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Reimag(in)ing the Past

Adding the Third Dimension to Archaeological Section Drawings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2017

Joshua Emmitt ,
Briar Sefton ,
Rebecca Phillipps ,
Willeke Wendrich  and
Simon Holdaway
Joshua Emmitt
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010 (josh.emmitt@auckland.ac.nz)
Briar Sefton
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010 (josh.emmitt@auckland.ac.nz)
Rebecca Phillipps
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010 (josh.emmitt@auckland.ac.nz)
Willeke Wendrich
Affiliation:
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095; California Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Simon Holdaway
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010
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Abstract

The excavation of the site of Kom W in the Fayum region of Egypt during the 1920s by Caton-Thompson and Gardner resulted in the loss of the original surface topography. Detailed section drawings recorded the surface and bottom of excavation, but it was previously difficult to interpret the published images. This article reports on the use of these images to create a three-dimensional representation of the site as it was before and after excavation in the 1920s. This visualization aids the interpretation of the formation processes that shaped Kom W in ways that were previously unachievable due to limitations in the original data. Archaeological sites are under increasing threat of destruction, especially in the Near East. This method could be applied to legacy data in order to reconstruct a site with the data available.

La excavación del sitio Kom W en la región de Fayum de Egipto durante la década de 1920 por Caton-Thompson y Gardner dio lugar a la pérdida de la topografía de la superficie original del sitio. En los detallados dibujos de sección realizados en el sitio se registró la superficie y el fondo de la excavación, pero antes era difícil interpretar las imágenes publicadas en conjunto. Este documento informa sobre el uso de estas imágenes para crear una representación tridimensional de las condiciones del sitio antes y después de la excavación en la década de 1920. Esta visualización ayuda a interpretar los procesos de formación que dieron forma a Kom W en maneras que antes eran inalcanzables debido a las limitaciones en los datos originales. Los sitios arqueológicos son cada vez más amenazados de destrucción, especialmente en el Cercano Oriente. Este método se podría aplicar a los datos procedentes de investigaciones previas con el fin de reconstruir las condiciones anteriores del sitio.

Type
Articles
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , February 2017 , pp. 44 - 53
Copyright
Copyright 2017 © Society for American Archaeology 

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