Documentation as part of the research process. Some considerations actualized by the application of photogrammetric measuring techniques in history of culture

Within the fields of the history of culture increased applications of advanced measuring techniques, e.g. photogrammetry, have clearly demonstrated the difficulties of communication between various scientific branches. The demands of measuring technicians for precise instructions have been very difficult to satisfy. We have partly landed up in a new situation of scientific work where the lack of adequate education and experience prohibits proper utilization of existing technical innovations.

Presentation of applications and problems regarding instruments, treatment of mechanical equipment and so on, are not ‐ in our opinion — meaningful to a wider public until the general background of the documentation has been accounted for in greater detail ‐ practically as well as theoretically.

These circumstances have called for a serious examination of the very base of dataproduction regarding the relevance of data as well as the problem of education in order to make it easier for the two blocs ‐measuring techniques and history of culture ‐ to understand each other.     

Comments on Bertil Hallert,photogrammetry and culture history. Discussion continued from NAR vol. 4, page 28

In archaeology experiment can be used both as a topic and as a research tool. In the former case, through identification of past experimental activities, we can obtain one of the indices of the social and cultural level. In the latter, experiment may help us in verifications of our hypotheses or in searching for facts that are so far unknown. This may take place in all spheres of archaeological procedure, thus not only in physical modelling of ancient technologies of production and in simulation of various economic and social processes—i.e. in the sense in which the contemporary concept of ‘experimental archaeology’ is usually delimited.