Hey everyone! My name is Melissa Constanti; I am an undergrad studying Anthropology/Archaeology at Umass Boston with hopes of graduating next spring! I recently completed my first field school this summer at Hassanamesit Woods and followed up with a two-week lab course learning about various ways to treat and conserve artifacts found at the site. One process we learned about what how to create 3D images of artifacts! I’m hoping to show you how 3D imaging is important in archaeology and various communities, what the process of creating an image is like, and what the end result looks like!

3D imaging is a process used in archaeology to create highly detailed images of artifacts and features. The image is created by taking multiple photographs of an artifact or feature at a few levels and angles and then combined to form a 3D image that can easily be manipulated. Creating these 3D images is an emerging technology in the field of archaeology and is quickly growing.

3D images can be used to enhance the archaeological experience for the public and various communities. Institutions like the Royal Ontario Museum displays numerous pieces of their collection in a digital gallery on several workstations and classrooms. This allows the public instant access to a detailed, hands-on experience without handling delicate artifacts or traveling to site. In the near future, it is possible that 3d photography like this can be integrated into a larger accessible digital archive that allows stake-holder communities, like the Nipmuc, greater access to archaeological collections. One such program, Mukurtu CMS (content management systems), is a free, open source system used to share and manage digitized cultural heritage for the Warumangu Aboriginal community from Central Australia. This system allows the community to share materials following their social and cultural guidelines as to what is acceptable and what cannot be displayed.

Archaeology as a whole can also benefit from creating 3D images of artifacts and features. An image can permanently document an artifact in the digital world, which can decrease the need to always handle delicate artifacts, increase their preservation and save for future generations. Archaeologists can easily share 3D images to compare and contrast artifacts from other sites around the country and around the world. The Center for Digital Archaeology (CoDA), located on the UC Berkeley campus, is dedicated to digitizing cultural heritage and sharing the various ways these goals are achieved. They provide various tools and resources for others to learn how to digitally document cultural materials. Check out one of their 3D modelling projects here.

I created my first 3D image of a kettle from the Sarah Boston Farmstead Site using a Pentax K-r camera and a free program called 123D Catch which generates the 3D image. We set up the lighting around the image to ensure most sides were fully lit and to minimize shadows and glare. I took a total of 40 photos; 10 photos per level and a total of 4 levels (bottom, middle, top and above artifact). During the photo shoot, I could not move the artifact, the lighting, or zoom. After the shoot, the images were loaded onto 123D Catch and were converted into the 3D image. It was really exciting to see the kettle transform into a movable, digital object! I hope this technology continues to develop further and will be more widely used in various communities and archaeology!

http://youtu.be/G5oewnK6VO8?hd=1

By Melissa Constanti