archaeological photography

7/29/2019 Archaeological Photography

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Significance of photography:- it plays key role in archaeological documentation. All thethree stages like pre-excavation field survey, excavation and post-excavation research

and publication. Photography plays a vital role in recording different stages of

excavation. Plan and section are also more important but its visual impact is more direct,objective and convincing. Good photograph can speak different aspects of an excavation

also provides a permanent in situ visual record of the strata, structures, artifacts and otherfeatures. Photographs, along with the field notes, plans and drawings help to recreate a

comprehensive picture of excavation.

Director is in-charge of excavation who knows interrelationship of structures, artefacts

and associated finds. It is him to instruct photographer that what he want to include and

what have to left. It is photographers duty to take good photographs, keep them for readyreference and supply whenever required.

What should be include in photography?

1) Before excavation with different angles to show its natural shape, contours anddimension.

2) strata sections of different trenches or squares with proper labels and scales.

3) Plan and section view of structures, floors, pits etc. 4) Artefacts in situ

5) Photographs of different kinds of artefacts classified and arranged category wise eg.

Separate plates for coins, terracotta, pottery etc. before and after treatment.

Guidelines for archaeological photography

1)The subject to be photographed should cleaned with brush. Small roots in sections cut

by scissors. The preparation of subject is very much important to clarify good picture.

2) Layers and pit marking should be clear and labeled.

3) Different size of scales with white and red alternative should be used in relation to

subject. Scale should be placed parallel to the side and bottom of frame.

4) Light is very important aspect in photography. Photograph should be taken in softlight. Generally early morning or evening is the best time of field photography. Strong

light flatten the details of subject so always take photographs especially of trenches when

they are in shadow. The depth of subject can be captured in this way. Suitable cloth canbe used to reduce strong sunlight.

5) photographs of minor antiquities also be done in natural light. Artificial light

sometimes useful. Numbering with text and description should necessary beforephotograph should be taken.

6) Subjects like structural complexes, streets etc which are larger in size needs wider

coverage hence that should be taken from higher place using wooden tower orscaffolding to avoid distortions.

7) All the photographs taken in field should be washed and developed immediately. Incase of result are not good then that will help to re-photographed with better result. One

small dark is necessary on site for developing. Subject should not disturbed until finalphotograph with permission of director.

8) With recent developments, apart from sophisticated cameras, a wide variety of lenseslike wide angle, normal, telephoto, and variety of filters have been devised which help to

have wide coverage and high quality pictures. Auto-focus devises and built in exposure


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meter have very useful for photographer. Video documentation with audio would have

help you to distribute your information in schools, colleges and societies.

9) it is necessary to maintain photo register and album with serial numbering, details of

subject etc. apart from this card index should necessary with some more details.

Advantage from keeping the card index is that u can easily regroup then like coins,

figurines etc. Necessary equipments fro photography:-

1. field camera, full size SLR with stand

2. quarter size camera which should be very handy and effective

3. 35 mm, for preparation of slide if needed

4. cut films, film role

5. lenses(normal, wide angle, close up, telephoto)

6. filters ( red, yellow and green)

7. bubble level, exposure meter, scales of different sizes

8. black velvet cloth, record note book.

Aerial photography: a no destructive technique used for discovering new sites and

monitoring the condition of known sites an landscapes. It provide information fromprehistoric to recent industrial archaeological sites.

Development:- one of the first aerial photograph were taken from balloons in 1906 of

Stonehenge, England. For peaceful purposes the first useful aerial photographs weretaken in 1913 by Italians. Between the two world war use of aerial photography spanned

the world. It was used for archaeological purposes as early as in 1915 by Leon Ray in

Macedonia and Beazeley in Iraq in 1919. After second world war technique of A.P. were

developed in combination of fieldwork by Crawford and his colleagues. Air survey wasdone in the old bed of Ravi river in Jaipur, India.

Father Poidebard made further improvements and surveyed the desert regions of Syria.

He used horizontal lighting and counter lighting methods for excellent result. John Bradford mention inAncient Landscapes (1957) the contributions made by A.P. for

the discoveries of Rhodes, Carthage, Etruscan burial mounds, the ancient field systems inGreece Italy etc.

Unknown sites have been revealed by soil, shadow and crop marks by

Using techniques of pin point, vertical and oblique photography.

From 1939 stereoscopic examination of large areas were developed.

Aerial Photographic process:- three major elements in this process.

1. aerial archaeological survey by using cameras and an airplane is referred as aerial

reconnaissance. It involves photography as well as survey of new sites.

2. cataloging and maintaining libraries of negative and print is essential. Computerized

retrieval system are become standard method in locating the vertical and obliquephotographs.

3. interpretation and mapping from A.P. which can be in variety of scales viz. 1:10000

Crop and Soil marks:- differences in vegetation and crop marks and their colour

contrast are brought out clearly in photographs. Over the buried surface growth of cropwill be less sparse than surrounding areas. Over the filled ditch the growth would

comparatively more . Thus the variations of the crop marks shown in the A.P. serve as

good indicators of the buried buildings or ditches. When the fields are being ploughed


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the difference between colour in the area filled up with organic matter and the bare soil is

clearly visible.

Shadow marks:- A.P. can be taken in day with a low light can highlight the features like

low walls or banks, ancient roads or tracks in relief and make their pattern recognizable

Techniques:- Two basic A.P. techniques can be used

1. Vertical photograph techniques are highly specialized and expensive one using purposebuilt cameras and specially adapted aircraft. It is taken in rows to allow them to view

stereoscopically. It gives three dimension effect with interpretation and measurements in

length and height to be made.

2. oblique photography is done by using hand-held cameras from high wing aircraft suchas Cessna 150/152 or 172. cameras using for this through open window are medium

format cameras (120, 220, 70 mm films) or 35 mm SLR.

Purpose and Value of A.P.:- it is two fold

Firstly it enables us to have a bird's eye view of the ancient town or settlement as the

whole is impossible from the ground. This gives total view of the shape and the outline of

the ancient city.

Secondly the A. P. show us certain features which are not visible to naked eye. Examples:- the ruins of the frontier zone of the Roman Empire buried over a vast

distance in Syrian desert could be plotted by this. Beautiful photographs of Ancient cityTaxila, Sisupalgarh are the best examples to understand the value and importance of

Aerial photography.

Limitations:- despite providing information about the shape, location and form of site it

has limitations like one can not dated a site only on the basis of aerial photographs except

by comparison with similar or identical sites.

Photogrammetry:- the technique of transforming aerial photography into a scaled plan

for measurement which helps us to get graphic and enlarged view of the site is known as

Photogrammetry. This is most widely applied for mapping.

Softcopy Photogrammetry is very useful application in archaeology. Laval University inQuebec, Canada ha developed Leica DVP which is low-cost system and more userfriendly for archaeologists.

One can apply this technique to the various areas like underwater archaeology to artifact

measuring and drawing. This technique helps in excavation of sites, recording of the

standing buildings and extensive coverage of landscape through aerial survey. Butusually this technique quite less used in excavation of sites.

archaeological photography

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