Methodological Issues in the Digital Mapping of Archaeological Sites

Three-dimensional recording of archaeological remains in the Altai Mountains

“…On the left bank of the river, a team from the IAE SB RAS made records using a Total Station Theodolite. Although the accuracy of their mapping appears to be higher than with GNSS, the resulting site plans still do not contain sufficient detail for typological study (Krupochkin 2009). Two 'dwellings' were excavated in the summer of 2011 to study their chronology, function and typology.…”

“…Numerous burial mounds, ritual surface monuments and rock art sites, dating from the late Neolithic (3200 BC) onwards are scattered across its valleys, highlands and steppes. Insights into their density and distribution are limited despite a century of archaeological excavations, but recently, well-directed surveys have shown the full archaeological potential of this broad region (Allard & Erdenebaatar 2005;Bourgeois et al 2007;Krupochkin 2009;Wright et al 2009;Jacobson-Tepfer & Meacham 2010). Unfortunately, infrastructural growth, intensive agriculture and increasing tourism are putting pressure on the archaeological heritage (Plets et al 2011a).…”