DIGITIZATION

OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE:
ARCHAEOLOGICAL ROCK ART SITE OF MO DO
HOMEM, IN ESCARIZ, VILA REAL, PORTUGAL,
Phase I
By Gerardo V. Gonalves and Dina Pereira
EROS environment Research on Science Consulting. E-mail:
gerardo.vidal@erosconsulting.pt; dinapereira@erosconsulting.pt

Taking into account the problems of the Vila Real to Vila Pouca de Aguiar, along the
preservation and protection of sites of National Road 2.
historical and archaeological interest in the
municipality of Vila Real (map 1), Northern
Portugal and, above all, the Douro Valley,
World Heritage Site, EROS Environment
Research on Science Consulting, a research
company in Human and Social Science, based
in Vila Real, verified that in the municipality
of Vila Real, a number of civil engineering
works partially destroyed some of the most
important archaeological contexts like Roman
Site of Panoias (National Monument), Alto do
Castelo Iron Age Site, Medieval Bridge of
Almodena, etc., decided to implement a 3D
digitization project for archaeological and
historical structures.
EROS Lda. Has developed an office for the
preservation, safeguarding and investigation
of historical and archaeological heritage.
Although it is a micro-enterprise, EROS seeks
to raise resources to ensure the preservation,
conservation and dissemination of
archaeological heritage.

INTRODUCTION

The archaeological site of Hand of Man or in
Portuguese Mo do Homem is a granite
outcrop highlighted in the landscape, marked by
some intense agricultural and urban activity
(photo 2). The archaeological site has been
referred to over the centuries for its
uniqueness. The archaeological site is located in
a granite outcrop located in Escariz Village,
Parish of Adoufe, 8.7 km from the center of Vila The archaeological site was first described in a
Real, towards the North, on the road that links 1734 by Jernimo Contador de Argote, in the
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book "Memories for Ecclesiastical History of the with a scientific view, about the archaeological
Archbishopric of Braga" (Argote, 1734). In this site.
work, Jernimo Contador de Argote who was a We take as a reference the papers of Mila
theatine clergyman and historian, born in 1676, Simes de Abreu (Abreu & Pereira, 2008) on the
in Colares, Sintra, is stated as follows: "At the formal description of the motifs embodied in
end of the parish of Nossa Senhora de Adoufe, the granite outcrop. It is a place whose
towards the north, above the road that goes chronology can and should be debatable but
from Vila Real to Chaves, between the places of which, for obvious reasons, represents a case
Escariz, which is of this parish (Adoufe), And study in the domains of national and
the one of Bounagouro, that is of another international rock art.
(parish), is a place that they call "The Hand of
the Man", there, in a great rock, are drawn an
open four hands, one made up to the elbow of
the arm, another less something, and two even
pass the wrists, and next to them is another one
designed with a peak that is the structure of a
car, the size of three palms, that comes to be all
the house of a car without wheels. Many people
thought that the place were the mark of some
treasure and with the intent of finding this
treasure, they dug in that place with no results,
and in my opinion this was the work of some
Roman whose meaning we ignore." (Argote,
photo 1 Image of a small hand with arms
1734, p. 492).

As mentioned by Mila Simes de Abreu, the
archaeological site will have suffered countless
destructions by residents of the village and the
region in order to obtain raw material (granite)
for their constructions (Abreu & Pereira, 2008,
p. 99). In this way we can conjecture that the
signs of human activity (in this case, graphic
representations) present in the granitic
outcropping are a part of a big reality.
As stated in several articles, the most important
graphical representations are a set of six hands.
In three cases not only the hands were
represented but the arms and forearms (Abreu
& Pereira, 2008; Tavares, 1967).
Other graphic motifs were designed as parts of
figure 1 Preliminary drawing of the hands in Mo do carts, a cross, several graves excavated in
Homem
granite (Abreu & Pereira, 2008). However, it is
According to some recent works published in not an integral part of this work to focus on the
the context of approaches to rock art, some diversity of motives, but rather the digitization
authors (very few) have focused on the of the site in its generality.
archaeological site of Mo do Homem (Abreu &
Pereira, 2008; Ervedosa C. M., 1991; Ervedosa C.
N., 1990). Although the archaeological site of the METODOLOGY
"Mo do Homem" represents, itself, a symbol of
prehistoric culture in the north of Portugal, few This research paper aimed to define the bases
researchers and archaeologists have looked, and the methodology for the digitization of
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archaeological sites based on the new existing phase, around the archaeological site was
technologies. In this sense, as we have already oriented in the direction of the clock hands.
mentioned, the archaeological site of Mo do For this work we use two digital cameras with
Homem in Vila-Real was chosen for a study standard resolution. Two digital cameras were
case. used to capture the images. For the first ground
In order to elaborate this work it was necessary scan, a Canon 300D digital camera was used,
to fit a series of technical situations such as the with a maximum resolution of 3,072 2,048
use of specific equipment for the capture of (6.3 megapixels) and a sensor of 22.7 mm (0.89
images, topography, terrain modeling, direct in); 15.1 mm (0.59 in) CMOS. For the second
and indirect lighting, data vectorization, basic ground scan an Olympus E-510 digital camera
photogrammetry, orthophotos, etc. was used, with a resolution of 3,648 2,736 (10
Some academic studies have focused on the megapixels) and a sensor of 17.30 13.00 mm
collection of information in archaeological sites Live MOS.
with the use of advanced techniques of For aerial photography was used a Phantom 3
photogrammetry and other methods Professional 4K Gimbal Camera with a Sony
(Chodoronek, 2015). EXMOR 1 / 2.3 and a 12.4 megapixels sensor
For the present study, we have chosen to follow with FOV 94 20 mm (35 mm) Format
the basic concepts and methodology applied by equivalent) f / 2.8, focus at lens.
Guillermo Tabares Esteban, Cesar Fernndez de Several "reference points" and vertical, diagonal
Gamboa Cspedes and Ernesto Ballesteros and transverse measurements around the site
Garca-Asenjo (Esteban, Cspedes, & Garca- were marked on the ground. A geo-referenced
Asenjo, 1999) and Ana Maria Charquero shrike was also marked. At the data processing
Ballester (Ballester, 2016) in the practical level, mainly, open source software (Quantum
applications of photogrammetry. GIS, 3DS OP, Agisoft Photoscan Trial Version)
was used.

