Photo-Realistic Visualisation of Archaeological Sites
Evidence from the archaeological record yields clues as to how our ancestors lived. However, our perceptions and analysis of this data may be clouded by the lack of surviving structures and intact landscapes that can be used to put this evidence into a better context. Recent developments in computer visualisation are providing powerful tools for modelling multi-dimensional aspects of the data collected by archaeologists. Computer graphic techniques can be used to reconstruct and visualise features of a site which may otherwise be difficult to appreciate. This new perspective may enhance our understanding of the environments in which our ancestors lived.The Department of Archaeology has extensive experience in investigating archaeological sites through excavation and interpretation. The Department of Computer Science has been engaged in research for a number of years in the field of photo-realistic computer graphics. INSITE is a multi-disciplinary collaboration which combines this and other expertise to achieve the three dimensional computer reconstruction and interactive photo-realistic visualisation of archaeological sites. Such a system will enable archaeologists to evaluate hypotheses concerning ritual performances, site utilisation, structure, contents and development of the area.
Three areas currently being investigated include: the prehistoric temples of Malta (together with the University of Malta), the 19th century Zulu Royal Homestead of Mgungundlovu in South Africa (in conjunction with the Natal Museum) and the ``Rondel Tesetice-Kyjovice'' Neolithic circular structure in the Czech Republic (in collaboration with the Technical University of Brno and Masaryk University).
Staff and Students
Alan Chalmers.Ann McNamara
Publications
- Chalmers A.G., Tidmus J.P. ``Practical Parallel Processing: An Introduction to Problem Solving in Parallel''. International Thomson Publishing, 327 pages, ISBN 1-85032-135-3, March 1996.
- Chalmers A.G. ``Parallel Particle Tracing for Visualising Archaeological Sites''. The International Workshop on Rendering, Schloss Dagstuhl, June 1996. (Invited paper)
- Chalmers A.G. Stoddart S.K.F., ``Photo-Realistic Graphics for Visualising Archaeological Site Reconstructions''. T. Higgins et al (eds), Imaging the Past, British Museum Occasional Paper, no. 114, ISBN 0-86159-114-3, 1996.
- Stoddart S.K.F., Chalmers A.G. ``Analysing the Ritual of Prehistoric Malta''. Computer Applications in Archaeology '95, Leiden, March 1995.
- Chalmers A.G., Stoddart S.K.F. ``The Interactive Visualisation of Maltese Prehistoric Temples''. The 3rd World Archaeology Congress, 10 pages, Dehli, December 1994.