Reconstruction Of Archaeological Sites Research Articles

Dynamically documenting archaeological excavations based on 3D modeling: a case study of the excavation of the #3 fossil of hominin cranium from Yunxian, Hubei, China

Documenting tangible cultural heritage using 3D modeling techniques is gradually becoming an indispensable component of archaeological practice. The 3D modeling techniques based on photogrammetry and LiDAR scanning enable high-accuracy and high-realistic reconstruction of archaeological sites, and have been proven a powerful tool for documenting archaeological excavations. However, dynamically documenting an ongoing excavation using these techniques is still considered tedious, time-consuming, expensive, and dependent on expertise. Moreover, the application of 3D modeling techniques in archaeological excavations still faces some technical challenges, such as modeling with multi-source and multi-scale data, fusing local models at different times into a whole, achieving fast modeling while GPU workstations are not available in the field, and evaluating the quality of 3D models. As a result, there are still very few archaeological teams deeply engaged in dynamic documentation with 3D modeling techniques, and traditional drawing sketches and taking photographs still dominate. In these senses, documenting the archaeological excavation at the Yunxian Man site (located in Hubei, China) is an invaluable opportunity for exploration and practice. Archaeologists determined to conduct dynamically documenting at the beginning of the 6th excavation project for the site, and established a rotation system to reconcile physical excavation with digital preservation. Through repeated practice and communication, we proposed a workflow and pursued several new methods to enhance the feasibility of dynamically documenting, and obtained 4D models of the ongoing archaeological excavations. In 2022, the Yunxian Man site unearthed the most intact fossil of hominin cranium from about one million years ago in the Eurasian continent, preserving important and scarce anatomical features of early humans in Asia. As the original taphonomic context of the fossil corroded away during physical excavations, the digital documentation consisting of 4D models serves as permanent original data source in subsequent archaeological research. Moreover, we obtained cross-scale 3D models from geographical environment to archaeological site, excavation area, and cultural remains, and all of these 3D models are in an actual, unified coordinate framework. Thus, we can contribute to multidisciplinary cross-collaborative research through data sharing. Considering that digital documentations serve a great value in archaeological research, this paper focuses on sharing the workflow and methods to facilitate digital preservation for more archaeological projects.

О ПРИМЕНЕНИИ СПЕКТРОЗОНАЛЬНОЙ ВИЗУАЛИЗАЦИИ В ДИСТАНЦИОННОМ ЗОНДИРОВАНИИ ЗЕМЛИ

The issues of using multispectral imaging in remote sensing of the Earth, both using satellite images and using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are discussed. The use of multispectral images for assessing reforestation, the effectiveness of herbicide use, reconstruction of archaeological sites, environmental monitoring of the surface of reservoirs by monitoring the extent of the spread of blue-green algae, and recognition of the road network in forestry is described. The feasibility of using UAVs to survey individual areas of the terrain instead of obtaining images from satellites is assessed. The results of increasing the information content of multispectral images obtained using various processing options are presented. Based on the results of the analytical review, trends in the development of methods for improving the visual quality of multispectral images obtained during monitoring of the earth's surface are formulated. The disadvantages of the considered methods for increasing the information content of multispectral images are indicated, and improvements are proposed that can improve the methods used.

Reconstruction of Archaeological Sites in Virtual Environment: Case Study of Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park World Heritage

Historical tourism is a form of tourism that has become popular and has created revenue for the local communities. Tourists who are interested in visiting and learning from historical monuments are often met with disappointment due to the monument’s poor condition. They receive most of the information about the monuments from guidebooks or description plagues at the site. Therefore, they are unable to fully perceive monuments in their original state. Moreover, environmental factors such as temperature, sunlight, seasons and climate can sometimes interrupt the learning experience at the real location. The objective of this research is to create a newtype of learning tool that reconstructs dilapidated historical monument in virtual environment. The case study is Wat Mahathat and it’s immediate physical surroundings at the Sukhothai Historical Park in Sukhothai province. This historical park is an important site for the study of architecture and archeology. However, the architecture in the Sukhothai Historical Park has suffered from tremendous damages overtime. In current state, there are only ruins of buildings, columns, remnants of chedis, Mondapus and Viharas. The archeological evidence, empirical studies and field survey inform the process of architectural analysis which is an important tool in estimating and finally reconstructing the original design of the architecture. This learning tool will be a pivotal equipment that tourism organizations can further develop in order to enhance historical tourism prior to the actual location. Moreover, this research will be a part of standard setting for sustainable tourism.

