UVU Students Using Space Age Technology to Capture Ancient Remains at Beit Lehi

Growing up in a family that spent nearly every weekend exploring the great outdoors of Utah instilled in me a passion for discovering the mysteries of the West. I can still remember the day I found my very first arrowhead at the age of five. With great clarity, I can recall the very location I was walking as well as other details about that memorable experience. As I grew older, I became even more curious about the ancient ones that roamed the mountains and deserts of Utah. In elementary school, while other kids were reading books about faraway places, I was repeatedly checking out books about Mesa Verde, the Anasazi’s, the Fremont and the Ute Indians. When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my response was always quick and determined; I wanted to be an Archaeologist.

My passion for history and ancient western culture continued as I grew older but I also started to pursue other interests as well. In high school, and in college, I started to study Engineering Design Technology and Architecture. After winning several local, state and national competitions for the work I was doing in this newly discovered field of study, I decided that this career path was meant for me. I found myself working the next ten years for Rollins, Brown & Gunnell, a civil engineering firm in the state of Utah. Through a series of life events, and additional education, I became a tenured professor at Utah Valley University (UVU) teaching Civil Engineering Design Technology, as well as Construction and Land Surveying. I must have liked it since I have now been at UVU for the last 27 years. Little did I know that this rewarding career path would eventually come full circle leading me back to what I always wanted to do as a child. Yes, archaeology.

In the fall of 2009, while serving as the Department Chair of Engineering Design Technology (EDT) at UVU, I received a phone call from a gentleman by the name of Alan Rudd of the Beit Lehi Foundation out of Cottonwood Heights, Utah. He asked if he could meet with me about an archaeology project he was involved with over in Israel. I have to admit that we receive numerous calls and requests every week from individuals wanting us to take on their particular projects. With limited time and resources, my usual response is “No”. However, unlike others, this project was in Israel and Alan peaked my interest when he said it involved the surveying and mapping of an archaeology site that was over 2000 years old. In the back of my mind, I was already thinking, “Sign me up”.

After our first meeting, I could tell that Mr. Rudd had done his homework and knew a great deal about our program, and the individual disciplines we teach. He made a good point of showing how our expertise was exactly what he needed to carry out the work in Israel. As a result, in April of 2010 we boarded an airplane and headed to the Middle East. The Dean, Ernest Carey; the Associate Dean, Larry Marsing; and myself, Darin Taylor, accompanied Alan on a fact-finding mission to see if this project would indeed be a good fit for UVU and the EDT department. We had lots of questions, and reservations, but found that all of our concerns about safety and logistics were calmed as we met with the local archaeologists and government officials associated with the project. At the completion of our trip, we determined that the Beit Lehi Israel project was too valuable of an opportunity to turn down.
UVU has always focused on the engaged learning model of education, with hands on experiences outweighing that of just learning from a textbook inside the walls of a classroom. Little did we know that nine years later the Beit Lehi Israel project would become UVU’s premier engaged learning project involving multiple departments from all across our campus. In just a few years, the project quickly gained notoriety and has received media coverage from all around the world. Students and faculty from Engineering Design Technology, Digital Media Technology, Geomatics, Construction Management, Communications and English, have all found themselves crawling through tunnels and chambers dating back over 2000 years. This project has literally changed the lives of all involved, including me.

Because of the Beit Lehi project, UVU students have been engaged directly with a wide array of tasks that have tested and enhanced the skills learned in their traditional classrooms. For example: EDT, Geomatics and Construction Management students have been surveying and mapping the site using advanced technologies such as LIDAR scanners, GPS base stations and rovers, laser equipped total stations, automatic levels and even advanced aerial photography through the use of drones. Architectural students and faculty have been designing a future visitor’s center, as well as other protective structures needed to develop the site.
Digital Media and Communication students have designed and implemented a digital site guide, digital magazines and other applications for IPADS, IPhones, Kindles and other platforms. These very same students have also helped in the design and implementation of a website for the Beit Lehi Foundation. DGM students have been deeply involved in the filming, editing and production of numerous documentaries airing on cable networks and other media outlets. The list of projects and related accomplishments just mentioned are but a small sampling of all the work that has taken place since that initial phone call from Alan Rudd in 2009.

One of the latest technologies used by the EDT and Geomatics students to survey and map the Beit Lehi archaeology site is that of LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning. In fact, UVU was one of the very first institutions to implement this new technology in the country of Israel. As a result, UVU faculty members Dan Perry and Darin Taylor have provided numerous training seminars and presentations to other professionals wanting to learn how to use this space age technology in the world of archaeology.

LIDAR scanning is a surveying and mapping method that measures the distances to objects by illuminating them with a pulsating laser light and measuring the reflected pulses with a sensor. Differences in laser return times and wavelengths are used to create a digital 3D model of the target. This method of surveying allows a person to capture millions of points in a matter of minutes. These 3D models of captured survey points are called “Point Clouds”.

Point cloud files are used to accomplish numerous tasks in the surveying and engineering world but it is also a very new and useful technology for the mapping of archaeology sites. Traditionally, archaeologists spend countless hours taking manual measurements with tape measures and instruments allowing them to draw very detailed hand sketches to document a site. With LIDAR technology, captured point cloud files are producing extremely accurate drawings and cross sections of the site in a much faster fashion than the older traditional methods.

