Archaeological photography Research Papers

Lectrure delivered at the Excavation at Vergina, directed by Prof. Paliadeli, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

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The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kavala and the French School of Athens have jointly prepared this exhibition on the occasion of the centenary of the EfA excavations in Thasos. Based on a rich... more

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This text aims to be a simple and short manual on the basic recording tools and strategies in the archaeology of industrialisation. For that purpose, we use as an example our own experiences working with the railway heritage of the São... more

Photographic filters have served as an invaluable tool in the visual representation of archaeological objects since photography’s invention in the mid-1800s. Over the last twenty years, however, their use within archaeology has waned... more

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Photographic filters have served as an invaluable tool in the visual representation of archaeological objects since photography’s invention in the mid-1800s. Any photography manual written prior to the turn of the 21st century, including... more

Photographic filters have served as an invaluable tool in the visual representation of archaeological objects since photography’s invention in the mid-1800s. Any photography manual written prior to the turn of the 21st century, including all manuals relating to archaeological photography, contain chapters on the practicalities and uses of filters. Filters are hardly a new tool in archaeology. Over the last twenty years, however, their use within archaeology has waned significantly due in part to the increased popularity of digital cameras. Newer manuals rarely mention their uses and they are rarely seen on site or in the lab.

Additionally, through the entirety of their use in archaeology, filters have been seen as a tool used to help with documentation of a site, feature, or object. They are a tool to assist in the recording process rather than an analytical tool in their own right. Yet, filters can dramatically reduce the effects of reflection, translucency, and other difficult-to-photograph characteristics. When applied to translucent beads, for example, these filters can reveal the internal structure of the object and allow for new insight into manufacture and trade through the analysis of bubbles, striations, and perforations. These filters therefore often reveal new details that allow for a better understanding of a wide variety of artefact types.

In this paper, I will demonstrate new analytical applications of filters in archaeological imaging, both during new image capture and when processing existing digital images. The application of these filters to Iron Age and Early Medieval bead collections from the National Museum of Scotland and the University of Glasgow has led to the discovery of new typologies, manufacturing techniques and patterns that are not otherwise discoverable through more traditional representations. Thus, by applying various filters when processing images, particularly those of reflective and translucent objects, archaeologists can create cost effective, informative visual representations that lead to insights not previously achieved through other means.

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Interview for "The Jordan Times" of March 11, 2019.
See at: http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/archaeologist-urges-research-old-photo-archives-%E2%80%98key-tool%E2%80%99

See at: https://archaeopress.wordpress.com/

Abstract of paper about discovery of precolumbian cave pictographs found in Mona Island, Caribbean.

Introduction to the archives of Frans Blom at Asociación Cultural Na Bolom and their relevance in the archaeology of Chiapas and the Maya Area.

Thirty-six gelatin silver prints (1930s) selected by Polina Kosmadaki Benaki Museum curator Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika Gallery Photographic Archive, Athens Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika Gallery, Benaki Museum, Athens documenta 14, 2017 The... more

A la fin du XIXe siècle, Adolf Michaelis (1835-1910), professeur d'histoire de l'art et d'archéologie, a rassemblé un grand nombre de photographies, sous la forme de tirages sur papier, qui concernent les sites antiques. Le fonds est... more

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Ανακοίνωση στις Φωτογραφικές Συναντήσεις Κυθήρων (2009), υπό έκδοση στον τόμο Γιάννης Σταθάτος / Πηνελόπη Πετσίνη (επιμ.), «Ελληνικές Φωτογραφικές Μελέτες»

ABSTRACT The physical dimensions of people in archeological photographs in Palestine from before 1948 and in Western tourist landscape photography have played a role in forms of local documentation. The study discusses how this component... more

The essay focuses on an unpublished photo album once owned by Alessio De Bon, found in the Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti archives in Mestre. The album contains a number of photos concerning the surveys conducted in the area... more

This paper was written some eight years ago. Unfortunately, the referees for this paper varied from a professional photographer who thought it excellent to a field archaeologist panicking about how much it would cost to do things... more

New Exhibition: “Picturing a Lost Empire: An Italian Lens on Byzantine Art in Anatolia, 1960–2000” opening in Istanbul Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED) and Sapienza University of Rome are proud to... more

New Exhibition: “Picturing a Lost Empire: An Italian Lens on Byzantine Art in Anatolia, 1960–2000” opening in Istanbul

Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED) and Sapienza University of Rome are proud to present the result of their collaborative efforts: ‘Picturing a Lost Empire: An Italian Lens on Byzantine Art in Anatolia, 1960–2000.’ This exhibition focuses on the research on Byzantine art carried out by Italian scholars in the second half of the twentieth century and examines its mutual relationship with the history of Byzantine art historiography in Turkey. Featuring a selection of previously unpublished archival photographs of extraordinary monuments preserved in Anatolia, the exhibition can be visited at ANAMED in Istanbul from 1 June to 31 December 2018.

Between 1966 and 2000, Italian art historians traveled across the historical regions of Turkey in order to explore Byzantine monuments and works of art. These trips resulted in a substantial number of photographs, later collected in the Center for Documentation of Byzantine Art History of Sapienza (CDSAB). Curated by Livia Bevilacqua and Giovanni Gasbarri, the exhibition draws extensively on the photographs and other archival materials of the CDSAB, focusing especially on four historical regions: eastern Turkey; Lycia; Mesopotamia and Tur ‘Abdin; Cilicia and Isauria. Visitors are invited to follow this unique route from Rome to the East, to rediscover the remains of a lost empire and to step into the scenic landscape that surrounds them.

In conjunction with the opening, ANAMED will publish a bilingual volume under the same title, edited by Bevilacqua and Gasbarri and translated by Yiğit Adam. The book includes all of the photographs on display and features contributions by the curators and by other prominent specialists in Byzantine art and archaeology, such as Alessandra Guiglia, Antonio Iacobini, Engin Akyürek, Claudia Barsanti, Andrea Paribeni, Enrico Zanini and Lorenzo Riccardi.

Picturing a Lost Empire: An Italian Lens on Byzantine Art in Anatolia, 1960-2000
1 June–31 December 2018
ANAMED Arched Gallery, Floor -1
Curators: Livia Bevilacqua, Giovanni Gasbarri
ANAMED Gallery Curator: Şeyda Çetin
Exhibition Design: Emrah Çiftçi, BAREK

For further information: anamed.ku.edu.tr/en
#PicturingALostEmpire

Archaeological photography

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