhöyük have been ongoing for over 20 years and have involved multi-national teams, a diverse range of archaeological specialists and a vast archive of records. The task of marshalling this data so that it can be useful not only at the post-excavation stage, but also while making decisions in the field, is challenging. Here, members of the team reflect on the use of digital technology on-site to promote a reflexive engagement with the archaeology. They explore how digital data in a fieldwork context can break down communication barriers between specialists, foster an inclusive approach to the excavation process and facilitate reflexive engagement with recording and interpretation.

Documentation and interpretation of an archeological excavation: an experience with dense stereo reconstruction tools

An archeological excavation is usually a rapidly evolving environment: several factors (weather, costs, permissions) force the work to be concentrated in a few weeks. Moreover, excavating is essentially a mono-directional operation, which constantly modifies the state of the site. Since most of the interpretation is performed in a second stage, it is necessary to collect a massive amount of documentation (images, sketches, notes, measurements). In this paper we present an experiment of monitoring of an excavation in Uppakra, South Sweden, using dense stereo matching techniques. The archeologists were trained to collect a set of images every day; the set was used to produce a 3D model depicting the state of the excavation. In this way, it was possible to obtain a reliable geometric representation of the evolution of the excavation. The obtained model were also used by the archeologists, by the means of an open-source tool, to perform a site study and interpretation stage directly on the geometric data. The results of the experimentation show that dense stereo matching can be easily integrated with the daily work of archeologists in the context of an excavation, and it can provide a valuable source of data for interpretation, archival and integration of acquired material.

Virtual taphonomy: A new method integrating excavation and postprocessing in an archaeological context

The objective of this paper was to integrate excavation and post-processing of archaeological and osteological contexts and material to enhance the interpretation of these with specific focus on the taphonomical aspects. A method was designed, Virtual Taphonomy, based on the use and integration of image-based 3D modeling techniques into a 3D GIS platform, and tested on a case study. Merging the 3D models and a database directly in the same virtual environment allowed the authors to fully integrate excavation and post-processing in a complex spatial analysis reconnecting contexts excavated on different occasions in the field process. The case study further demonstrated that the method enabled a deeper understanding of the taphonomic agents at work and allowed the construction of a more detailed interpretation of the skeletal remains than possible with more traditional methods. The method also proved to add transparency to the entire research process from field to post-processing and interpretation. Other benefits were the timesaving aspects in documentation, not only in the excavation process but also in post-processing without creating additional costs in material, as the equipment used is available in most archaeological excavations. The authors conclude that this methodology could be employed on a variety of investigations from archaeological to forensic contexts and add significant value in many different respects (for example, detail, objectivity, complexity, time-efficiency) compared to methods currently used.

Digital reconstruction and visualization in archaeology: Case-study drawn from the work of the Swedish Pompeii Project

The Swedish Pompeii Project started in 2000 as a research and fieldwork activity initiated by the Swedish Institute in Rome. The aim was to record and analyze an entire Pompeian cityblock, Insula V 1. Since autumn 2011 a new branch of advanced digital archaeology, involving 3D reconstructions and documentation methods, was added to the project agenda. The insula was completely digitized using laser scanner technology and the raw data were employed to develop different research activities in the area of digital visualization. This paper presents the recent results of the 3D interpretation of the house of Caecilius Iucundus. This research activity was developed employing a large variety of historical and archaeological sources such as: archaeological reports, historical image documentation (printed as well as in edited material) and analysis of the in situ structures. This work was characterized by the experimentation of a new workflow of data development, where the elaboration of the interpreted structures took place directly in virtual space, using the scanned model as geometrical reference. This method easily connected all the historical and archaeological sources collected for the interpretation, opening a new discussion about different possible interpretation of the house. Moreover, a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) was used in different occasions as platform where the different hypotheses could be discussed in the context given by the actual state of the archaeological structures. The use of an accurate and resolute replica of the site as a backdrop for the virtual reconstruction allowed a high level of control on the proposed hypotheses during the interpretation process. This study enabled the acquisition of new and important information about the house, thus, bringing a significant contribution to the archaeological analysis of Insula V 1, suggested as pilot project for wider use.

