3D laser scanning within Skoteino Cave, Crete, Greece

3D Thursdays!

Archaeology of the Mediterranean World

This is the sixth in a series of posts exploring 3D modeling in Mediterranean and European archaeology. For more on this project click here. We hope these papers will start a discussion either in the comments of the blog or on Twitter using the #3DMedArch hashtag.

Loeta Tyree, American School of Classical Studies, Athens, Greece

Laser scanning within Skoteino Cave (Dark Cave in Greek) in north Central Crete, Greece was accomplished following a three year project to image this subterranean network. The cave is of interest because of its long history of anthropogenic use since the Bronze Age that includes its function as a Minoan ritual site in the Middle Minoan III-LM IIIB period (ca. 1450-1200 B.C.) and, again in Roman times and later (Tyree et al. 2005-2006). To better understand the relationship between the areas of ancient activity, and realizing the deficiencies of existing cave maps created by…

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3D Thursday – low-cost 3D

http://mediterraneanworld.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/closing-gaps-with-low-cost-3d/

Bring in the Drones: 3D Modeling Using Aerial Imagery at Archaeological Excavations

3D Thursday!

Archaeology of the Mediterranean World

This is the fourth in a series of posts exploring 3D modeling in Mediterranean and European archaeology. For more on this project click here. We hope these papers will start a discussion either in the comments of the blog or on Twitter using the #3DMedArch hashtag.

Ryan Baker, B.A. Student in Classical Archaeology. University of Texas. Co-Founder ArchAerial LLC.

For every joke I endured this summer about technology from the Starship Enterprise coming to the field of archaeology, a real conversation followed about the future of the discipline in terms of digital representations of an excavation.

I’m an undergraduate student finishing my B.A. in Classical Archaeology at the University of Texas at Austin, and last fall I started a small business called Arch Aerial LLC that set out to create easy to use aerial photography platforms with autopilot capability in the form of multi-rotor helicopters and small fixed-wing UAV’s…

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Linear B in 3D

Archaeology of the Mediterranean World

This is the third in a series of posts exploring 3D modeling in Mediterranean and European archaeology. For more on this project click here. We hope these papers will start a discussion either in the comments of the blog or on Twitter using the #3DMedArch hashtag.

Dimitri Nakassis, Associate Professor, University of Toronto

Bill’s invitation to write up some thoughts on 3D modeling in Mediterranean archaeology came at a welcome time for me, as I had just co-directed the first season of a project imaging the Linear B tablets from the “Palace of Nestor.” The project makes use of two 3D technologies: Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) and 3D scanning using a Breuckmann smartSCAN 3D white light scanner.

I should probably take a step back and explain the project a little. The project is co-directed by myself and Kevin Pluta; also participating are James Newhard, who in handling…

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AIA Award for Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology

Deadline extended to October 1.

Full details.

Three Dimensional Field Recording in Archaeology: An Example from Gabii

Archaeology of the Mediterranean World

This is the first in a series of posts exploring 3D modeling in Mediterranean and European archaeology. For more on this project click here. We hope these papers will start a discussion either in the comments of the blog or on Twitter using the #3DMedArch hashtag.

Rachel Opitz, Post-Doctoral Fellow
Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) & Department of Anthropology
University of Arkansas

In asking for contributions to this series of posts reflecting on 3D modeling in archaeology, Bill Caraher posed a series of questions, one of which was,

“What is the future of 3D modeling in archaeology? At present, the 3D image is useful for illustrating artifacts and – in some cases – presenting archaeological and architectural relationships, but it has yet to prove itself as an essential basis for analysis or as a robust medium for communicating robust archaeological description. Will 3D visualization become more than just another…

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Barbarians at the Gate: Comments on Comments

Jack Davis is guest blogging some interesting thoughts worthy of consideration, consonant with of my own expressions stated earlier on this blog.

From the Archivist's Notebook

Jack L. Davis, Carl W. Blegen professor of Greek Archaeology at the University of Cincinnati and former director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (2007-2012), here responds to remarks by colleagues concerning his essay  “Barbarians at the Gate” of September 1st.

Several hundred visitors from 15 countries have now seen my post, including lost souls from the Isle of Man, Mexico, and Egypt. I am grateful to them and my other readers, particularly to those who have submitted comments.

A response offers me the opportunity to reiterate and clarify my views.  I believe that current policies that govern the allocation of resources to first-year students at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens are out of step with its mission statement. As the mission of ASCSA has expanded, procedures for awarding fellowships have failed to keep pace. The School is not the same as it was in…

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Computer Applications in Archaeology 2014 Call for Papers

The 2014 meeting of the CAA will be held in Paris, France, from April 22 to 25, 2014.  The Call for Papers has been announced, with submission deadline set for October 31.

Three Dimensional Imaging in Mediterranean Archaeology: A Short Introduction to a Blog Project

Upcoming series of interest.

Archaeology of the Mediterranean World

Over the past half decade, Mediterranean and Old World archaeology has entered a bold new world of inexpensive three-dimensional documentation. Using photogrammetry software like Agisoft Photoscan, increasingly powerful laptop computers, low-cost drones and airships, and high-resolution digital cameras even projects without access to robust digital infrastructures can now produce centimeter accurate 3D models of trenches, architecture, and even topography. These new resources bring opportunities for new ways to document sites and, of course, opportunities to reflect on the role of technology in archaeology. Over the next two months, this blog will feature a series of contributions from a wide range of authors describing how new a range of technologies have expanded our ability to produce high-quality three-dimensional images of archaeological sites in European and Mediterranean archaeology. The goal is to initiate a conversation among both practitioners of 3D modeling technology and those genuinely interested in these techniques to explore the…

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Archaeology, Humanities, and Data Science | The ArchaeoInformant

Archaeology, Humanities, and Data Science | The ArchaeoInformant.