The Use of 3D Laser Scanning in Forensic Archaeology to Document Unauthorized Archaeological Damage

Abstract

This chapter addresses the use of 3D laser scanning to document unauthorized archaeological damage in lieu of conventional archaeological documentation methods. The first use of 3D laser scanning in archaeological damage assessment occurred in the Red Elk Rock Shelter case investigation. Due to the complexity of the site involved and the damage to it, conventional archaeological documentation methods would have been extremely time-consuming and expensive. As a result of this case, the basic benefits of 3D laser scanning to document archaeological damage became immediately apparent to the archaeologists involved. These benefits will be fully described in the following discussion of 3D laser scanning and in case studies of its use.