Cross sections are detailed drawings showing profile views cut through the site at various locations and elevations. They are a crucial part of the archaeology reporting process. The advantage of LIDAR scanning is that a cross section can be drawn using post processing software at any location and elevation desired. These drawings were very time consuming with the traditional method of archaeology surveying but with LIDAR it is as simple as asking the software to analyze the 3D model at various locations, very much like a MRI scan in the medical field.
In order to accomplish a LIDAR scan in an archaeology setting, the scanner must be set up in a strategic location so that it can capture as much data as possible. LIDAR scanning is what we call line-of-sight scanning. Unlike an X-ray, it can’t see through walls, rocks or other obstructions. LIDAR technology requires the scanner to be set up in multiple locations to capture all the required data to produce the drawings. Picture yourself in an underground chamber with four large square columns or pillars extending from the floor to support the ceiling. The LIDAR scanner would not be able to capture the entire room because of the four pillars blocking it’s view. Therefore, the scanner would need to be set up in multiple locations to get a full scanned image of the entire room. As the shape of the room becomes more and more complex, the need for multiple scanner set-ups is also increased.

In order for the post processing software to merge all the individual scans into one 3-Dimensional image, the scanner must be set up in various locations so that it can recognize common points in each of the individual scans. To accomplish this, reflective targets are set up throughout the room in strategic locations so they are visible in each of the individual scans. A minimum of three common targets must be seen from each of the scanner locations. The surveyor must keep meticulous and detailed field notes in order to plan for the scanner locations and to track the placement of the reflective targets.

LIDAR scanning is an expensive technology with the equipment and software costing well over $100,000. It also presents other challenges, such as transporting the equipment on airplanes and buses. On numerous occasions, airport security has detained us as we travel to and from Israel because they are not familiar with this advanced technology. As far as they know, we are transporting some space age nuclear weapon. On one occasion, we even witnessed the scanner being dropped from a conveyor belt onto the runway as we were transferring airplanes in New York. For the reasons just mentioned, there is always a heightened level of stress as we travel with the scanner. That stress remains until we reach our hotel rooms and make sure the equipment will turn on, boot up and run properly.

Although the scanner has its challenges, the results of the 3D scans is well worth the added expense and stress. 3D scans are being used in a variety of ways. For example, one of the amazing finds at Beit Lehi is the foundation, and mosaic floor, of a beautiful Byzantine era basilica. The mosaic floor is one of the most colorful, ornate and well-preserved floors found in all of Israel. However, one of the concerns is that the floor is currently exposed to the elements and is in need of a protective structure to cover it.
In the architectural process of designing a building to cover the mosaic floor, a 3D LIDAR scan proved to be very valuable. Robert Price, the current Department Chair and faculty member in EDT, first took a scan of the existing Byzantine chapel floor. Next, the scan was imported into an architectural design software called REVIT. The software then allowed Robert to design a new building that matched the existing footprint of the Byzantine chapel.

Another use of scanned images involves that of 3D printing technology. A LIDAR scan of an ancient olive press on the site was used to print a 3-Dimensional replica out of ABS plastic on a 3D printer. This advanced technology allows an archaeologist to replicate any kind of structure or artifact that is discovered on a site. In fact, a small-scale print, the approximate size of a shoebox, was made of the olive press and given to Oren Gutfeld, the lead archeologist of the Beit Lehi project.

Another use of the LIDAR scanner at Beit Lehi involved the surveying and mapping of an ancient Ritual Bath and Olive Oil Press complex. This is a very unique installation situated very deep underground. They were actually carved out of the soft limestone material found in the area. The two structures were built so close to one another that a person can knock on the wall of one chamber and here it in the room next door. These two rooms are situated deep underground making it very difficult to know just how close one sits to the other. After the LIDAR scans were completed and analyzed, it showed that there was only 10” of limestone material between the two underground structures. It was also determined that there was approximately 10’ of limestone from the ceiling of the structures to the ground surface above. This information is valuable when determining if a bus would be allowed to drive over the ancient structures without the risk of collapse.

In a world where cultural artifacts are being destroyed daily as the result of war or political unrest, it becomes even more critical that archaeology sites are being properly mapped and documented. Through this work, precious history is being preserved for many generations to come. With the use of LIDAR technology, archaeological remains are digitally preserved for as long as the files can be protected and stored. Ancient cities that have been scanned can now be reconstructed to exact dimensions and details. LIDAR scanning is changing the way that archaeologists are documenting their sites, and how they are reporting their discoveries. Instead of the traditional paper drawings that accompany archaeology reports, a CD or web link can now be inserted into the front cover of the report. Digital files can now be accessed by a computer or tablet to see the captured images and drawings. All of a sudden, a 2000-year-old site can come to life as if you had traveled back in time.

Methods and procedures of mapping archaeology sites are ever changing. The old methods are quickly being replaced with new space-age technology. LIDAR scans and 3D models are taking things from the past and preserving them for perhaps another 2000 years. The most fascinating thing about this modern way of mapping archaeology sites is that some young boy, or girl, who is aspiring to be an archaeologist someday, can actually find himself or herself walking digitally through an ancient site as if they were there in person. Just like that day when I found my first arrowhead, I can remember with great clarity, the absolute amazement I experienced when I viewed the results of our very first LIDAR scan.