Dating: Late Pueblo III period (1225–1280 A.D.)
Description of the research: The investigations of the site and nearby terrain were carried out periodically between 2014 and 2019 (non-invasive documentation: survey and recordation, collection of artifacts, map of the site and the terrain, inventory and drawings of all visible walls, features, rock art and “modern graffiti”) with focusing on 3D documentation (laser scanning) and photogrammetry in 2018-2019. Consultations with Native Americans (Hopi tribe members from Hopi Cultural Preservation Office/HPCO) for better understanding the iconography of recorded rock art panels were also conducted in 2017. Digital documentation included mostly 3D scanning and photogrammetry of the entire
alcove and all the rooms and features, rock art panels, mural on the cliff wall, as well as documentation of the slope below the alcove and surrounding landscape. All structures were documented by terrestrial laser scanning/TLS and supplemented by the UAV/drone photos. However, for acquiring better resolution of architectural structures (mainly walls) and details like a rock art we have used photogrammetry and Agisoft Metashape softwares.
Digital recording technology: 3D scanning (TLS), photogrammetry, digital photography, hand drawing; Recording equipment: Electronic tachymeter Topcon OS-103, Trimble GPS, Faro Focus 3D S120, Nikon D7100 (f/5.6, ISO-400, 35mm with Nikkor lens: 17-55 f/1:2.8G); Software: Faro Scene, Agisoft Metashape, Blender, Unreal Engine, RTI; Record: Georeferenced DEM (Digital Elevation Model), georeferenced 3D models, georeferenced orthophoto plans.
© Sand Canyon–Castle Rock Community Archaeological Project, 2021