Page 310 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

Chapter 11
Artifact Drawing
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of artifact drawing is to illustrate an object so that it may be visualized and compared with other similar objects. It might be thought that a photograph would be the best way to do this because it is quick and produces a great deal of detail. However, there are a number of reasons why it is preferable to produce an artifact drawing in order to illustrate an object.
First, one of the best ways to get to know an artifact is to draw it. The act of drawing requires accurate measurement and examination of the object so that it can be drawn on paper. In this process, the archaeologist handles the object for some time and, as a result, becomes familiar with it. A lot can be learned about an object through keen observation and inti- macy with it. The lack of intimacy is one of the great drawbacks with object photography, where the observer is usually remote from the object behind the camera relying on detailed examination of prints at a later date.
The drawing is a visual description of the object and is a method whereby the archaeologist can understand the object, even if it is not present. In order to compare objects, it must be possible to take accurate measure- ments from a drawing. Thus the type of projection has to be chosen care- fully. The orthographic projection is the most widely used for artifact drawing. This is the type of projection used in a similar situation for engi- neering drawing. Drawings using this projection are very simple to produce and have the advantage over a photograph in that they can be photocopied. Whereas the photograph is extremely easy to take and produces an
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