The Digital Dead: Virtual Modelling of Human Remains using Photogrammetry for Presentation and Preservation by Record.

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) modelling techniques have high potential as an active research tool in the study of human remains. The creation of 3D models from overlapping images, Structure-from-Motion Multi-view Stereo photogrammetry, offers a fast, accessible analysis method which reduces risk of damaging the remains. The current study set out to investigate whether photogrammetry can create close-range models of osteological material that are of high metric quality. It looked to develop a method using this technique, explore its applicability in osteological research, and determine what new information could be discovered about a case study collection using photogrammetry. Sharp force trauma (SFT) to bones was used to test the applicability of this method to the field of trauma analysis. The case study is a collection of Viking remains excavated in 2009 near Weymouth, Dorset, exhibiting extensive SFT. The digitised cutmarks were measured and these measurements compared to conventional manual methods. All the cutmarks were successfully digitised and any differences between the measurement methods were not statistically significant. Therefore, this is thought to be a reliable and accessible method of documenting SFT for both preservation and research purposes. The ability to study a 3D model of the cutmarks in question allows for a wider range of analytical tools to be used without damaging the original bone. The use of photogrammetry in the detailed study of human remains could have important implications for the way such collections can be studied and displayed. This would make the sharing of collections between institutions both locally and internationally easier whilst providing minimal risk to the collection. Overall, this study has shown that photogrammetry can successfully create 3D models of SFT which augment traditional analysis and allow for additional interpretation of events.