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The contribution of VNIR and SWIR hyperspectral imaging to rock art studies: example of the Otello schematic rock art site (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France)

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Abstract

This paper presents a methodological contribution to rock art archaeology by demonstrating the benefits of hyperspectral imaging, a relatively new method, for the understanding of rock art sites. It illustrates the complementarity of VNIR hyperspectral imaging, applied in rare cases to rock archaeology, and SWIR hyperspectral imaging, implemented here in a unprecedented way to a rock art panel. Applied to a schematic rock art site in southern France, the Otello rock shelter (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France), this method allowed the discovery of numerous new figures invisible to the naked eye or unsuspected after image enhancement with the DStretch plug-in of the ImageJ software, the individualisation of figures within complex superpositions, and the discovery of figures covered by weathering products. Moreover, by conferring a spatial dimension to the analysis of pictorial matter, thus allowing a classification of pigments at the scale of the wall, hyperspectral imaging makes it possible to automatically isolate different paintings and to carry out objective groupings of figures on the basis of their composition. Finally, hyperspectral imaging allows us to precisely document, distinguish and characterise weathering products interacting with painted figures. For all of these reasons, this method appears essential to highlight the relative chronology and syntax of iconography, and consequently to understand its cognitive nature.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Notes

  1. PhD by C. Théron (dir. P. Martinetto/Néel Institute and C. Defrasne/EDYTEM; co-supervision: E. Chalmin/ EDYTEM; 2022—2025) funded by the MITI (CNRS Interdisciplinary Mission).

  2. Analyses of colouring matters are also carried out in the framework the Graphein project (dir. C. Defrasne) funded by the Ministry of Culture.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the municipality of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and the Service Régional d'Archéologie de Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur for granting us permission to work on the Otello site. We would also like to thank the people who helped us with the fieldwork that led to the results presented here, and in particular the porters who made it possible to transport the material.

Funding

This work was financed by the IDEX Université Grenoble Alpes in the framework of the COPRA project (Matières COlorantes, temps et PRatiques de l'Art pariétal néolithique/Colouring matter, time and practice in Neolithic rock art. dir. C. Defrasne).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. EDYTEM, UMR 5204, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, 73376, Le Bourget du Lac, France

    Claudia Defrasne & Emilie Chalmin

  2. LPG, CNRS, UMR 6112, Nantes Université, Université d’Angers, Le Mans Université, 44322, Nantes, France

    Marion Massé, Manuel Giraud & Stéphane Le Mouélic

  3. Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, 38000, Grenoble, France

    Bernard Schmitt

  4. OSUNA, CNRS, UAR, 3281, Nantes, France

    Damien Fligiel

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  1. Claudia Defrasne
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Contributions

The acquisition of hyperspectral imagery in the field was carried out by M.M., M.G. and D.F. as part of an archaeological project led by C.D. The processing of hyperspectral data was carried out by M. M. and B. S. C.D., B.S., M.M., S.L.M., M.G., E.C. wrote the main manuscript text. C.D. prepared Figs. 1 to 4, 8, 15 C.D. and M.M. prepared Figs. 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 B.S. prepared Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 16. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Claudia Defrasne.

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Defrasne, C., Massé, M., Giraud, M. et al. The contribution of VNIR and SWIR hyperspectral imaging to rock art studies: example of the Otello schematic rock art site (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 15, 116 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01812-6

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