Salvage Archaeology: 3D Modeling at Wadi el-Hudi

SMSU Event Center BC

Due to the generosity of CSUSB for awarding me the Student Research and Travel, I am submitting a poster for the Meeting of the Minds symposium. The research I will be presenting on is based on my winter study abroad with the Wadi el-Hudi Expedition team lead by Dr. Kate Liszka. Wadi el-Hudi is located in the Eastern desert of Egypt and consists of many ancient fortified mines and settlements. The goals of the expedition were to conduct salvage archaeology on these settlements in order to save and preserve as much information as possible. Currently, Wadi el-Hudi faces destruction from modern mining companies and looters so this work was the utmost importance. For this season, the team mapped the architecture by hand and with a total station, document sites and inscriptions, artifact collection and create 3D models of the sites. The largest and most time-consuming task was constructing 3D models of the mines, inscriptions, and settlements. This was achieved through a technique called photoscanning in which these areas were photographed at a multitude of angles and then uploaded into a software called Agisoft. The photographs are first rendered as a dense cloud in which after a mesh is built and texture added to create a visually appealing model that can be digitally manipulated by the user. The work done this season helped preserve the integrity of the sites at Wadi el-Hudi as they are now and assist in furthering our knowledge of this area through our efforts despite possible destruction