LIVING MONUMENTS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR: TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING AND TREESWITH CARVINGS
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2020-10-17

There is a number of examples of tree carvings in Polish forests. One site with carvings is located near Chycina and it has been the subject of my and mine colleagues’ interest for a few years. In 2017 a new research took place. It relied on terrestrial laser scanning of the trees with carvings. Although terrestrial laser scanning is already a popular method of 3D documentation of archaeological artefacts and structures, the application of method to scan trees with carvings was the first such research in Polish archaeology. In my paper I will discuss and contextualize the results of terrestrial laser scanning of the common beeches (Fagus sylvatica) covered in carvings dated to 1944 around Chycina. All in all, the bark of 11 beeches was scanned. In order to increase the quality and naturalistic color of documented trees, it was decided to combine the method with close range photogrammetry. The beeches are a unique example of living monuments of the recent past and heritage of the Second World War in the Polish woodland. It will be argued that archaeologies of the recent past in the woodlands maybe come one of the dominant branches of archaeological research in the near future.

Author(s): Kobialka, Dawid (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology PAN)