Simulating the past - The use of 3D technologies in archaeology

Summary

To deal with the destructive nature of archaeological excavations, today’s archaeologists are using new technologies to create 3D records of not only the archaeological sites, but also the archaeological process. This project explores how photogrammetry and 3D modelling can support theoretical approaches to the phenomena and processes by which Palaeolithic out-of-context imagery, especially that which is engraved, is produced. Using 3D technologies can allow researchers to simulate a variety of scenarios, including placement, shading, and relief. A light source, such as a flickering hearth fire, from a certain angle can give an engraving a three-dimensional quality, and cause the depictions to "project" from the cave walls. This study will help us rethink how such imagery has been reproduced for study purposes, and hopefully, will propel scholars in the field to move ahead towards using 3D technology to explore the phenomenology of the Palaeolithic imagery in its spatial context.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Magdalenian social geographies in Western Europe   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage