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To Computational Archaeology and Back: The Round-Trip Journey of Stone Artifacts Between a Physical and a Digital Existence

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Abstract

The fields of Design and Archaeology keenly understand culture as viewed through a material and technological prism. At a time when data are viewed as a ‘new material’, one that can be stored, compressed, collected, and mined, digital tools are snapshots of our technological capabilities and cultural interests. The making of design for debate objects is a practice employed to raise questions and test the boundaries of what is expected of the material world around us. This article details a series of design works of knapped flint hand-axes that were 3D-scanned, processed, and worked in their malleable digital material state and reborn into the physical world using various contemporary fabrication technologies and materials. The pairing of a 3D-printed nylon object with its lithic-technology previous self allows for a glimpse at the journey traveled, both materially and technologically, and in terms of time and our species' evolution.

Résumé

Les domaines du design et de l'archéologie ont une perception approfondie de la culture telle qu'elle est envisagée au travers d'un prisme matériel et technologique. À une époque où les données sont considérées comme un "matériau nouveau" pouvant être stocké, compressé, collecté et analysé, les outils numériques sont des aperçus de nos capacités technologiques et de nos intérêts culturels. La création d'objets de design pour débattre est une pratique utilisée pour soulever des questions et tester les limites de ce qui est attendu du monde matériel qui nous entoure. Cet article expose en détail une série d'œuvres de design de haches de silex débité par pression, ayant été scannées en 3D, traitées et travaillées dans leur état matériel numérique malléable puis recréées dans le monde physique en recourant à différents matériaux et technologies contemporains de fabrication. L'association d'un objet en nylon imprimé en 3D avec son incarnation antérieure issue de la technologie lithique permet d'entrevoir le parcours accompli, tant sur le plan matériel que technologique ainsi qu'en termes d'évolution temporelle et de notre espèce.

Resumen

Los campos del Diseño y la Arqueología comprenden profundamente la cultura vista a través de un prisma material y tecnológico. En una época en la que los datos se consideran un “material nuevo”, que puede almacenarse, comprimirse, recopilarse y extraerse, las herramientas digitales son instantáneas de nuestras capacidades tecnológicas e intereses culturales. La creación de objetos de diseños para el debate es una práctica empleada para plantear preguntas y poner a prueba los límites de lo que se espera del mundo material que nos rodea. Este artículo detalla una serie de trabajos de diseño de hachas de mano de pedernal talladas que fueron escaneadas, procesadas y trabajadas en 3D en su estado de material digital maleable y renacidas en el mundo físico utilizando diversas tecnologías y materiales de fabricación contemporáneos. El emparejamiento de un objeto de nailon impreso en 3D con su encarnación anterior de tecnología lítica permite vislumbrar el viaje recorrido, tanto material como tecnológicamente, y en términos de tiempo y evolución de nuestra especie.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Mifal Hapais, The Israel Lottery Council for Culture and Arts, Prof. Leore Grosman and Dr. Gadi Herzlinger at the Computational Archaeology Lab in the Hebrew University Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University Jerusalem's Center for NanoScience and NanoTechnology, The Industrial Design Department at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Stratasys, XJET, Dror Revach, Eyal Shushan, Maya Vinitsky of the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, Israel.

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  1. The Department of Industrial Design, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel Zmora st. 1, 9515701, Jerusalem, Israel

    Dov Ganchrow

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Ganchrow, D. To Computational Archaeology and Back: The Round-Trip Journey of Stone Artifacts Between a Physical and a Digital Existence. Arch 20, 352–377 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-024-09498-5

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