Photogrammetry

Basicly, photogrammetry is the technique of

taking measurements from photographs and
images. The advantages of photogrammetry are
to perform measurements without direct
contact with the object to be measured; Large-
scale data collection; Dense coverage of large
areas; Flexible intervals, that is, to be able to
measure objects with different precisions;
Generate data easily interpretable by several
people; automatic data processing.
figure 2 archaeological square involving the generality of
the site under investigation
Materials


Two types of image capture were performed: Data collection
aerial images and fixed terrestrial images.
Capture sequences were performed, between In total, 350 images were collected. 110 of
25 and 40 images per phase were also which were obtained from a quadricopter or
elaborated (each step corresponds to one full Drone DJI PHANTOM 3 4K of rotors and a Sony
turn around the object to be scanned. The EXMOR 1 digital camera. All the photographs
number of photographs taken depends mainly obtained from the aerial photography system
on two main factors: the size of the object and were evidently georeferenced.
the resulto or resolution to be achieved.). Each
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The remaining 240 images were taken with two information, and may briefly allow detailed
digital photographic cameras, already studies of the site.
mentioned in this work, in the materials thopic.
The collected images were treated from a
graphic point of view. that is, they were
processed with suitable software in the sense of
white balance, masking, adjusting color levels,
etc.
For the collect of rock art elements (graphic
elements on the rock) we use a macro sistem
with an invers ring to put between camera and
the intermutvel lens.

RESULTS

Through the photogrammetry we were able to
reconstruct three-dimensionality of the site,
with the help of a DEM, elaborated with the
local georeferencing system calibrated for this
purpose.
We also used some manual measurements with
a metric tapes, protractors, and archeological
design grids. However, the integration of all figure 3 3D model of Rocky Surface for drawing of Mo do
Homem
information was done through open source
softawre (quantum GIS).
In order to highlight the topographical and
micro-topography details, 3D modeling
software was used. The photogrammetric files
are converted into OBJ files, and it was from
these files that the import to the 3D modeling
software worked. In order to highlight the
above topographic and micro-topography
details, after having imported the models for 3D
modeling software, lighting systems in various
positions on the x, y and z axes were
implemented.
The results of this work allowed to have an
overview of the site in its three-dimensional
essence. The data obtained, in general, allowed
to create a virtual model of the archaeological
site. However, as part of the second work to be
published briefly, various measurements will be
made in digital topography, topographical and
micro-topographic profiles, as well as the
complete collection of all art recordings made in
the rock.
figure 4 3D model of surface with a small section of
On the other hand, the 3D model of the site engraving art
guarantees the complete preservation of all the
altimetric, topographical and micro-topographic
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Final considerations has suffered, for various reasons, several
attacks on the archaeological and historical
In short, more than the elaboration of this heritage. Public institutions such as DRC Norte,
article and all the technical, methodological and municipal entities and companies and some
scientific considerations that may be at stake, it sectors of the population apparently do not
is important to draw attention to the need to seem to be culturally sensitive with regard to
implement studies and projects that enable the the preservation of archaeological sites. In this
collection of archaeological information in a sense, it is necessary to take initiatives to
digital form, As comprehensive as possible. The preserve the remains of the heritage of this rich
region in question, the municipality of Vila Real, region.

figure 5 DEM of archaeological site of Mo do Homem, with an indication of engraved surface

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figure 6 micro-topography of section of engraved surface, with two hands

figure 7 DEM of Archaeological Site

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photo 2 Image of archaeological site of Mo do Homem

photo 3 Image capturing with a quadricopter DJI Panthom 3 4K, with a Sony EXMOR 1 digital camera
 Esteban, G. T., Cspedes, C. d., & Garca-Asenjo,
E. B. (1999). La fotogrametra y la ortofoto:
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