Abstract
Quantitative sediment analyses performed in the laboratory are often used throughout archaeological excavations to critically reflect on-site stratigraphic delineation. Established methods are, however, often time-consuming and expensive. Recent studies suggest that systematic image analysis can objectivise the delineation of stratigraphic layers based on fast quantitative spectral measurements. The presented study examines how these assumptions prevail when compared to modern techniques of sediment analysis. We examine an archaeological cross-section at a Bronze Age burial mound near Seddin (administrative district Prignitz, Brandenburg, Germany), consisting of several layers of construction-related material. Using detailed on-site descriptions supported by quantitatively measured sediment properties as a measure of quality, we compare clustering results of (i) extensive colour measurements conducted with an RGB and a multispectral camera during fieldwork, as well as (ii) selectively sampled sedimentological data and (iii) visible and near infrared (VIS-NIR) hyperspectral data, both acquired in the laboratory. Furthermore, the influence of colour transformation to the CIELAB colour space (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage) and the possibilities of predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) based on image data are examined. Our results indicate that quantitative spectral measurements, while still experimental, can be used to delineate stratigraphic layers in a similar manner to traditional sedimentological data. The proposed processing steps further improved our results. Quantitative colour measurements should therefore be included in the current workflow of archaeological excavations.
Highlights
Stratigraphic documentation and interpretation are crucial parts of archaeological research.Since the emergence of the archaeological discipline, researchers have been concerned with the identification of methods that allow more objectivity in stratigraphic delineation and interpretation.The fundamental work of, e.g., Harris [1] is complemented by a progressing digitisation of fieldwork (e.g., [2]) and a growing number of on-site measurements and analyses carried out in variousHeritage 2020, 3, 528–548; doi:10.3390/heritage3020031 www.mdpi.com/journal/heritageHeritage 2020, 3 laboratories in the aftermath of an excavation
Our results indicate the importance of quantitatively measuring sediment colours—be it selective or extensive—as they constitute an additional layer of documentation during an archaeological excavation, which can be acquired and render the on-site archaeological documentation and interpretation more transparent and reproducible
As documented during fieldwork, location of samples, and respective results of the hierarchical and the depth-constrained hierarchical cluster analyses of the following data: p-ED-XRF data, selectively measured spectral data (450–2500 nm), and median pixel values extracted from image data
Summary
Stratigraphic documentation and interpretation are crucial parts of archaeological research.Since the emergence of the archaeological discipline, researchers have been concerned with the identification of methods that allow more objectivity in stratigraphic delineation and interpretation.The fundamental work of, e.g., Harris [1] is complemented by a progressing digitisation of fieldwork (e.g., [2]) and a growing number of on-site measurements and analyses carried out in variousHeritage 2020, 3, 528–548; doi:10.3390/heritage3020031 www.mdpi.com/journal/heritageHeritage 2020, 3 laboratories in the aftermath of an excavation. Stratigraphic documentation and interpretation are crucial parts of archaeological research. Since the emergence of the archaeological discipline, researchers have been concerned with the identification of methods that allow more objectivity in stratigraphic delineation and interpretation. Heritage 2020, 3 laboratories in the aftermath of an excavation. These techniques comprise, e.g., the establishment of soil colour standards (cf [3,4]), geochemical analyses of sediments (e.g., [5,6,7]), the analysis of thin sections (e.g., [8]), or the analysis of pollen [9] and phytoliths [10]. The initial on-site delineation of stratigraphic layers (i.e., stratigraphic documentation) remains partly influenced by the perception of the respective researcher at work.
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