Photogrammetric Survey and Its Applications in Historical Studies and Documentation of Archaeological Remains
Abstract
This study examines photogrammetric surveying as a methodological tool in archaeological documentation, moving beyond theoretical description to analytical application. It aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique in producing accurate 2D and 3D digital models of cultural heritage, with a focus on its value for historical studies and typological analysis. The research adopts an applied analytical methodology, combining a critical review of specialized literature with a hypothetical field application on an Algerian archaeological model (the Royal Funerary Stele in Tlemcen). The study defines standard photogrammetry, reviews its historical development and fieldwork procedures, and applies a four-stage methodology (image capture, point cloud generation, solid model reconstruction, and texture application). The results demonstrate that integrating photogrammetry into archaeological research enhances documentation accuracy, supports typological analysis, and enables long-term monitoring of structural conditions. The case study confirms sub-millimeter precision, enabling the detection of micro-cracks and the creation of permanent digital archives. The study recommends establishing national standardized documentation protocols for photogrammetry in Algeria as a mandatory requirement for restoration and periodic maintenance projects.
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References
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Sanz, A. (2015). Photogrammetry in archaeology: A practical guide. Instituto de Patrimonio Cultural de España.
Ubisoft. (2014). Assassin’s Creed Unity: The art of historical reconstruction. Ubisoft Entertainment.
United States Geological Survey. (2020). Aerial photogrammetry and remote sensing. USGS Publications. https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20203020
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Web Source:
https://survey-home.blogspot.com/2015/01/Overall-terminal-device-total-station.html
https://www.ign.fr/institut/kiosque/la-photogrammetrie
Ajjout, S., & Fellah, M. (2021). Taṭbīq taqniyat al-masḥ al-taṣwīrī fī khidmat al-turāth al-atharī – mawqiʿ Ayumīniyum numūdhajan. Majallat al-Dirāsāt al-Athariyya, 19(1), 346–361.
Al-Asmarī, ʿAbd Allāh Ḥasan. (2019). Adawāt al-masāḥa al-taṣwīriyya al-raqamiyya al-jawwiyya wa ahammiyyat muntaǧātihā fī nuẓum al-maʿlūmāt al-jughrāfiyya wa al-istishʿār ʿan buʿd: dirāsa naẓariyya. Majallat Buḥūth Kulliyat al-Ādāb – Jāmiʿat al-Munūfiyya, (117), Ibrīl, Miṣr.
Al-Khalīl, ʿUmar Muḥammad, & ʿAlī, Aḥmad Salmān. (2014). Al-namdhaja al-thulāthiyya al-abʿād lil-manāṭiq al-ḥaḍariyya b-istikhdām barāmij al-masāḥa al-taṣwīriyya al-qarība wa nuẓum al-maʿlūmāt al-jughrāfiyya. Majallat Tishrīn lil-Buḥūth wa al-Dirāsāt al-ʿIlmiyya – Silsilat al-ʿUlūm al-Handasiyya, 36(6), 30–40.
Atkinson, K. B. (1996). Evolution of terrestrial photogrammetry: From stereoscopic systems to convergent imaging with photo‑total stations. Journal of Industrial Metrology & Photogrammetry, 12(3), 45–58.
Bakr, M. (2018). Digital documentation of cultural heritage. King Faisal Center for Research.
Belouaâr, A., & Hadji, Y. R. (2019). Manâhij wa wasâ’il al-raf‘ al-fotogramatri al-thulâthî al-ab‘âd fî al-majâl al-atharî: Namûdhaj min al-qal‘a al-bizantiyya Timgad. Majallat Turâth al-Zibân, A‘mâl al-Multaqa al-Thânî: Al-Turâth fî Minṭaqat al-Zâb al-Sharqî – Minṭaqat Tahûda Unmûdhajan, 21–22 Afrîl 2019, Biskra, al-‘Adad 2.
Belouaâr, A., & Hadji, Y. R. (2019). Methods and techniques of 3D photogrammetric surveying in the archaeological field: The Byzantine fortress of Timgad as a case study. Turâth al-Zibân Journal, Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Heritage in the Eastern Zab Region – Téhouda as a Model, April 21–22, 2019, Biskra, Issue 2
Bruno, F., Lagudi, A., Angilica, A., & Muzzupappa, M. (2020). A digital twin of an archaeological underwater site. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 45, 234–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2020.04.002
Carbonnell, M. (1969). Introduction to the Application of Photogrammetry to Ancient Buildings and Monumental Complexes. Monumentum, IV.
