Digital Archaeology at Çatalhöyük: New Inferential Methods for the Interpretation of Neolithic Buildings

Summary

The 3D-Digging Project started at Çatalhöyük in 2009 with the intent to digitally record in 3D all the archaeological stratigraphy in some areas of excavation assembling different devices and technologies for virtually reconstructing all the process in desktop and virtual reality systems. The introduction of 3D data recording and 3D simulation marks a qualitatively new phase of the research process at archaeological sites. This shall facilitate a new mode of inference that can fundamentally change the excavation process.

The project, focused mainly on the B89 East mound has demonstrated in 5 years of experiments that it is possible to integrate different tools and methods during the excavation, achieving important results in terms of standardization, information quality, virtual interaction and reliability of the digital workflow. The "mediated experience" of digital documentation devices is always assisted by an empirical observation of data on site. Since the 3D models are visualizable and ready in a very short time, the interaction between empirical observation and mediated experiences creates new forms of knowledge and interpretation. Finally the paper will present the realization of a specific software platform for the 3D visualization and reconstruction of archaeological excavations.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage