Digitally constructing a late Early Bronze Age roof. Observations and conclusions

Abstract

While computer aided design (CAD) technology has been used in archaeology since the early 1980s, the advent of free, open-source 3D modeling software such as Blender is quickly moving the application of 3D modeling in archaeology from a narrow specialization to a common tool for examining a wide range of basic research questions. In this case study, Blender is used to create two models for the construction of a multi-roomed house at the late Early Bronze Age (EBA) city of Titriş Höyük (c. 2300-2100 BC). The models focus on the challenges posed by roofing a large mudbrick structure with a mud roof supported by wooden elements. One house excavated at the site in the 1990s, was chosen for modeling since its location at the corner of two ancient streets, its location adjacent to a terrace wall, and its contiguity with an adjacent house provided a complex problem for ancient builders. Considerations of material, labor, and time costs (architectural energetics) needed to provide a viable model, and new observations have added nuance to our understanding of EBA construction processes. In particular, the case-study provided here illustrates the value of an iterative problem-solving methodology that forces the researcher to consider in detail the decisions made by ancient builders in constructing complex domestic houses. This article shows that 3D modeling software is an appropriate and feasible solution to moving archaeological analysis of ancient architecture beyond the traditional presentation of plan and section views and enables the researcher to evaluate design processes used in antiquity.