Statistical Analysis of Multispectral Imaging Data for the Reconstruction of Archaeological Sites

Statistical Analysis of Multispectral Imaging Data for the Reconstruction of Archaeological Sites

Guidelines for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Measurement Instrument Design

Although Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are used as mobile measurement platforms in several applications, no guidelines are provided to include the measurement uncertainty assessment in the design steps of the UAV platform. In this article, the steps required for the design of a UAV-based measurement instrument according to the application measurement target and the uncertainty assessment are delineated. In order to highlight the necessity of the proposed design guidelines, the case study of 3D reconstruction of archaeological sites is discussed.

A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL ARCHAEOLOGY

Visual reconstructions of archaeological sites and materials have been around since before the formal construction of archaeology as a discipline itself. However, there has been an expansion of the methods of reconstructing and representing the past in the last decades due to the use of digital technology. 3D modelling of archaeological sites and artifacts can generate aesthetically pleasing visualizations, but there is a danger of over-exaggerating or decontextualizing the past for public audiences. As digital artists and archaeologists, we should use caution with creating and disseminating archaeological visualizations. Considerations for scientific accuracy, ethics and educational value need to be taken into account. Therefore, this article introduces some of the theoretical issues involved with the digital reconstruction as well as an overview of the practical process of performing science-based archaeological 3D reconstructions and visualizations.

Reliving history: the digital reconstruction of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

<p class="VARAbstract">Can we preserve cultural heritage and, consequently, the memory of the past? To answer this question, one should look at the digital revolution that the world has gone through in recent decades and analyse the complex and the dialectical relationship between cultural heritage and new technologies. Thanks to these, increasingly accurate reconstructions of archaeological sites and historical monuments are possible. The resulting digital replicas are fundamental to experience and understand cultural heritage in innovative ways: they have complex and dynamic relationships with the original objects. This research paper highlights the importance and the scientific validity of digital replicas aimed at understanding, enhancing and protecting cultural heritage. The study focuses on the virtual reconstruction of the constructive phases, from the mid-15<sup>th</sup> century to date, of one of the most emblematic Gothic-Renaissance buildings in the city of Milan (Italy): the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, famous worldwide for hosting Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper painting. This site proved to be an ideal case study because of its troubled and little-known history that led to numerous changes over the centuries. Thanks to a methodological approach based on the analysis of the documentary sources and three-dimensional (3D) modelling, it was possible to outline the chronological succession of the convent transformations; the way in which these overlapped the pre-existing structures was described starting from the Renaissance harmonious and organic interventions, to finally reach 18<sup>th</sup>-19<sup>th </sup>centuries inhomogeneous and incompatible additions. Finally, the research was completed by mapping the 3D models based on the sources used and their different levels of accuracy. The 3D models have thus become a valid tool for checking and verifying the reconstruction hypotheses.</p><p class="VARAbstract">Highlights:</p><ul><li><p>The study focused on the virtual reconstruction of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, one of the most emblematicGothic-Renaissance buildings in the city of Milan.</p></li><li><p>By combining data from documentary sources, architectural treatises, period photos and digital survey, the mainbuilding phases of the convent, from the 15th century to date, were digitally reconstructed.</p></li><li><p>The 3D models are enriched with information about the accuracy of the digital reconstruction, creating 3D databasesthat can be easily consulted and updated.</p></li></ul>

Applications of Photogrammetric Modeling to Roman Wall Painting: A Case Study in the House of Marcus Lucretius

Across many sites in Italy today, wall paintings face particular dangers of damage and destruction. In Pompeii, many extant fragments are open to the air and accessible to tourists. While efforts are underway to preserve the precious few examples that have come down to us today, after excavation even new finds begin to decay from the moment they are exposed to the air. Digital photogrammetry has been used for the documentation, preservation, and reconstruction of archaeological sites, small objects, and sculpture. Photogrammetry is also well-suited to the illustration and reconstruction of Roman wall painting and Roman domestic interiors. Unlike traditional photography, photogrammetry can offer three-dimensional (3D) documentation that captures the seams, cracks, and warps in the structure of the wall. In the case of an entire room, it can also preserve the orientation and visual impression of multiple walls in situ. This paper discusses the results of several photogrammetric campaigns recently undertaken to document the material record in the House of Marcus Lucretius at Pompeii (IX, 3, 5.24). In the process, it explores the combination of visual analysis with digital tools, and the use of 3D models to represent complex relationships between spaces and objects. To conclude, future avenues for research will be discussed, including the creation of an online database that would facilitate visualizing further connections within the material record.

