The 3 Dimensions of Digitalised Archaeology: State-Of-The-Art, Data Management and Current Challenges in Archaeological 3d-Documentation

This open access book aims to provide an overview of state-of-the-art approaches to 3D documentation from a practical perspective and formulate the most important areas for future developments. Bringing together a wide range of case studies, examples of best practice approaches, workflows, and first attempts to establish sustainable solutions to pressing problems, this book offers readers current practical advice on how to approach 3D archaeology and cultural heritage.
Divided into five parts, this book begins with an overview of 3D archaeology in its present state. It goes on to give insights into the development of the technology and recent cutting-edge applications. The next section identifies current challenges in 3D archaeology and then presents approaches and solutions for data management of a large number of 3D objects and ways to ensure sustainable solutions for the archiving of the produced data. This book will be of interest to researchers working in the fields of archaeology, heritage management, and digital humanities in general.

Marco Hostettler studied Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology at the Universities of Bern, Berlin and Zurich. He currently is a doctoral student at the University of Bern and investigates land use in the prehistoric Southern Balkans. His PhD project is part of the interdisciplinary Synergy Project EXPLO, funded by the European Research Commission. In his research he employs quantitative methods, 3D technologies and is a scientific diver. His interests cover the Neolithic and Bronze Age of Europe, wetland archaeology and the application of 3D technology in archaeology.
Anja Buhlke studied engineering with a specialization as cartographer and technician of excavation. She has been working as a freelancer in international archaeological projects for more than 10 years. She is employed on rescue excavations but mostly in research projects covering different archaeological periods. Thereby she gained a full-ranged experience in the use of 3D technologies.
Clara Drummer graduated in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Erlangen - Nuremberg and CAU in Kiel, Germany. She holds a PhD in Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology from CAU (2020), where she was a research associate and part of the interdisciplinary project CRC 1266 ＂Scales of Transformation＂, funded by the German Research Foundation. Her research focused on human-environmental interactions in prehistoric and archaic societies. Now at Orthodrone, she manages company research projects and third-party funding opportunities. Throughout her career, Clara used UAS-based photogrammetry to survey and generate 3D-documentation of archaeological sites.
Lea Emmenegger studied Prehistoric Archaeology, Archaeology of the Roman Provinces and Geology at the Universities of Bern and Fribourg. She is currently employed at the Archaeological Service in the Canton of Luzernand works as a scientific diver in underwater archaeology projects. Her research interests are focused on the potential of 3D technologies for everyday practice in the context of underwater and land archaeology. Johannes Reich studied Prehistoric and Provincial Roman Archaeology at the Universities of Bern and Kiel. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Bern, where he is responsible for underwater fieldwork and the analysis of prehistoric pile-dwelling sites in the southwestern Balkans. As a scientific diver, he is committed to the application of new digital documentation techniques in underwater archaeology. Corinne Stäheli is a Master Student at the University of Bern, where she also did her bachelor’s degree in Prehistoric Archaeology, Archaeology of the Roman Provinces and Art History. She is a certified scientific diver and this is how she started to work with 3D-documentation methods. Her research interests are wetland archaeology of the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, data management and storage in archaeology as well as dendroarchaeology with special focus in perservation, storage and conservation of waterlogged archaeological wood.