Stratigraphic visualisation for archaeological investigation

Abstract

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The principal objective of archaeology is to reconstruct in all possible ways the life of a community at a specific physical location throughout a specific time period. Distinctly separate layers of soil provide evidence for a specific time period. Discovered artefacts are most frequently used to date the layer. An artefact taken out of context is virtually worthless; hence the correct registration of the layer in which they were uncovered is of great importance. The most popular way to record temporal relationships between stratigraphic layers is through the use of the 2D Harris Matrix method. Without accurate 3D spatial recording of the layers, it is difficult if not impossible, to form new stratigraphic correspondences or correlations. New techniques for archaeological recording, reconstruction, visualisation and interpretation in 3D space are described in these works and as a result software has been developed. Within the developed software system, legacy stratigraphy data, reconstructed from archaeological notebooks can be integrated with contemporary photogrammetric models and theodolite point data representations to provide as comprehensive a reconstruction as possible. The new methods developed from this research have the capability to illustrate the progression of the excavation over time. This is made possible after the entry of only two or more strata. Sophisticated, yet easy-to-use tools allow the navigation of the entire site in 3D. Through the use of an animation-bar it is possible to replay through time both the excavation period and the occupation period, that is to say the various time periods in antiquity when human beings occupied these locations. The lack of complete and consistent recording of the soil layers was an issue that proved to be an obstacle for complete reconstruction during the development of these methods. A lack of worldwide archaeological consensus on the methods of stratigraphic recording inhibited development of a universal scientific tool. As a result, new recording methods are suggested to allow more scientific stratigraphic reconstruction