4D Recording at the Trowel’s Edge: Using Three-Dimensional Simulation Platforms to Support Field Interpretation

The diffusion of new three-dimensional (3D) visualization platforms together with the development of new tools for query and analysis of 3D information has provided archaeologists with the opportunity to define new investigation strategies based on the use of 3D geo-referenced libraries to simulate and interpret, at the trowel's edge, evidence and finds retrieved during the excavation. Employing a recording method based on the combination of image based 3D reconstruction techniques and tablet PCs, this work will demonstrate the following: 1) Using 3D models in the frame of the field investigation activities increases the perception of the evidence, affecting the investigation strategy as well as the interpretation. 2) Combining 3D datasets in a geo-referenced environment provides archaeologists with additional solutions to perform analytic processes and quantitative assessment on the material evidence. 3) By using such an approach, it is possible to add a multi-temporal and multi-scalar perspective to field excavation.