Geometric Morphometrics & Elliptic Fourier Analysis of 3D Ceramic Data

Summary

We demonstrate two quantitative methods for potential inter- and intra-group comparisons of archaeological ceramics. For 3D morphometrics, we define a single stable landmark that is consistent throughout our ceramic data, and employ opposing curves populated by semi-landmarks to capitalize on the shape variation that occurs in coil-built ceramics. Eight such curves are used to capture four complete profiles. The landmark data are then subjected to generalized Procrustes analysis (GPA) and principal components analysis (PCA). Additionally, we conduct an Elliptic Fourier Analysis (EFA) of 2D profiles produced from 3D scans of the vessels, decomposing outlines into a series of size invariant harmonics (shape variables). Results are paired with additional qualitative attributes (temper, firing, decoration, etc.) to better characterize the range of variation that occurs throughout the dataset. Ultimately, data such as these can be analyzed in terms of both temporal and spatial dynamics as a means of exploring various social behaviors.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Crowdsourcing, Co-Creation, and Collaboration through Virtual Curation   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage