Methodology of spatial modelling and visualisation of remains of the fortified Lusatian settlement in Biskupin based on archival data

Abstract

The fortified settlement in Biskupin, Poland, is a widely known example of a prehistoric Lusatian fortified settlement in which well-preserved remains were discovered in 1934. During archaeological excavations from 1934 to 1974, extensive documentation was acquired, including drawings and photographs. However, during the II World War, its significant part was lost, and consequently, the documentation available today is incomplete, usually lacking information about the relative vertical position of the remains, which is crucial for chronological and functional analyses. This work presents a methodology for generating 3D models and visualizations based on the aforementioned archival documentation. For this purpose, the “general-to-specific” approach was applied, exploiting four methods varying in accuracy and level of detail: Structure-from-Motion together with Multi-View Stereo, the variation of Shape-from-Shading technique and 3D modelling based on single photographs and drawings. The article covers the advantages and limitations of each method and evaluates their applicability in archaeological analyses. This work is related to the research presented in [1–3]. However, the objective of this research is a thorough analysis of mentioned 3D documentation methods and their evaluation with regard to archaeological analyses. Furthermore, unlike in [1], this study concerns the use of terrestrial and low-altitude archival images for the documentation of separate artefacts.