a b s t r a c tPolynomial Texture Mapping is an image capture and processing technique that was developed by HP Labs in 2000. It enables the recording and representation of subtle surface details using a standard digital camera and lighting, and software that is free for non-commercial use. Cultural heritage applications have been associated with the technology from its earliest stages, including examples in areas such as cuneiform, numismatics, rock art, lithics and Byzantine art. The paper begins by outlining the technical principles involved. It then brings together the extant work in the field. Through examples developed by the University of Southampton in partnership with a range of UK and international bodies it demonstrates the benefits of the technology in the areas of archaeological analysis, conservation and representation. Finally it considers the future possibilities of this technology and ongoing developments.
Theregularapplication ofgeophysical, geochemicaland topographicalsurvey techniquesto evaluate archaeologicalsitesiswellestablished as a method forlocating, definingandmappingburied archaeological materials. However, it is not always feasible to apply a range of different methods over a particular site or landscape due to constraints in time or funding.This paper addresses the integrated application ofavarietyof survey techniques overdifferent sitesandlandscapesin Italyandelsewhere, focusing on the recent results from the ongoing survey and excavations at Portus, the port of Imperial Rome. An integration of methods, including magnetometry, resistance survey, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has been used at the site to fulfil a number of different research objectives. Results of the magnetometer survey have successfully recorded the nature and extent of archaeological material over an area of 220 ha, allowing a plan of the port andrelated structuresto beproducedandvariationsin archaeologicalpotentialacrossthe entirelandscape to be assessed.The integration of several techniques in one area of the site between the Porto di Claudio and the Porto di Traiano has mapped the structural remains of this area of the port prior to and during investigation of the zone through excavation. Current work on the geophysical survey data, using different software programs for the processing of survey data and merging different datasetsusinggeographicalinformation systempackages, hasallowed theresultsofthework to bevisualized and presented to archaeologists in a comprehensive and unambiguous fashion, facilitating the future management and preservation ofthe site.In addition ongoingresearchis using different statisticalandvisualmethodsofintegrationtorefinethearchaeologicalinterpretationofthe studyarea.Copyright #
This paper discusses the interim results of the AHRC RTISAD project. The project has developed and tested a range of techniques for gathering and processing reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) data. It has also assembled a detailed understanding of the breadth of RTI practice. Over the past decade the range of applications and algorithms in the broad domain of RTI has increased markedly, with current working addressing issues such as large resolution capture, 3D RTI, annotation, enhancement amongst others. Capture of RTI datasets has begun to occur in all aspects of cultural heritage and elsewhere. This has in turn prompted the development of policies and methods for managing and integrating the large quantities of data produced. The paper describes these techniques and issues in the context of a range of artefacts, including painted Roman and Neolithic surfaces, examples of ancient documents in a variety of forms, and archaeological datasets from Herculaneum, Çatalhöyük, Abydos and elsewhere. The paper also identifies ongoing software development work of value to the broad EVA community and proposes further enhancements.
New methods of visualisation offer the potential for a more detailed record of archaeological objects and the ability to create virtual 3D models that can be made widely available online. Here, two different techniques are applied to the impressive Easter Island statue on display in the Wellcome Gallery at the British Museum. Of particular importance are the details revealed of the petroglyphs that decorate its surface.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.