AGMT3-D: A software for 3-D landmarks-based geometric morphometric shape analysis of archaeological artifacts.

Area of Science:

• Archaeology
• Digital Archaeology
• Geometric Morphometrics

Background:

• Traditional artifact analysis often relies on qualitative assessments.
• 3-D geometric morphometric analysis offers quantitative insights into artifact shape.
• Accessibility of advanced analytical tools for archaeologists remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Artifact GeoMorph Toolbox 3-D (AGMT3-D), a user-friendly software for 3-D geometric morphometric analysis of archaeological artifacts.
• To enable archaeologists to perform complex shape analyses without requiring programming or statistical expertise.
• To facilitate the investigation of artifact morphology and variability in relation to archaeological questions.

Main Methods:

• Development of AGMT3-D software package.
• Implementation of 3-D semi-landmark data acquisition and positioning.
• Application of analytical procedures including generalized Procrustes analysis, principal component analysis, and statistical testing.
• Case study using experimentally produced Acheulian handaxes to assess raw material effects on morphology.

Main Results:

• AGMT3-D provides quantitative, objective, and reproducible results in multiple formats.
• Statistically significant differences in mean shape and shape variability were found between flint and basalt Acheulian handaxes.
• The software successfully processed and analyzed artifact assemblage data.

Conclusions:

• AGMT3-D makes 3-D geometric morphometric shape analysis accessible to archaeologists.
• The software can address archaeologically relevant questions concerning chronology, cultural affinities, function, and technology.
• AGMT3-D has the potential to become a common tool in archaeological research for analyzing material culture.