Ricerc@Sapienza

This paper aims at presenting some inscribed small finds from former excavations carried out in the years 2006-2011 at Elaiussa Sebaste in Cilicia, under the auspices of the University of Rome, Sapienza. An inscribed base of a glass bottle, a lead seal, two glass weights, a bronze ring and an inscribed potsherd will be analysed, so as to give new dignity to these items that were until now neglected. All the objects are pertaining to the late Roman or early Byzantine period, mainly from the sixth until the mid-seventh century AD.

Archaeological small finds provide a variegated myriad of data of crucial importance to the study of their finding contexts. Anyway, only a close all-around examination can give a full comprehension of their multiple functions. The production of reliable documentation is thus an essential process and this paper illustrates a fast, reliable and easy tool to collect documentation during the excavation season.

The production of reliable documentation of small finds is a crucial process during archaeological excavations. Range cameras can be a valid alternative to traditional illustration methods: they are veritable 3D scanners able to easily collect the 3D geometry (shape and dimensions in metric units) of an object/scene practically in real-time.

Today, range cameras represent a cheap, intuitive and effective technology for collecting the 3D geometry of objects and environments automatically and practically in real time. Such features can make these sensors a valuable tool for documenting archaeological small finds, especially when not expert users are involved.