Archaeological Illustration and Publication

Abstract

This chapter presents the practices for illustrating artifacts, plans and sections in archaeology, with emphasis on illustrations’ role in interpretation and the importance of a graphical information language for depicting archaeological results. After a brief review of equipment and supplies, it summarizes procedures and standards for illustrating lithics, pottery and small finds and introduces the topic of 3D scanning of artifacts and digital illustration. It also covers representation of uncertainty in illustrations, layout of artifact plates for publication, and the format of maps, plans, and architectural elevations. It concludes with a section on the publication process.