Stone age artifacts are often found at places where soil is removed, e.g. in farming areas. Since large areas are involved, a permanent systematic search is not possible by archaeologists. Private collectors are recovering these artifacts, however, and store them in their homes. Thus, they are safe from further deterioration, but they are lost for scientific documentation and research.

In this project, with the co-operation of Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz, and the Geographic Institute of Mainz University, stone age findings of the Middle Rhine Region are documented. For this purpose, they are borrowed from the private collectors for a short period of time and scanned with a GOM ATOS 3D scanner. At the same time, a number of attributes, including the find location (if still known) are recorded in a database. As an average, about one hour is necessary for an artifact to be recorded from all sides and to be turned into a 3D mesh model representation.

A recording procedure has been set up and the documentation of the collector's artifacts started. Further research will be carried out in order to develop procedures for Internet presentation and for the creation of 2D drawings showing the typical features of the objects.

Involvement:
Prof. Dr. -Ing. Wolfgang Böhler
(i3mainz)

(Min. für Wissenschaft, Weiterbildung, Forschung und Kultur, Rh.-Pf.)
(Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz)
(Forschungsbereich Altsteinzeit des RGZM, Schloss Monrepos)
(Geographisches Institut der Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz)