Assessing Terrestrial Laser Scanning in Complex Environments: An Approach from the Ancient Maya Site of Pacbitun, Belize. Issue 2 (May 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Weber, Jennifer; Powis, Terry G.
• Is Part Of: Advances in archaeological practice. Volume 2: Issue 2(2014)
• Page Start: 123
• Page End: 137
• Publication Date: 2014-05
• Subjects: Archaeology -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Technological innovations -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 930.1028
• DOI: 10.7183/2326-3768.2.2.123
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2326-3768

Abstract

Abstract: The majority of terrestrial scanning projects in archaeology have focused on heritage documentation, preservation, and the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of prominent sites and objects. While these are very important archaeological foci, not many have used terrestrial scanning methods for prospection and feature analysis, similar to the way many have employed airborne LiDAR. While airborne LiDAR scanning is able to situate and analyze archaeological sites on an expansive scale, the ground-based method also captures and defines any landscape anomalies or depressions from cultural features that have remained invisible to the naked eye due to environmental restrictions. In an attempt to test this recording method, we set out to paint a non-invasive, 3D digitized picture of the ancient Maya site of Pacbitun, Belize, using terrestrial scanning to distinctly detail Pacbitun's structures, plazas, causeways, and karst features. This paper details the process through which 3D terrestrial scanning was executed at Pacbitun and three associated peripheral caves during the 2012 and 2013 field seasons. We discuss the potential laser scanning has for visual analysis in archaeology and evaluate application difficulties encountered in the field, as well as current data interpretation issues.