Digitizing Roonka: The creation of a 3D representation from archival records

The site of Roonka, South Australia, is the largest excavation of an Aboriginal burial ground in Australia. Excavated in the 1960s-70s, the site has never been fully analysed, partly because of the difficulties of interpreting the complex of burials and other features that had accumulated over at least 7000 years. Here we use a combination of geographical information systems (GIS) and computer aided design (CAD) programs to create a 3D representation of the main excavation, Trench A, at Roonka. Questions regarding the depositional history of the site are examined, with the reconstruction suggesting multiple occupations of the area and potential differentiations in the use of space. The results show the utility of the 3D reconstruction of archaeological sites from paper excavation records and the potential for further interpretations from such data.

3D Reconstruction and Uncertainty Modelling Using Fuzzy Logic of Archaeological Structures: Applied to the Temple of Diana in Nemi, Italy

In the recent years, virtual 3D reconstructions of archaeological sites have gained large attention from various fields of science. Procedural modelling approaches have emerged as appropriate to model and visualize reconstructed ancient structures. The process of reconstructing historical building structures involves ambiguities and uncertainties. On an archaeological site, excavated and surveyed findings such as ruins, located in their original positions, provide reliable foundations for a 3D reconstruction. On the contrary, findings, such as debris of walls, roofs, columns, etc. are not less important, but implicate different levels of certainties for a 3D model, depending on the archaeological knowledge and interpretation. On one hand, this work provides a virtual 3D reconstructing of an ancient Roman temple named “Sanctuary of Diana” located in Nemi, Italy, in different levels of detail using a procedural modelling approach. On the other hand, we present a fuzzy logic approach to quantify and visualize the uncertainty of the temple reconstruction.

Archaeological stratigraphy as a formal language for virtual reconstruction. Theory and practice

In recent years there has been a growing interest in 3D acquisition techniques in the field of cultural heritage, yet, at the same time, only a small percentage of case studies have been conducted on the virtual reconstruction of archaeological sites that are no longer in existence. Such reconstructions are, at times, considered “artistic” or “aesthetic” endeavors, as the complete list of sources used is not necessarily provided as a reference along with the 3D representation. One of the reasons for this is likely the lack of a shared language in which to store and communicate the steps in the reconstruction process. This paper proposes the use of a formal language with which to keep track of the entire virtual reconstruction process. The proposal is based on the stratigraphic reading approach and aims to create a common framework connecting archaeological documentation and virtual reconstruction in the earliest stages of the survey. To this end, some of the tools and standards used in archaeological research have been “extended” to taxonomically annotate both the validation of the hypothesis and the sources involved.

Geoarchaeology of defensive moats: its importance for site localization, evolution and formation process reconstruction of archaeological sites in NE Spain

A geoarchaeological methodology for studying defensive moats is proposed that localises and reconstructs the evolution and formation processes of archaeological sites in NE Spain. This paper analyses three cases. Firstly, a moat at Puig Pelegrí, an Iberian site (Second Iron Age) where little infill is preserved in the moat, and therefore, the materials removed and deposited when the moat was excavated are analysed. Secondly, the stratigraphy of the infill of a moat at Cabezo de la Cruz (a well preserved site from the First Iron Age) is examined. Thirdly, a moat at Carrassumada (a highly eroded site from the Iberian period in the Second Iron Age) is analysed. The results presented in this paper highlight the importance of sedimentary contexts for understanding human occupation in semi-arid regions.

