The virtual goniometer: demonstrating a new method for measuring angles on archaeological materials using fragmentary bone
Yezzi-Woodley K. Calder J. Olver P.J. Cody P. Huffstutler T. Terwilliger A. Melton J.A. Tappen M. Coil R. Tostevin G.
July 2021Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
2021#13Issue 7
The contact goniometer is a commonly used tool in archaeological analysis, despite suffering from a number of shortcomings due to the physical interaction between the measuring implement, the object being measured, and the individual taking the measurements. However, lacking a simple and efficient alternative, researchers in a variety of fields continue to use the contact goniometer to this day. In this paper, we present a new goniometric method that we call the virtual goniometer, which takes angle measurements on a 3D model of an object. The virtual goniometer allows for rapid data collection, and for the measurement of many angles that cannot be physically accessed by a manual goniometer. Using fracture angle measurements on bone fragments, we compare the intra-observer variability of the manual and virtual goniometers, and find that the virtual goniometer is far more consistent and reliable. Furthermore, the virtual goniometer allows for precise replication of angle measurements, even among multiple users, which is important for reproducibility of goniometric-based research. The virtual goniometer is available as a plug-in in the open source mesh processing packages Meshlab and Blender, making it easily accessible to researchers exploring the potential for goniometry to improve archaeological methods and address anthropological questions.
Bone fragments , Faunal , Fracture angle , Goniometer , Lithics , Taphonomy , Zooarchaeology
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Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Sociology and Anthropology, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Anthropology
School of Mathematics
Sociology and Anthropology
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
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