Definition and construction of parametric archetypes of archaeological artefacts by means of CAD techniques

The present work represents a contribute to improve the classification and the recording techniques of archaeological artefacts. With a particular reference to the class of clay artefacts of Magna Grecia, a new method for the CAD representation of artefacts, based on the definition of 3D archetypes, has been developed. At first the method allows to use the same CAD archetype to build the virtual model of any type of artefacts, in particular of any vase with different shapes and dimensions; then, the method allows to upgrade the geometry of the model and to converge toward a representation of the real artefact more and more close to that experimentally obtained. The proposed procedure is a valid substitute to the one, actually in use, to put the archetypes in the inventories that is essentially based on the manual development of the drawings through the use of shapes reproducing the object geometries. The great reduction of times in reproducing the artefact images and the possibility to operate classifications based on the similar geometric features used in the solid modelling activities, represent a reason of interest and of innovation for the Archaeology. These data can contribute to the solution of the problem of archaeological artefacts classification and recording.