G. Indruszewski 1 / M. Barton 2
(1 Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde, Denmark / 2 School of Human Origins, Cultures and Societies, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA)
DEM’s are used in archaeology for 2.5D representations of the prehistoric landscapes that formed an important context of human activity and across which humans travelled. In this paper, the authors experiment with the construction of digital ‘topography’ for a seascape across which 9th-Century Vikings sailed. Digital bathymetric models (DBM’s) of the Baltic seafloor, wind, current, and other sailing parameters are used to create a cost surface for modeling early medieval sailing, using least-cost path analyses.
In addition to cost path analysis, other means of employing DEM-like models as working surfaces for sailing are considered. The results of this preliminary study are evaluated in the context of experimental archaeology and modern sailing conditions in the Baltic Sea.
keywords: cost path, sailing, surface, DEM