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Title:
Big Data Archaeology: Capturing the Past World with Extensive 3D Scanning
Speaker:
Professor Peter J. Cobb (Assistant Professor, School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, HKU)
Date/Time:
March 20, 2025 (14:30 – 15:30 HKT)
Venue:
201, May Hall, The University of Hong Kong (Map), or Via Zoom
Language:
English
Enquiry:
Title:
Big Data Archaeology: Capturing the Past World with Extensive 3D Scanning
Speaker:
Professor Peter J. Cobb (Assistant Professor, School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, HKU)
Date/Time:
March 20, 2025 (14:30 – 15:30 HKT)
Venue:
201, May Hall, The University of Hong Kong (Map), or Via Zoom
Language:
English
Enquiry:
Title:
Big Data Archaeology: Capturing the Past World with Extensive 3D Scanning
Speaker:
Professor Peter J. Cobb (Assistant Professor, School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, HKU)
Date/Time:
March 20, 2025 (14:30 – 15:30 HKT)
Venue:
201, May Hall, The University of Hong Kong (Map), or Via Zoom
Language:
English
Enquiry:
Title:
Big Data Archaeology: Capturing the Past World with Extensive 3D Scanning
Speaker:
Professor Peter J. Cobb (Assistant Professor, School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, HKU)
Date/Time:
March 20, 2025 (14:30 – 15:30 HKT)
Venue:
201, May Hall, The University of Hong Kong (Map), or Via Zoom
Language:
English
Enquiry:
At our archaeological fieldwork project in the South Caucasus country of Armenia, we are capturing extremely large amounts of digital 3D data about both spaces and objects. We built a custom 3D object scanner, with which we have been able to create highly accurate models of tens of thousands of individual pottery sherds. We also use a commercial hand-held scanner to capture models of special objects. At our archaeological site, we create precise 3D models of the complete volume of each unique context that we have excavated in the trench. These models will enable us to recreate a 3Dpuzzle of exactly interlocking contexts from our entire excavation, providing the opportunity to carefully study all stratigraphic relationships. After briefly presenting these technological advances, this talk will discuss possible implications of big data 3D shape and spatial information in archaeology. We will consider the potential for data science approaches to studying the human past, especially applications for machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Peter is an assistant professor in the School of Humanities at the HKU Faculty of Arts. He founded and directs the Ararat Plain Southeast Archaeological Project (APSAP), collaborative field work with the Armenian Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography. APSAP seeks to better understand diachronic human-landscape relationships in the Vedi River Valley of Armenia, an important transportation route in ancient Southwest Asia (the Near East). A primary focus of the field research is the excavation of the Vedi Fortress, the most prominent site of the valley that has protected its entrance onto the Ararat Plain for over 3000 years. With a professional back ground in Engineering, Peter is also an innovator of archaeological field practice, striving to enhance our ability to use technology to collect, interpret, and share big datasets.
The Archaeology Talk Series aims to provide a platform for scholars, students, and enthusiasts to discuss and share knowledge about archaeology, its importance, recent discoveries, research methods, and its significance in understanding the past. The series aims to promote awareness, education, and appreciation for archaeology among academia and the general public and foster a sense of curiosity and interest in exploring our shared human history.
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