Campanaro, D. M., Dell’Unto, N., & Landeschi, G. (2016). 3D GIS for cultural heritage restoration: A ‘white box’ workflow. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 18, 321–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2015.09.006
Foramitti, H. (1972). Archaeological documentation and preservation. Austrian Archaeological Institute.
Gervaix, F. (2011). R-Pod: A photogrammetric drone serving the territory. Geomatik Schweiz–Geoinformation und Landmanagement, 109(9).
Grieves, M., & Vickers, J. (2017). Digital Twin: Mitigating Unpredictable, Undesirable Emergent Behavior in Complex Systems. In F.-J. Kahlen, S. Flumerfelt, & A. Alves (Eds.), Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Complex Systems: New Findings and Approaches (pp. 85–113). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38756-7_4
Gruber, O. von. (1924). Mathematical foundations of photogrammetry. Springer-Verlag.
Ḥātim, I. M. (2021). Digital image processing. Faculty of Engineering – Mechatronics Department, Al-Manar University.
Ḥātim, Īyād Muḥammad. (2021). Muʿāljat al-ṣuwar al-raqamiyya. Kulliyat al-Handasa – Qism al-Mīkātrūnīk, Jāmiʿat al-Manār, Sūriyā
Ibn al-Hayṯam. (965–1039). Kitāb al-Manāẓir (Book of Optics). Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyya.
Jamāl, ʿĀ. (2019). Aerial photography and scanning in antiquities. Dār al-Maʿrifah.
Lambert, J. H. (1768). Memoir on Some Remarkable Properties of Circular and Logarithmic Transcendental Quantities. Proceedings of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Fine Letters of Berlin.
Laussedat, A. (1859). Iconometria: The art of measuring from photographs. French Academy of Sciences.
Luhmann, T, Robson S, Kyle S, & Harley I. (2020). Close-range photogrammetry and 3D imaging(3rd ed.). De Gruyter.
McCarthy, J. (2021). Photogrammetry in digital heritage. In Digital heritage and archaeology in practice (pp. 130-150). University Press of Florida.
Meydenbauer, A. (1893). Photogrammetry: Principles and applications. Royal Prussian Photogrammetric Institute.
Pesaresi, P., Occhipinti, G., & Boccardo, P. (2021). Artificial Intelligence and Cultural Heritage: Challenges and Opportunities. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 10(5), 320. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10050320
Remondino, F., & Campana, S. (2014). 3D recording and modelling in archaeology and cultural heritage: Theory and best practices. Archaeopress.
Remondino, F., & El-Hakim, S. (2010). Image-based modeling and rendering: Photogrammetric applications for cultural heritage. In International Journal of Architectural Computing: Photogrammetry, 3D Scanning and BIM in Cultural Heritage Conservation, 8(2), 170–184.
Sanz, A. (2015). Photogrammetry in archaeology: A practical guide. Instituto de Patrimonio Cultural de España.
Ubisoft. (2014). Assassin’s Creed Unity: The art of historical reconstruction. Ubisoft Entertainment.
United States Geological Survey. (2020). Aerial photogrammetry and remote sensing. USGS Publications. https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20203020
Verhoeven, G. (2011). Taking computer vision aloft: Archaeological three-dimensional reconstructions from aerial photographs with PhotoScan. Archaeological Prospection, 18(1), 67–73. https://doi.org/10.1002/arp.399.
Web Source:
https://survey-home.blogspot.com/2015/01/Overall-terminal-device-total-station.html
https://www.ign.fr/institut/kiosque/la-photogrammetrie
Published
2026-06-10
How to Cite
Labtar , Q., & Khettab , Z. (2026). Photogrammetric Survey and Its Applications in Historical Studies and Documentation of Archaeological Remains . Journal of Science and Knowledge Horizons, 6(2), 237-258. https://doi.org/10.34118/jskp.v6i2.4631
Section
Articles
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