Virtual Taphonomy : a New Method Integrating Excavation and Post-processing of Human Remains

The objective of this paper was to integrate excavation and post-processing of archaeological and osteological contexts and material to enhance the interpretation of these with specific focus on the taphonomical aspects. A method was designed, Virtual Taphonomy, based on the use and integration of image-based 3D modeling techniques into a 3D GIS platform, and tested on a case study. Merging the 3D models and a database directly in the same virtual environment allowed the authors to fully integrate excavation and post-processing in a complex spatial analysis reconnecting contexts excavated on different occasions in the field process. The case study further demonstrated that the method enabled a deeper understanding of the taphonomic agents at work and allowed the construction of a more detailed interpretation of the skeletal remains than possible with more traditional methods. The method also proved to add transparency to the entire research process from field to post-processing and interpretation. Other benefits were the timesaving aspects in documentation, not only in the excavation process but also in post-processing without creating additional costs in material, as the equipment used is available in most archaeological excavations. The authors conclude that this methodology could be employed on a variety of investigations from archaeological to forensic contexts and add significant value in many different respects (for example, detail, objectivity, complexity, time-efficiency) compared to methods currently used.

Using 3D GIS Platforms to Analyse and Interpret the Past

The diffusion of digital technologies has strongly affected the way scholars and researchers use and perceive the archaeological information detected during the field investigation process. Archaeologists are still only beginning to realize the full potential of these applications beyond the attraction of providing visually engaging documentation and focus on the analytical and interpretive power. Today, digital instruments are used in archaeology at any level, and their employment increases the possibilities to document and visualize the information detected during investigation campaigns. In particular, the recent development of powerful visualization platforms, such as virtual reality or the three-dimensional Geographic Information System (3DGIS), and the introduction and diffusion of digital acquisition tools have provided the opportunity to fully visualize and study in three dimensions (3D) the spatial and temporal relations between the fragmented information detected on-site. The combination of these technologies and the construction of more and more functional field workflows of data acquisition allow for defining new solutions to manage and analyse large three-dimensional data sets of archaeological information, opening new discussions concerning the theoretical and methodological implications connected with the introduction of these new approaches in the field, and highlighting archaeological information previously impossible to detect. These new and non-conventional field documentation strategies give new possibilities and dimensions on how to approach the material and inevitably provide archaeologists with the opportunity to formulate new research questions. This chapter will discuss how the development and use of such new simulation systems are affecting the way archaeologists retrieve and analyse material detected in the field in support of more accurate archaeological interpretations.

Virtual taphonomy: A new method integrating excavation and postprocessing in an archaeological context: Virtual Taphonomy

The objective of this paper was to integrate excavation and post-processing of archaeological and osteological contexts and material to enhance the interpretation of these with specific focus on the taphonomical aspects. A method was designed, Virtual Taphonomy, based on the use and integration of image-based 3D modeling techniques into a 3D GIS platform, and tested on a case study. Merging the 3D models and a database directly in the same virtual environment allowed the authors to fully integrate excavation and post-processing in a complex spatial analysis reconnecting contexts excavated on different occasions in the field process. The case study further demonstrated that the method enabled a deeper understanding of the taphonomic agents at work and allowed the construction of a more detailed interpretation of the skeletal remains than possible with more traditional methods. The method also proved to add transparency to the entire research process from field to post-processing and interpretation. Other benefits were the timesaving aspects in documentation, not only in the excavation process but also in post-processing without creating additional costs in material, as the equipment used is available in most archaeological excavations. The authors conclude that this methodology could be employed on a variety of investigations from archaeological to forensic contexts and add significant value in many different respects (for example, detail, objectivity, complexity, time-efficiency) compared to methods currently used.