PORTABLE INSTRUMENTATION AND ROCK ART ANALYSES: A SIMPLE METHOD FOR CREATING MICRO-VIEWSHEDS FROM PLEITO CAVE

Abstract

This Gordian Knot Project utilizes portable X-ray fluorescence, portable Raman spectroscopy, portable
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and various imaging on-site techniques such as photogrammetry,
dStretch, reflectance transformation imaging, and laser scanning at the California rock art site known as
Pleito. While these techniques have great worth, each technique has its own drawbacks and limitations. Laser
scanner has shown to be a highly accurate, but cumbersome data set for geographic information science
analyses. In this article, a simple but effective technique is presented showing how using standard portable
total station equipment remains effective to create micro-viewsheds of rock art in relation to other archaeological features and its natural setting.