Image-based Search and Retrieval for Biface Artefacts using Features Capturing Archaeologically Significant Characteristics

Archaeologists are currently producing huge numbers of digitized photographs to record and preserve artefact finds. These images are used to identify and categorize artefacts and reason about connections between artefacts and perform outreach to the public. However, finding specific types of images within collections remains a major challenge. Often, the metadata associated with images is sparse or is inconsistent. This makes keyword-based exploratory search difficult, leaving researchers to rely on serendipity and slowing down the research process. We present an image-based retrieval system that addresses this problem for biface artefacts. In order to identify artefact characteristics that need to be captured by image features, we conducted a contextual inquiry study with experts in bifaces. We then devised several descriptors for matching images of bifaces with similar artefacts. We evaluated the performance of these descriptors using measures that specifically look at the differences between the sets of images returned by the search system using different descriptors. Through this nuanced approach, we have provided a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the different descriptors and identified implications for design in the search systems for archaeology

Evolutionary Psychology and Stone Tool Production: An Examination of Novice Blow Strength Judgement in a Knapping Task

Despite representing an approach to psychology that places the most emphasis on the importance on the role of our ancestral past in shaping the human cognitive architecture, Evolutionary Psychology remains largely neglected in the field of archaeology. Though archaeologists have incorporated approaches into their research that adopt both cognitive and evolutionary perspectives, the lack of engagement with the concepts and methodologies of Evolutionary Psychology arguably risks the abnegation of valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration that could greatly benefit both fields. This research applies the methodology of Evolutionary Psychology to the study of stone tool production, which is arguably the most abundant source of evidence from our ancestral environments regarding past cognition. The research provides an assessment of the adaptive advantages and information-processing problems of the various task domains associated with stone tool producing behaviours, together with considerations of possible test designs from the perspective of Evolutionary Psychology. The data collected relating to novices’ judgment of blow strength adopting a mixed-methods, explanatory sequential test design are also presented. The results are then evaluated to determine the extent to which a posited cognitive bias for acquiring competence in blow strength judgement is supported

PPMExplorer: Using Information Retrieval, Computer Vision and Transfer Learning Methods to Index and Explore Images of Pompeii

In this dissertation, we present and analyze the technology used in the making of PPMExplorer: Search, Find, and Explore Pompeii. PPMExplorer is a software tool made with data extracted from the Pompei: Pitture e Mosaic (PPM) volumes. PPM is a valuable set of volumes containing 20,000 historical annotated images of the archaeological site of Pompeii, Italy accompanied by extensive captions. We transformed the volumes from paper, to digital, to searchable. PPMExplorer enables archaeologist researchers to conduct and check hypotheses on historical findings. We present a theory that such a concept is possible by leveraging computer generated correlations between artifacts using image data, text data, and a combination of both. The acquisition and interconnection of the data are proposed and executed using image processing, natural language processing, data mining, and machine learning methods

SEEKING A COMMON THEME: A STUDY OF CERAMIC EFFIGY ARTIFACTS IN THE PRE-HISPANIC AMERICAN SOUTHWEST AND NORTHERN MEXICO USING COMPUTER IMAGE PATTERN RECOGNITION AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS

Effigy artifacts are found throughout the Pre-Hispanic American Southwest and Northern Mexico (PHASNM), as well as in other cultures around the world, with many sharing the same forms and design features. The earliest figurines within the PHASNM were partial anthropomorphic figurines made from fired clay, dating to between A.D. 287 and A.D. 312 (Morss 1954:27). They were found in a pit house village of Bluff Ruin in the Forestdale Valley of eastern Arizona, and they appeared to be associated with the Mogollon culture. The temporal range of the samples examined in this study is from approximately 200 A.D. to 1650 A.D., and the geographical range includes the Southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and Utah) and the northcentral section of Mexico (Casas Grandes and the surrounding area). This research looks at the similarities among the markings of ceramic effigy artifacts from the PHASNM, using computer image pattern recognition, design analysis, and phylogenetics, to determine whether their ceramic traditions share a common theme and whether the specific method of social learning responsible for the transmission of information relating to ceramic effigy decoration can be identified. Transmission is possible in one of three ways: vertical transmission, where parents/teachers distribute information by encouraging imitation and sharing learned traditions with children/students (Richerson and Boyd 2005; Shennan 2002); horizontal transmission, where information is transmitted among peers, either from within the individual’s group or from interaction with peers from neighboring populations (Borgerhoff Mulder et al. 2006), and where the individual comes into contact with a wide range of attributes related to the item of interest and then adopts those that allow for the fastest, most economical methods of production and distribution (Eerkens et al 2006; Rogers 1983); and oblique transmission, where information is transmitted by adults, masters, or institutions of elite or higher social status, either internally or externally to the adopting cultural Type (Jensen 2016; Jordan 2014), and where particular traits are adopted or left out in disproportionate ways, creating patterns in localized traditions that can be empirically identified. Horizontal transmission can be broken into two types: unlimited, where contact is not confined to a particular group; and limited, where contact is restricted to a particular set of contacts. Using criteria for each of the categories as set forth by the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies Pottery Typology Project, the samples were classified in terms of cultural area (culture), branch, tradition, ware, and type. The research v group consisted of 360 photographic samples represented by 868 images that were resized to a 640x640 pixel format. The images were then examined through computer image pattern recognition (using YOLOv5) and through manual observation. This study resulted in a database representing 230 traits. These traits were assembled into groups by cultural area, branch, tradition, ware, and type, and phylogenetic analysis was applied to show how the different entities transfer information among each other

Commensal or Comestible? The Role and Exploitation of Small, Non-ungulate Mammals in Early European Prehistory. Towards a Methodology for Improving Identification of Human Utilisation.

