R&D in Archaeology: the revolution in the archaeological drawing of materials

Traditional drawing: a work of paper, pencil and time

Few people are aware that much of the archaeological work is not visible. This least visible part is the one that is made in the cabinet. It often involves more work than that performed in the field because it includes everything from the generation of maps, plans, archaeological profiles, Harris matrices, etc., to the drafting and administrative processing itself.

Every task is laborious Per se, but surely the part that can be extended the most is the archaeological study and drawing phase of material. This is an essential part of The work we do, since it is in this process that we can really adjust chronologies and extensions with greater precision to learn more about the evolution of a deposit.

When we talk about archaeological drawing, we must understand that not all the material is drawn, within the entire repertoire recovered in the interventions, those pieces that provide us with more information are selected, either because they preserve an orientable part of the piece or because of their intrinsic interest in research, being able to search for parallels and then disseminate in the form of sheets.

Doing a work of synthesis, archaeological drawing work consists of:

• Selection of parts (these must first be washed and sealed)
• Technical drawing of each one, including its orientation, taking measurements such as diameter, length and/or thickness.
• Digitalization and vectorization, to finish with the elaboration of the sheet.

All this is repeated for each of the pieces that we consider to be publishable.

From paper to laser. A technology to move forward

From ceramics to lithic, to metals, a significant bulk of these funds are inventoried, but not drawn. For this reason, at Ideas MedioAmbiental, we set out to document 100% of these pieces with great speed and accuracy, speeding up the documentation process, which is why within our team we have the mobile device called Laser Aided Profiler, which allows it to be installed on any surface and to move where necessary.

This technology allows us to combine the processes of hand drawing into one, and in a few minutes we obtain drawings of high quality and millimeter detail in their measurements. At the same time, sheets are generated, ready for publication and a perfect database for the inventory that we must deliver to museums.

The device allows you to draw the section of pieces in just a few seconds, orient it and take measurements such as the diameter, to automatically draw the profile with the given distance. In just a few minutes, at most, a ceramic can be drawn. In addition to this, a photographic camera that recognizes the image and can be placed on the sheet, especially in the case of decorated artifacts, lithic with a variety of retouches or very delicate metals that require special treatment.

Thanks to this, we are achieving our goal of documenting close to 100% of the pieces we identify in the field and helping research centers and groups to document theirs as well.

State-of-the-art technology has come to Ideas MedioAmbiental to enhance knowledge and facilitate the work of public and private entities.

Archaeological drawing of materials at your disposal

If you want to receive more information about this, you can write to us at ideas@ideasmedioambientales.com or call us directly at 967 61 07 10. We will make you a personalized offer and we will advise you without obligation.

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