Abstract
Archaeological excavation involves disintegration, removal, and reassembly of the archaeological record; as such it is considered by many to be an unrepeatable, destructive activity. This perception has contributed to an advancement in archaeological practice, namely, the development of computerized recording systems that digitally record archaeological excavations spatially and volumetrically during fieldwork. This paper is concerned with those archaeological sites where digital field recording has not been done. These sites, recorded by traditional methods, should not be excluded from attempts to restructure the spatial, volumetric, and stratigraphic archaeological data. A thorough methodology for the conversion of traditional records into digitized data is presented, including the detailed procedures required for three-dimensional plotting of recorded data—both the excavated material and the drawn site maps and cross-sections. Finally, the use of these methods is demonstrated on a complex Early to Middle Pleistocene site, illustrating the benefits of digitization and three-dimensional reconstruction in resolving stratigraphic and spatial questions.
Highlights
Archaeological excavation involves disintegration, removal, and reassembly of the archaeological record; as such it is considered by many to be an unrepeatable, destructive activity. This perception has contributed to an advancement in archaeological practice, namely, the development of computerized recording systems that digitally record archaeological excavations spatially and volumetrically during fieldwork
Because of variability in recording methods, as well as the various constraints imposed during excavation, most archaeological finds are retrieved with a general spatial reference, which often includes an excavated unit and spit
The fact that archaeological excavation is often regarded as a destructive process contributes to continuous advancement in developing methods for recording archaeological field data
Summary
In order to restructure the excavated area digitally, it is essential that field illustrations (e.g., sections, plans, field maps) and the archaeological material retrieved from the site be recorded according to a comprehensive spatial context—either a conventional geographic grid (e.g., national coordinate grids, latitude and longitude coordinates) or a local reference specially designed for the excavated area (e.g., an artificial grid or temporary benchmarks). Such general spatial recording incorporates various spatio-temporal units of activity (e.g., context, locus, square), distinguished horizontally and vertically from each other. The use of these methods is demonstrated on the Early-Middle Pleistocene site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, illustrating the benefits of digitization and three-dimensional reconstruction in resolving stratigraphic and spatial questions
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