This is the PhD thesis as examined, and without any third party permissions obtained. A further copy of this thesis with permissions, or with the relevant images removed, will be deposited in due course.Small mammals, namely those species larger than microfauna like rats and murids but smaller than medium, sheep-size fauna, are generally one of the less studied areas of zooarchaeology. While this may be partly influenced by modern cultural biases, it is more often because finding small, rabbit-sized, mammal remains in archaeological deposits presents a problem in accurately differentiating between those arising from natural, biological and anthropogenic agencies. This thesis tackles this subject using a synthesis of different methods, examining the exploitation and role of small, non-ungulate mammals in early Western European prehistory by combining existing ethnographic knowledge and archaeological research with actualistic experiments and bone assemblage analysis. It first presents a detailed summary of the various taphonomic effects on bone from natural, biological and human action, with particular reference to those of small mammals, using empirical evidence to describe the processes and likely resultant effects. Small mammal utilisation is then contextualised using archaeological and ethnographic evidence to examine past and present practices in Europe and other areas of the world. Different acquisition methods, such as hunting and trapping, are described, and using small mammals for dietary and non-dietary purposes is outlined, along with the rationale for such utilisation given their size. Also considered are other, more abstract ideological and symbolic roles they fulfilled within different cultures, whether physically using parts of the animal, or conceptually. To extend the existing methods available to zooarchaeologists, and improve identifying human exploitation of these species, the ‘chaîne opératoire’ of small game use is examined from an osteological perspective, starting with acquisition, through processing, cooking and consumption to discard, using a series of experiments and microscopic analysis to explore potential bone modification signatures and fracture patterns arising from such activities. Finally, it places these results into broader context by comparing the fracture patterns with bones from British and North American archaeological sites, to demonstrate that similar changes can be seen.Arts and Humanities Research Counci

Incised Stones of the Great Basin: A Contextual Archaeology

This research examined the context of incised stones in the Great Basin. Incised stones are small tabular shaped stones, that are easily portable, and have designs incised on the surface. The Great Basin is located in western North America and encompasses a roximately California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. The landscape was used by prehistoric hunter-gatherers for over 10,000 years. The incised stones were left at caves, rock-shelters and open-air sites. This research focused on five sites that are either caves or rock shelters: Camels Back Cave, Gatecliff Shelter, Hogup Cave, Ruby Cave and Swallow Shelter. Context was used as a fundamental theoretical lens to approach incised stones. A contextual analysis was achieved by employing three analytical methods: chronology, spatial analysis, and design grammar. The chronology of incised stones was discussed in terms of how climate trends affect the number of incised stones left at sites. The spatial analysis examined the incised stones through a chronology at the unit or trench level. The design grammar classifies the imagery of the incised stones. The design grammars were contextualised into the spatial placement of the designs and analysed. The results of this doctoral thesis will highlight how incised stones were connected with specific activities. Interpretations of the incised stones are inferred from this research

Image-based search and retrieval for biface artefacts using features capturing archaeologically significant characteristics

Archaeologists are currently producing huge numbers of digitized photographs to record and preserve artefact finds. These images are used to identify and categorize artefacts and reason about connections between artefacts and perform outreach to the public. However, finding specific types of images within collections remains a major challenge. Often, the metadata associated with images is sparse or is inconsistent. This makes keyword-based exploratory search difficult, leaving researchers to rely on serendipity and slowing down the research process. We present an image-based retrieval system that addresses this problem for biface artefacts. In order to identify artefact characteristics that need to be captured by image features, we conducted a contextual inquiry study with experts in bifaces. We then devised several descriptors for matching images of bifaces with similar artefacts. We evaluated the performance of these descriptors using measures that specifically look at the differences between the sets of images returned by the search system using different descriptors. Through this nuanced approach, we have provided a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the different descriptors and identified implications for design in the search systems for archaeology.Digging Into Data InitiativeSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of CanadaArts & Humanities Research Council (UK)Economic and Social Research Council (UK)JISC (UK

The earliest Europeans – a year in the life: seasonal survival strategies in the Lower Palaeolithic

The Earliest Europeans explores a fundamental question: how did Europe’s first hominin occupants cope with the year-round practical challenges of life. To do so, the book adopts a ‘year in the life’ perspective that draws on the increasingly rich and robust archaeological and Quaternary Science records for the European Lower Palaeolithic, combined with insights from modern ethnography and zoological studies. By exploring potential survival strategies and behaviours, Hosfield offers new insights into the character of Europe’s earliest occupations across more than 1 million years, and ultimately asks: what sorts of ‘humans’ were these hominins? The innovative season-by-season structure of the book explores cyclical fluctuations in resources and weather conditions. From the depths of cold winters to the bountiful foods of late summer, it considers the implications of these variations for hominin behaviours. Hosfield draws on a range of supporting examples and evidence from Lower Palaeolithic sites across Europe, spanning technology, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, hominin life history, and plant and animal food resources. In doing so, The Earliest Europeans highlights both the current and future potential of Europe’s earliest archaeological record