Proposal of an Information System for an Adaptive Mixed Reality System for Archaeological Sites

The use of Augmented Reality (AR) techniques to visualize virtual archaeological sites is neither a new or recent issue. In those approaches the virtual models are only visualized using the existent in situ illumination, which does not allow a visitor to have a similar visual experience to that which he would have at the time the structures were built. In Augmented Virtuality (AV) approaches the virtual world prevails, which is augmented with information from the real world, which allows a better control over the parameters of the Mixed Reality (MR) environment created. In some cases, there is the need to use both approaches (AR or AV), depending on some context conditions. This paper proposes an architecture and an information system for an adaptive MR system which main goal is to visualize in situ virtual reconstructions of archaeological sites that are seamlessly merged with the real scene. In this context, a new adaptive methodology will be defined to manage the level of mixing between the real and the virtual scene, identifying in each instant the most proper approach to use (AR or AV), as well as defining the way how transitions between approaches are made.

Reconstrucción Virtual de la Villa Romana de la Quintilla de Lorca a partir de las evidencias físicas existentes sobre dicha construcción así como de referencias comparativas científicamente razonadas

<p>The virtual reconstruction of archaeological sites using computer graphics is a very important tool for the verification or refutation of hypotheses in scientific research. It also is an excellent way to spread awareness Heritage with realistic images of scientific rigor.</p>

Significance of the geoarchaeological record in the defensive moats for the paleoenvironmental and evolutionary reconstruction of archaeological sites in NE Spain

Significance of the geoarchaeological record in the defensive moats for the paleoenvironmental and evolutionary reconstruction of archaeological sites in NE Spain

Reconstruction of Archaeological Sites: Principles Practice and Evaluation

The reconstruction works at archaeological sites need to be approached with caution to prevent disturbing any surviving evidence. This study aims to develop criteria for the evaluation of reconstructions at archaeological sites. The criteria have been developed through review of current international and national conservation charters to help improve reconstruction proposals. These criteria are determined considering the remain scale and the site scale. Accuracy of the reconstruction, avoidance of physical damage, compatibility of materials, distinguishability of the interventions, availability of the interventions for future applications, and reversibility are the criteria concerning the remain scale; limits of the intervention, retainability of the original characteristics of the site, and perception of the reconstruction are the criteria concerning the site scale. These criteria are applied to the reconstruction works realized at the West Stoa of Agora, İzmir, Turkey during 1930s, which had to be dismissed and reimplemented in 2000s. The recent reconstruction was applied with compatible materials; the interventions did not damage the original materials and they are distinguishable. This study of the reconstruction presents the latest architectural information, provides a basis for future studies, and is reversible. The reconstructed structure does not falsify the original characteristics, but enables increased perception of the site.

Web didáctica: “Cabrera de Mar, arqueologia i patrimoni”. Un ejemplo de reconstrucción o anastilosis virtual de yacimientos y paisajes arqueológicos íberos, romanos y medievales. La infografía al servicio de la arqueología, del patrimonio y de la educación.

<p>Presentation of the educational Web www.cabrerademarpatrimoni.cat “Cabrera de Mar, arqueología i patrimoni”. Web whose central objective disclosure (to the general public, but especially to our elementary and secondary students) of archeology and heritage Iberian, Roman, medieval and modern, making it understandable to make the content and value that has no doubt to educate in the values of heritage and its preservation. The thread and the most characteristic element is anastilosis or virtual reconstruction of archaeological sites. Throughout the communication is intended to answer the question "what is, for what it is, and as for who is it? With the teaching’s Web that we present today.</p>

From 3D reconstruction to virtual reality: A complete methodology for digital archaeological exhibition

For nearly two decades, virtual reality (VR) technologies have been employed in the field of cultural heritage for various purposes. The safeguard, the protection and the fruition of the remains of the past have gained a powerful tool, thanks to the potentialities of immersive visualization and 3D reconstruction of archaeological sites and finds. VR applications based on videogame technologies are known for their realism and fluid interactivity, but the choice of the fittest technologies remains a complex task because there is an ample number of hardware devices and software development kits. Moreover the design of a VR application for cultural heritage requires several different professional skills and presents a certain complexity in coordination and management. This paper presents strategies to overcome these problems, by suggesting some guidelines for the development of VR systems for cultural heritage. It illustrates a complete methodology to create a virtual exhibition system, based on realistic high-quality 3D models of archaeological finds (reconstructed using a 3D Scanner and a high definition camera) and a low-cost multimedia stereoscopic system called MNEME, which allows the user to interact in a free and easy way with a rich collection of archaeological finds. The solution we propose is intended to be easy to transport and fully usable by different user typologies, without any external assistance or supervision.