3D models of ancient artifacts or digital archaeology

In the new Digital laboratory of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientists scan ancient stone tools, animal skulls and bones of primitive people, obtaining an accurate three-dimensional image with high resolution. The digital laboratory’s electronic library contains hundreds of archaeological artifacts. Experimental and GIS modeling, tracological methods, and mathematical statistics are used here to study the material culture of ancient communities.

The finished 3D model becomes part of the collection documented in this way, which can then be shown to all interested parties without disturbing the physical original. The very possibility of creating and transmitting electronic copies of archaeological material is a huge step towards collective research. The digital model of the stone tool can be sent by e-mail to colleagues for joint study. Thanks to the emergence of digital archaeology, many researchers from all over the world can see with their own eyes and even hold unique artifacts in their hands (after printing on a 3D printer).

The technology of creating a three-dimensional model allows you to magnify the image many times for more thorough research and even "cut" the electronic version of the find into thin layers, make various measurements (metric, volume of the artifact, center of gravity). All of this was unavailable until recently. The mammoth tusk figurine discovered at the Tourist-2 monument two years ago was scanned, and the staff of the IAET SB RAS digital laboratory managed to restore its lost parts, reconstruct its original shape, determine the direction of the holes and calculate the center of mass. It turned out that the object was sewn onto clothes, since the holes were made diagonally and were located above the center of mass of the product, which ensured its stable position as a patch.

A digital archaeological artifact is an invaluable innovation for scientists. It can be used to carry out previously unavailable research. So, having measured thousands of coordinates, it is now possible to compare in shape both stone tools from different archaeological sites and even from different continents, as well as anthropological and paleontological finds. The main advantage of such an analysis over other humanitarian studies is its verifiability. If another scientist examines the same 3D models, he will get exactly the same result.

This method is relatively new in world practice with a high degree of accuracy and allows analyzing artifacts and bone remains from all periods and territories: from the Paleolithic to the present. An exact duplicate model of any artifact can be made using a three-dimensional sample, for example, for display at an exhibition. This is especially useful when it comes to fragile items or anthropological materials that require high DNA preservation for genetic research.

The central hall of the laboratory is decorated with two domestic RangeVision scanners — compact, portable and more powerful, stationary. They are mounted on tripods opposite the table, on which stands a small pedestal (turntable) for the artifacts under study — a small elevation with a photo frame, a soft mount made of elastic mass. The portable scanner has already managed to visit France, where the artifacts found during our field work at the Jonzac Neanderthal site were scanned. Photogrammetric studies at this parking lot were performed by Svetlana Schneider, an employee of our institute.

"The scanner is separately calibrated for artifacts of different sizes, the average number of images to create a model is 12−13," explains Pavel Chistyakov, a researcher at the Digital laboratory. — Cameras are aimed at the subject from different angles. They capture the geometry of an object and its texture. Before scanning, the projector applies a moving chiaroscuro grid to the object, and the camera captures this grid and builds a digital model of the object’s surface from it. The accuracy and detail of the images is from 0.15 to 0.04 mm.

Researcher Vasily Kovalev joined the Digital Laboratory from Novosibirsk State University, where he worked on 3D modeling in the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research of Paleolithic Art in Eurasia.

"One of the applications of 3D reconstruction is the study of petroglyphs, — explains Vasily Kovalev. — Using photogrammetry and 3D scanning, it is possible to obtain a digital copy of the surface of drawings with high detail.

Information about the technology and morphology of petroglyphs can be used for their relative dating. Together with Lidia Zotkina, an employee of IAET SB RAS, we automate the classification of traces of various types of tools on the surface of petroglyphs. With the help of a special program, you can automatically distinguish the 3D relief of the embossing applied by a stone or metal tool. A joint article was recently published on this topic.

The main goal of the laboratory is not to limit itself to 3D modeling for fixing or visualizing objects, but to move on to solving research problems using high—resolution volumetric models," an employee of the laboratory shared his plans. — Scientists get the opportunity to analyze the shape of stone tools, comparing them according to a number of metric parameters, characteristics of the faces. This allows you to avoid subjective assessments and data.

The head of the Digital Laboratory, Ksenia Kolobova, Doctor of Historical Sciences, said that 3D modeling is widely used in archeology all over the world. The technology began to be used about 20 years ago to document archaeological sites from an individual artifact to an entire monument.

— A virtual three-dimensional model created during excavations allows you to capture and save all information about the spatial characteristics of the archaeological site under study much more accurately than text, drawings and photographs. Laser scanning, structured illumination technology, and photogrammetry can be used for 3D field fixation.

DigiT is one of the first archaeological laboratories in Russia, where they are engaged in the study of scaled three—dimensional models. Here they study objects of ancient art from the Paleolithic and the Bronze Age, stone and bone tools from the Paleolithic and Neolithic, ancient tools for processing raw materials, ceramics from the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. With the help of various tools, lost fragments of artifacts or bones are reconstructed, as was recently performed by Chinese colleagues who worked with the Denisovan man’s jaw, discovered on the high Tibetan plateau. Accurate measurements make it possible to conduct high-level research and, in combination with tracological studies, reconstruct the function of artifacts. Comparing the shape of stone tools and bones can provide researchers with information about the most likely migration routes and possible interactions of ancient people, about human population dynamics and animal species diversity.

The development and introduction of modern technologies into production are carried out as part of the implementation of scientific and technical projects in accordance with the national project "Science", which was developed in accordance with the May decree of the President of the Russian Federation. Its implementation period is from October 2018 to 2024. According to the goals of the national project, in 2024 Russia should become one of the five leading countries in the world engaged in scientific research and development in priority areas of scientific and technological development.
We would like to thank the specialists of the Digital laboratory of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Vasily Kovalev personally for the material provided.