Full text: Recording, documentation and cooperation for cultural heritage

International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XL-5/W2, 2013 
XXIV International CIPA Symposium, 2 — 6 September 2013, Strasbourg, France 
REVEALING THE SECRETS OF STONEHENGE THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF 
LASER SCANNING, PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND VISUALISATION TECHNIQUES 
P.G. Bryan' *, M. Abbott ^ AJ. Dodson 
*English Heritage, 37 Tanner Row, York YO1 6WP, UK - paul.bryan(genglish-heritage.org.uk 
? ArcHeritage, 54 Campo Lane, Sheffield, S1 2EG, UK - mabbott@yorkat.co.uk 
* Greenhatch Group Ltd, Duffield Road, Little Eaton, Derby, DE21 5DR, UK - andrewd@greenhatch-group.co.uk 
*Corresponding author 
Commission V, Working Group V/2 
KEY WORDS: Laser Scanning, Photogrammetry, Surveying, Visualisation, Cultural Heritage, Archaeology 
ABSTRACT: 
Stonehenge is perhaps the most famous prehistoric monument in the world. Begun as a simple earthwork enclosure, it was built in 
several stages with the unique lintelled stone circle being erected in the Neolithic period in around 2,500 BC. Today Stonehenge, 
together with Avebury and other associated sites, form the heart of a World Heritage Site (WHS) with a unique and dense 
concentration of outstanding prehistoric monuments. In 2011 English Heritage (EH) embarked on a new survey of the monument. 
Undertaken by the Greenhatch Group, a commercial survey company based near Derby, a combination of laser scanning and 
photogrammetric approaches were used to generate the required scale and detailed level of output required by English Heritage. This 
paper will describe the background to this project and its context within previous survey activities at this World Heritage Site. It will 
explain the data acquisition technology and processes undertaken on site, the datasets derived from post-processing and their filtering 
and analysis within both subsequent research projects. Alongside a description of how the data is currently being exploited and 
proposed future applications within the conservation and management of the site, it will finish by considering the impact of 
developing geospatial imaging technologies. 
1. INTRODUCTION photography, topographic and elevational survey all stored 
within the Historic Plans Room and accessible to both internal 
Stonehenge is perhaps the most famous prehistoric monument staff and the general public through EH's Enquiry & Research 
in the world (Figure 1). Services team. The last detailed survey of the monument was 
undertaken using photogrammetry in 1993 by the York-based 
Photogrammetric Unit. Film-based stereo-photography captured 
on site, controlled by theodolite observations to multiple fixed 
targets, was processed using the Leica Helava Digital 
Photogrammetric Workstation to provide three dimensional 
surface models for each of the stones at a resolution of 2cm 
(Bryan et al, 1997). Laser scanning had only previously been 
applied on a trial basis at the site such as that undertaken by 
Wessex Archaeology and Archaeoptics in 2002/2003 (Goskar 
et al, 2003). Using a Minolta VI-900 structured light scanner, 
surface data to 0.5mm resolution was captured for three stones 
and, using a combination of visualisation techniques, new 
carving information revealed. Although only applied to a 
fraction of the monument this still highlighted the great 
potential of applying modern scanning systems across all the 
standing and fallen stones that comprise Stonehenge. 
   
Figure 1 The site of Stonehenge viewed from the air (Image by 
Damian Grady, 1504122 O English Heritage) 1.2 Stonehenge Landscape Survey 
Begun as a simple earthwork enclosure, it was built in several In 2007 English Heritage embarked upon an analytical 
stages with the unique lintelled stone circle being erected in the landscape survey of the Stonehenge WHS at various levels of 
Neolithic period around 2,500 BC (Bryan, 2011). Inscribed asa detail and scale (Field et al, 2010). Known as the Stonehenge 
World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1986 for its outstanding Landscape Survey this would use a range of techniques, 
prehistoric monuments, the Stonehenge part of the WHS covers including plane-table and GPS survey, to map and enhance 
2,600 hectares and is managed by several landowners including existing understanding of both the earthworks and upstanding 
English Heritage (EH) and the National Trust. remains across the WHS landscape. Although 
photogrammetrically derived data already existed on the henge 
1.1 Existing survey it was felt its’ centimetre resolution was now insufficient for 
detailed archaeological analysis and would therefore limit 
A wide variety of survey material already exists for the site future potential for revealing new surface information. In 
held within the English Heritage Archive (EHA), located 56 km addition the announcement in 2009 of a new visitor centre for 
north in Swindon. This includes aerial and terrestrial Stonehenge, to be completed by winter 2013, provided new 
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