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As part of archaeologists’ daily work to discover more about the past, pottery is fundamental to the comprehension and dating of archaeological contexts, and for a better understanding of the dynamics of production, trade flows, and social interactions.
Until now, the identification and classification of ceramics has been carried out manually, thanks to the expertise of specialists and the use of heavy paper catalogues held in archives and libraries worldwide.
For archaeologists working in the field, far from libraries and archives and often with no access to internet, this process can be extremely time-consuming. However, thanks to the work being carried out by the EU-funded ARCHAIDE project, all this is about to change.
The researchers have achieved a major step forward in the art of pottery recognition in archaeology by developing a new app for use with a smartphone, tablet or desktop. Using deep-learning technology, the application can be used during excavations or in a post-excavation analysis to automatically identify potsherds by means of a simple photograph.
‘The app will enable archaeologists to take a photo of an unidentified piece of pottery on a smartphone, upload it into the ARCHAIDE database and have it matched with already catalogued potsherds through a system of automatic pattern or shape recognition,’ explains project manager, Francesca Anichini from Italy’s University of Pisa. ‘This will completely transform the way in which archaeologists work in the field, making important savings in both time and resources.’
Online knowledge base
The ARCHAIDE project has also developed an important online database of archaeological potsherds which is both interactive and dynamic. Besides finding information very quickly, archaeologists can also save, store and share that information within the system allowing the data to be reused and the content expanded both cost-effectively and sustainably.
The work of digitalising existing scientific catalogues was partially automated and carried out in close collaboration with a network of partner research institutions. This resulted in the creation of a unique open-data knowledge base aiming to improve the access to, the reuse and the exploitation of cultural heritage in a sustainable way.
The project team also responded to the multicultural and linguistic challenges posed by developing a multilingual thesaurus of descriptive pottery terms, including French, German, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, English and Italian, to facilitate access for a much wider range of users.
‘In addition to digitalising catalogues, tens of thousands of photos were taken and fed into the system to train it to recognise new potsherds by both pattern and shape,’ explains Anichini. ‘3D models of whole objects had to be created to teach the system to recognise potsherds without decoration or where there are a larger number of fragments, for example.’
The ARCHAIDE application is also interesting for publishers and copyright owners as it represents an innovative and promising commercial channel. The project team is now experimenting with the ‘in-app purchase’ method in collaboration with leading publication suppliers.
The ARCHAIDE app is available to download from the AppStore and GooglePlay.