Digital documentation practices on grave excavations – different methods and their use
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 17/08/2018

During the field seasons of 2015 and 2016, Muuritutkimus excavated three 18th-19th century cemeteries in Southwest Finland. Different digital and non-digital documentation methods were used according to the preservation of the graves and the conditions at the sites.
Total station was the main tool used for overall mapping, but for documenting the graves, different methods were used. In 2016, a course which concentrated on laser scanning, was held at the University of Helsinki by Muuritutkimus. After it, a Riegl VZ-1000 laser scanner was adopted as a documentation method for the graves at one site. At the same time, another cemetery was being documented by drawing by hand. Photogrammetry will be used as a documentation method in 2017, as field work continues on one of the sites.
This paper concentrates on the experience of using laser scanning as a documentation method for graves, both during field work and afterwards when processing the data. It will also be compared with the process of making the handmade drawings into digital CAD-data.
At the moment in Finland, the main aim of developing digital documentation, is to make the field work more effective and as accurate as possible, not to produce material for researchers. This is the case because the collected digital data is rarely used for further archaeological research. In order to make the digital material more useful, new ways of research need to be developed as well. This would also enable further improving of the digital methods.

Author: Lehto, Heli - Muuritutkimus Ky; University of Helsinki (Presenting author)
Co-Author: Helamaa, Maija - Muuritutkimus Ky; Uotila, Kari - Muuritutkimus Ky; University of Helsinki