Comparing Traditional and Photogrammetric 3D Model Based Measurements of Lithic Artifacts

Summary

We assess how photogrammetry and three dimensional (3D) model-based measurement approaches compare to traditional approaches of lithic analysis. Photogrammetry is a novel, inexpensive and accessible method of producing models of lithics. However, it is unclear how the rate of inter-observer measurement errors of 3D models produced through photogrammetry compares to that of traditional approaches. Here we analyze flakes from Salado period archaeological sites in the Tonto Basin, where interactions among villages and the production of lithic tools are well understood. Features of flakes are assessed using traditional qualitative assessments and caliper measurements. Then, the same flakes are analyzed using photogrammetry modeling software to produce a digital model of each artifact that allows for quantifiable characterization of minute details through data mining techniques. The reliability of both methods in terms or inter-observer accuracy, and in their ability to capture changes in knapping strategies within Tonto Basin are assessed statistically.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16698