|
Aerial
photography has been a useful tool for archaeologists in identifying
and recording sites since the early 1900s. More recently,
kites and helium balloons have been used as a cheaper and
more environmentally friendly alternative than airplanes.
With the rapid development of compact high quality digital
cameras, kite and balloon aerial photography has been pushing
new boundaries allowing photographs to be viewed immediately,
and, more importantly, to be rectified using simple software
packages. These techniques have been applied to recent surveys
of the Papaguería in southwestern Arizona, where geoglyphs,
farmsteads, and other prehistoric rock features have been
recorded digitally from the air. The photographs have then
been rectified and digitised as line drawings for publication.
This talk will explain our equipment, field methods and results
from recent fieldwork. Most importantly, it aims to show how
spectacular results can be achieved with minimal costs by
university departments and cultural resource centres alike.
Keywords: Aerial, Photography, Rectification
|
