Pottery Goes Public. Performing Archaeological Research Amid the Audience (original) (raw)
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Open Archaeology, 2018
The project Pottery Goes Public explores the potential of 3D analytical tools to assess to what extent they can provide us with new interpretations and insights into the technological aspects of ancient pottery manufacturing. However, developing innovative 3D imaging techniques for ceramic analysis is not the only aim of the project. Since its inception, Pottery Goes Public has been designed to involve a wider audience not only into the study of ancient potting techniques, but also into the very process of carrying out the research. As advocated by the proponents of a reflexive approach to archaeology, in order to make the past relevant to contemporary society it is imperative for the archaeologist to include all interested parties into every stage of the analysis, from the formulation of the research questions to the dissemination of outputs. In this sense, the deployment of modern 3D technologies proved to be an indisputably powerful medium of communication and interaction with the public at large. Performing live archaeological research with cutting edge tools is a key step towards opening up academic research to multiple actors and actively engaging them with the archaeological interpretative process. Archaeologists have, over the past two decades, increasingly adopted reflexive and multivocal stances to create a more inclusive, participatory archaeology. While digital technologies were not at the forefront of 1 We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Barry Molloy for granting us the opportunity to present Pottery Goes Public at the workshop Breaking the Mould. Seeing through time. Exploring the use of 3D models of objects in archaeological research, held at the University College of Dublin, October 15th and 16th 2016. This presentation paved the way for the publication of the project in the current Topical Issue. Special thanks are also due to the anonymous reviewers for their careful reading and the many insightful comments that contributed to shape a stronger manuscript. All remaining errors are our own.
3D scanning technology as a standard archaeological tool for pottery analysis: practice and theory
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2008
This article reports on the successful completion of a large-scale pilot project, where 3D scanning technology, and newly developed software to optimally identify the rotation axis of wheel produced ceramics, were used as a practical tool for pottery analysis. Approximately 1000 potsherds from several sites and periods were scanned, their symmetry axis computed, and their mean profiles drawn. The variety of fragments shapes, sizes and surface properties enabled us to test the system for a large range of archaeologically relevant pottery types. The high rate of success of the system, its efficiency and its output in the form of accurate, print quality profiles, encourage us to recommend this method as a practical and reliable tool in Archaeological research.
Power to the people: 3D archives for exploring ancient ceramic technology
Archaeological research that seeks dynamic answers to complex issues inevitably needs a range of specialisations, often necessitating the integration of multiple datasets, of which 3D data is becoming increasingly important. Our paper addresses the key problems for archiving 3D data alongside more traditional archaeological data while simultaneously constructing an accessible interface for both heritage specialists and non-specialists. Such integrated databases are difficult enough for specialists to navigate, so if we wish to truly engage non-specialists then they must be considered from the design phase. Such a system should function as intuitively as a library but also provide a more dynamic and interactive tool for data collection and manipulation. This flexibility is necessary to trigger a process of data diffusion across a wide array of stakeholders. This can democratise the participation in ongoing research and introduce users to the multiple potential uses of archaeological data. A central goal of the Tracing the Potter’s Wheel project is to teach people the importance of ceramic technology for investigating the intangible dynamic behaviours that can be identified through the tangible remains of pottery. From the outset we have aimed to set up a 3D archive of pottery with guided accessibility. These guided pathways to learning, enabled through our archived 3D models, are built upon the way that data was collected, the process of identification, and the process of archaeological interpretation. In this way a structured and curated 3D archive serves as an effective teaching tool for specialist and non-specialist audiences, who might never gain physical access to the archaeological material. This allows all stakeholders to be able to use and re-use high-quality archaeological data to gain new knowledge and, from their diverse perspectives, be able to explore new narratives for cultural heritage study. presented to the Centre for Digital Heritage meeting 2018: 3D Archives, (Re)Use and Knowledge Production’, Lund (Sweden), 18 – 20 Jun 2018.
