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Abstract
Advanced imaging tools such as 3D technologies and photogrammetry are rapidly becoming the norm in archaeological laboratories throughout the world. Until recently, many of these technologies required specialized knowledge often beyond the training of most archaeologists. However, new advances, in the ease of use of software and less expensive equipment, have made these technologies more accessible. Despite this, the technology can still be daunting. Indeed, the inexperienced operator can sometimes produce results that are unwieldy and inaccurate. Further, no single technique provides a panacea for digital curation and preservation, since no one program is appropriate every type of artifact. Here we present a case study using reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) on a copper plate from Chauga (38OC47) in Oconee County, South Carolina, that was not amenable to other imaging techniques. We found that RTI provided us with a way to record new digital artifact data thus providing us with new information about the plate.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank numerous individuals for helping with this product. The UGA Laboratory of Archaeology and Department of Anthropology provided much support of this project. Many thanks must be extended to Julie Morgan, the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. We are grateful to Cultural Heritage Imaging for their open-source RTI software and tutorials, which enabled us to create an updated drawing of the Chauga plate. Many thanks also go to Isabelle Cantin, Elly Creager, Chris Destiche, and Gracie Riehm for their help with the RTI and photographs. We are grateful to Jeff Speakman for introducing us to RTI. Victor Thompson provided useful insights that helped with this project, as well as commented on this manuscript. Finally, we would like to thank Elizabeth Reitz for her assistance with preparing this manuscript. The authors are solely responsible for any errors or omissions.