A newly discovered engraved aurochs in Siega Verde, Salamanca (Spain). Documentation by combining low-cost and macro photogrammetry

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science, reports Vol. 53; p. 104302
• Main Authors: Moro, Luis Alejandro Fonseca, Pavón, José Luis Pérez
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2024
• Subjects: Low-cost photogrammetry; Macro photogrammetry; Newly discovered aurochs engraving; Palaeolithic; Newly discovered aurochs engraving; Palaeolithic; Macro photogrammetry; Low-cost photogrammetry
• ISSN: 2352-409X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104302

•Digital documentation of a newly engraved aurochs in Siega Verde.•Combination of low-cost and macro photogrammetry.•Production of an easily manipulable file of the 3D model of the rocky outcrop.•Extraction of the tracing from the high resolution orthomosaic of the decorated wall.•Study of the incisions with the ultrahigh resolution model obtained by macro photogrammetry. The digital documentation of an engraving recently discovered at the Siega Verde archaeological site (Salamanca, Spain) is presented. It is an aurochs engraved using incision technique and the figure is almost complete. The objectives are the three-dimensional reconstruction of the rocky outcrop and the decorated surface, the obtention of the digital tracing of the aurochs and the measurement of the incision’s dimensions. A methodological approach based on the combination of low-cost and macro photogrammetry has been developed to achieve the objectives, the latter to obtain exact measurements of the dimensions of the incisions. The specific difficulties, as in many other cases of incised engravings, are related to the absence of colour contrast and to the tiny dimensions of the incisions that make up the engraving. The results demonstrate that the methodology used has been successful to achieve the proposed objectives and to generate electronic files that allow the documentation and dissemination of this new Palaeolithic engraving.