Three-dimensional modelling application for studying stone age assemblages

Abstract

Digital technology advancements have been widely applied in science, particularly in archaeology. The article discusses new possibilities and prospects for three-dimensional modelling using structured light scanners in order to obtain new, previously inaccessible data. As a scientific method, three-dimensional scanning has certain advantages over photogrammetry and computer tomography. It allows obtaining scale 3D models that fully match actual artifacts, by employing relatively inexpensive equipment. This, in turn, allows for accurate measurement and non-invasive model manipulation, which takes archaeological research to a new level where any data obtained and experiments carried out can be verified. In recent years, research procedures previously unavailable to archaeologists have been developed or improved, including three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis, calculation of artifact's volume/center of gravity, and drawing contours of negatives. The article presents these new possibilities through the example of three-dimensional models of artifacts from the Middle Paleolithic assemblages of the Chagyrskaya Cave (Altai Mountains).