Grooves of the Past: Photogrammetric Study and Digital Analysis of a Folsom Period Stone Tool

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Digitizing the Past: Studying Ancient Ground Stone Toolkits Using Modern Technology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ground stone tools (GST) were an integral component of early North American toolkits, however there are few archaeological studies that analyze GST. The Hell Gap National Historic Landmark has yielded GST in context with stone tool reduction, ochre, and other campsite activities. Our research focuses on a unique stone tool (HG 14T200-15-935) with key areas of surface abrasion, grooving, and shaping indicative of shaft abrading. Recent research using Digital Elevation Models shows a lack of uniformity in the grooving on the stone’s surface that suggest a preference for using specific areas of the stone. For our research, we used close-range photogrammetry and 3D modeling to create a working model that can be used for further analysis, including use-wear studies. Our model provides digital archaeological data that can be used for the reinterpretation of stone tools used during the Folsom Period (10,800 - 10,600 years ago) at this particular campsite. Our research highlights the challenges and errors that occurred throughout the process of creating a model, what adjustments were made, and our final results.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Digitizing the Past: Studying Ancient Ground Stone Toolkits Using Modern Technology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51578