Archaeology students are using 3D technology to make an historic record of a deteriorating pueblo known as Tsöpki, or Antelope House. Northern Arizona University professor Chris Downum says terrestrial photogrammetry is a new trend in archaeology that stitches together hundreds of high-resolution digital images to create a virtual model.
Downum says of the technology, "You can rotate it, you can go inside it, you can look at it from any angle, you can look down on it, you can make a traditional two-dimensional plan view map, you can make what are called "elevation views" by looking straight at the site. It's all correct and to scale. The photography is so fine-grained that you can actually see individual artifacts that are lying on the ground."
Terrestrial photogrammetry also helps Downum and his students estimate the amount of materials they need to preserve the Sinaguan site near Wupatki National Monument. They can see where Tsöpki's 900-year-old mud and stone walls are crumbling and where water can be rerouted to slow erosion. "What we're trying to do," Downum says, "is take a very light touch. We don't want to do a lot with the ruins. We don't want to add concrete and steel and some of the older techniques. What we're trying to do is be very sensitive to the culturally appropriate ways of repairing or stabilizing these places, to use native materials, to do it in a way that's compatible with the original building style but also distinguishable from the ancient construction."
Downum hopes the technology will help preserve ancient pueblos and create outdoor classrooms for hands-on archaeological training.