“From a Buried Fragment to the Virtual Artefact: A Case Study of Greek Pottery”
The fragmentary condition of objects is often an issue in the study of material cultural heritage. In archaeology, and in pottery studies in particular, the fragmentary condition of excavated objects impacts on research into their history and presentation. Ceramic vessels and vase fragments are the most numerous archaeological findings and a primary source of information about various aspects of ancient life: private, public, religious, economic and technological, social and artistic. The subject of this chapter is a fragmentary clay drinking cup, kantharos, a vessel attributed to the god Dionysus and a typical drinking vase used at symposia (gatherings). This particular kantharos was unearthed during the excavations at the ancient settlement of Therme, today’s Karabournaki near Thessaloniki, Greece. The vase dates to the Archaic period between the seventh and the sixth century BC. Although the kantharos is preserved to a large extent, its fragmentary condition challenges complete reconstruction. Evidence for reliable reconstruction is insufficient: the lower part that would originally have consisted of a base and foot, is missing. The process of virtual reconstruction through 3D visualization, described in this chapter, has contributed significantly to the study and presentation of the vase. The authors consider the advantages and limitations of technologies used. The process of creating this particular computer model may be applied to other fragmentary vases that come either from the excavation at Karabournaki or any other archaeological site or collection. This research may be of interest to experts in 3D technologies, as well as archaeologists and art historians, both academic scholars and students, museum curators and conservators, educators and other multidisciplinary audiences.
Open Archaeology, 2024
In recent years, interest in the usage of computer-based methods in archaeology, especially regarding field documentation, has grown significantly. In 2021, Göttlich et al. presented a new large-scale three-dimensional (3D) capture method for the documentation of pottery using structure from motion. This method, however, was only tested on a very small sample set and never truly conducted in a large-scale documentation surrounding. Consequently, we decided to test this workflow on a large-scale basis during three field campaigns (March 2022, November 2022, and March 2023) in Lebanon, documenting more than 4,000 sherds in total. In this article, I will present the results and observations of these campaigns, critically discuss the workflow involved (documentation and processing), and propose a refined workflow for this methodology. This article focuses solely on the relevant documentation and 3D processing.
Advances in digital pottery analysis
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Rapid progress in digitisation and computer techniques have enabled noteworthy new pottery analysis applications in recent decades. We focus on analytical techniques directed specifically at archaeological pottery research in this survey and review the specific benefits these have brought in the field. We consider techniques based on heterogeneous sources such as drawings, photographs, 3D scans and CT volume data. The various approaches and methods are structured according to the main steps in pottery processing in archaeology: documentation, classification and retrieval. Within these categories we review the most relevant papers and identify their advantages and limitations. We evaluate both freely and commercially available analysis tools and databases. Finally, we discuss open problems and future challenges in the field of pottery analysis.
Chapter 2. From a Buried Fragment to the Virtual Artefact: A Case Study of Greek Pottery
Digital Techniques for Documenting and Preserving Cultural Heritage
The fragmentary condition of objects is often an issue in the study of material cultural heritage. In archaeology, and in pottery studies in particular, the fragmentary condition of excavated objects impacts on research into their history and presentation. Ceramic vessels and vase fragments are the most numerous archaeological findings and a primary source of information about various aspects of ancient life: private, public, religious, economic and technological, social and artistic. The subject of this chapter is a fragmentary clay drinking cup, kantharos, a vessel attributed to the god Dionysus and a typical drinking vase used at symposia (gatherings). This particular kantharos was unearthed during the excavations at the ancient settlement of Therme, today's Karabournaki near Thessaloniki, Greece. The vase dates to the Archaic period between the seventh and the sixth century BC. Although the kantharos is preserved to a large extent, its fragmentary condition challenges complete reconstruction. Evidence for reliable reconstruction is insufficient: the lower part that would originally have consisted of a base and foot, is missing. The process of virtual reconstruction through 3D visualization, described in this chapter, has contributed significantly to the study and presentation of the vase. The authors consider the advantages and limitations of technologies used. The process of creating this particular computer model may be applied to other fragmentary vases that come either from the excavation at Karabournaki or any other archaeological site or collection. This research may be of interest to experts in 3D technologies, as well as archaeologists and art historians, both academic scholars and students, museum curators and conservators, educators and other multidisciplinary audiences.
The uniformity of wheel produced pottery deduced from 3d image processing and scanning
2004
Abstract: Every archaeological excavation is confronted with a vast number of ceramic fragments. The documentation, administration and scientific processing of these fragments presents a temporal, personnel and financial problem. Scientific evaluation in archaeological practice often suffers due to extensive amounts of time required for the documentation and administration of ceramic finds.