| Period IV-V |
1900-1700 B.C. |
| Period IIIBC |
2450-1900 B.C. | | Period IIIA |
2600-2450 B.C. | | Period II |
2800-2600 B.C. | | Period I |
3300-2800 B.C. |
| Pre-Occupation |
before 3300 B.C. |
The purpose of this continuing research is to develop a system for archaeological data management
and analysis and visualization using commercially-available software products. The
primary focus of this work is to address scaling-up and scaling-down requirements a multi-
scaling graphical user interface, the linking of visual models at different scales to a common
database, production of variously scaled 3D models of the Harappa archaeological site, and
the assessment of the 3D visualizations.
It is not surprising that the Harappan archaeologic excavations produce data best
represented at several different scales. Trench sections provide a relatively great level of
detail with measurements and extents on the order of centimeters to meters that are typically
shown on plans and sections at scales of 1:30 with, for example, depictions of individual
bricks in excavated structures. The plans and reconstructions of excavated Harappan
structures, such as domiciles or the perimeter walls, are usually represented at a slightly
lower level of detail. These typically depict features extending on the order of meters to
tens of meters at scales of about 1:200. Maps showing the overall topography and
physiography of the site are at a still a lower level of detail. They show features extending
to hundreds or thousands of meters at scales of 1:10,000. These three scales are referred to
in this dissertation as the 'trench', 'structure', and 'site' scales, respectively.
This work does not seek to merely construct a series of 3D visualization of an
archaeological site. This research does not involve archaeological interpretation, but
instead the technical aspects of the scientific visualization and data management.
Techniques and procedures that were useful for visualizing these detailed data sets support field studies, subsequent interpretations by
archaeologists, and the public presentations of results. The results of this work may be
applied to other geologic studies with similar data collection and analysis needs; for
example, geotechnical site investigations, seismological (fault trace) studies, and
environmental engineering work. These applications are analogous to archaeological data,
since they all include stratigraphic layering, sample locations, chemical analyses,
geotechnical analyses, and other site-specific evaluations. |
|