Spatial Sequences: The use of 3D GIS for the identification of complex archaeological patterns.
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 03/11/2020

The diffusion of new three-dimensional (3D) visualization platforms together with the devel-opment  of  new  tools  for  query  and  analysis  of  3D  information  has  provided  archaeologists  with  the  opportunity  to  define  new  ways  to  approach  and  engage  with  stratigraphy.  Today  stratigraphic sequences of archaeological contexts can be represented and visualized in differ-ent ways allowing archaeologists to experience different modalities to engage with the material being  recorded.  For  instance,  archaeological  information,  seemingly  disjointed  in  time  and/or  space,  can  be  simultaneously  interpreted  and  analyzed.  This  gives  new  opportunities  for  both  site  and  landscape  interpretations  and  aids  in  a  synthesis  of  the  archaeological  record.  Three-dimensional treatment of stratigraphy and spatial information also provides innovative ways to interlink several record clusters including finds distribution and stratigraphic sequenc-ing, forming a more complete interpretational framework. Visualizing and analyzing in three dimensions archaeological records previously conceptualized on a two-dimensional axis, suchas  stratigraphic  sequence  or  spatial  patterning,  may  allow  now  to  expand  and  enhance  our  present understanding of these fundamental aspects of material culture in the past. By present-ing  different  case  studies  where  3D  GIS  was  used  for  recording  and  analyzing  ongoing  field  archaeological investigation, this paper will discuss how this approach allowed the identifica-tion of information impossible to detect with more traditional methods from the perspective of visualization and temporal reasoning.


Nicolo' Dell'Unto, Giacomo Landeschi, Andreas Svensson