Tom Goskar

About

I am a freelance archaeologist and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

I specialise in research, visualisation and reconstruction, 3D scanning, photogrammetry, NeRFs, surface analysis, digitisation, and web technologies. My main research interest is the use of AI/ML in the fields of cultural heritage, and surface enhancement of prehistoric petroglyphs (rock art) and early medieval decorated and inscribed stones.

As a freelancer I am available to work on projects anywhere in the world. My professional profile is available on LinkedIn. Please contact me with any enquiries.

I am an alumni of the University of Southampton, where I achieved a BA in Archaeology and an MSc in Archaeological Computing, and have been a professional archaeologist since 2001.

Research areas

Recovery and enhancement of inscriptions, rock art, and decorated stonework using high resolution 3D (photogrammetry / scanning) and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI).

Applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and associated technologies and how they can by applied to the study of the past, including intangible heritage. This is a large and fast-paced area of research, covering everything from audio restoration of historic recordings through to recording rock art and the use of generative AI.

Mobile rapid 3D capture using photogrammetry (Object Capture API), Apple iPhone LiDAR, NeRFs, including workflows, UI/UX, and quality. I use and evaluate most of the available apps, including as an alpha/beta tester for new scanning apps.

Publications

Below is a list of my publications, talks and lectures to give an overview of the breadth of my work. If you have any questions, please contact me.

  • Goskar, T. A., A. Carty, P. Cripps, C. Brayne & D. Vickers. (2003). The Stonehenge Laser Show. British Archaeology, 73,9-15.
  • Carty, A., Goskar, T.A. (2005). Surveying Knowlton Church and Henge using 3D Laser Scanning. Archaeoptics.
  • Goskar, T.A. (2006). Podcasting the Past. Podcast User Magazine, 11, 26-28.
  • Goskar, T. A., McHarg, C. (2006). Walk to work learning about old Dorset, British Archaeology, 86. (on Web 2.0 and archaeology)
  • Goskar, T. A. (2006). Wessex Archaeology and Flickr: How We Use Web 2.0. Culture24 (Formerly 24 Hour Museum: feature article).
  • Goskar, T. A., Brayne, C. (2008). A long history of arrivals and departures. British Archaeology, 98.
  • Isaksen, L., Goskar, T. A., Cripps, P. (2008). Making People Believe. British Archaeology, 100, 20-27. (A history and review of archaeological computing)
  • Goskar, T. A. (2009). Using the Web to reach wider audiences. Institute for Archaeologists Yearbook and Directory 2009, 29-31.
  • Goskar, T. A. & Earl, G. P. (2010). Polynomial texture mapping for archaeologists. British Archaeology, 111, 28-31.
  • Goskar, T. A. & Cripps, P. (2011). Interactive Landscape Relighting. Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society, Archaeology Special Interest Group Newsletter (Spring 2011), 4-5.
  • Goskar, T. A. (2012). Amesbury Archer to Archaeocast: Wessex Archaeology and the Web, in Bonnachi, C. (ed.) Archaeology and Digital Communication, Towards Strategies of Public Engagement, London: Archetype.
  • Goskar, T. A. (2014). Rock Art at Carwynnen Quiot. In: Richards, P & Nowakowski, J (ed). A monument like no other: The Restoration of Carwynnen Quoit, St Austell: The Sustainable Trust, pp 21.
  • Goskar, T. A. & Brown, M. P. (2016). The Gulval Evangelists. British Archaeology, 146.
  • Jones, A. M. & Goskar, T. A. (2017). Hendraburnick ‘Quoit’: recording and dating rock art in the west of Britain. Time & Mind, Vol 10, No 3. Taylor & Francis.
  • Jones, A. M. & Goskar, T. A. (2017). Carvings and bright lights at Hendraburnick Quoit. British Archaeology, 158, 38-43
  • Goskar, T. A. (2018). A little less mute: 3D laser scanning prehistoric rock art and early medieval inscribed stones in Cornwall. In: Jones, A. M. & Quinnell, H. (ed). An Intellectual Adventurer in Archaeology: Reflections on the work of Charles Thomas, Oxford: Archaeopress, pp 175-182.

Book Contributions

Preston-Jones, A. & Okasha, E. 2013. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, XI, Early Cornish Sculpture. OUP/British Academy. (Contribution of 4 plates, identification of early medieval carvings and their symbolism on a cross-base in Gulval, and commentary on photogrammetry methodology).

Exhibitions

Royal Academy of Arts, London (2007): Audio/visual installation for the Society of Antiquaries at “Making History – Antiquaries in Britain 1707-2007”, a 3D fly-through of the Stonehenge landscape using LiDAR, a panoramic view of Stonehenge from the centre, and a 3D visualisation of close-range laser scan data showing the rock art and graffiti.

Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, Salisbury (2008): Audio/visual installation for the Society of Antiquaries at “Making History: 300 Years of Antiquaries in Britain“, a 3D fly-through of the Stonehenge landscape using LiDAR, 3D visualisation of the skull and bones of the Amesbury Archer demonstrating metric techniques, and 3D visualisation of WWI & WWII graffiti carved into trees on Salisbury Plain.

Papers, talks, lectures & webinars

  • Computer Applications in Archaeology UK (CAAUK) conferences in the UK (2003-2006).
  • Joint paper at the British Academy in April 2004 upon the findings of our “Stonehenge Laser Scan” project, where we discovered long lost carvings on the most studied stone (Stone 53) at Stonehenge.
  • Lecture at King’s College, Taunton in 2004 on “Lasers and Archaeology”.
  • Paper with the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) Director, Mike Heyworth, on Web 2.0 and Archaeology at the IFA Conference in Edinburgh, April 2006.
  • Lecture at the Museums Association “Digital Dialogues” conference in June 2007 on “Podcasting – should museums listen?” at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
  • Lecture to CBA Wessex at Salisbury Museum on 3D Visualisation in Archaeology, Summer 2007.
  • Lecture at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London: “Using digital technology to visualise the past” (with Stuart Eve, L-P Archaeology/UCL), January 2011.
  • “Challenges and possibilities for the adoption of Reflectance Transformation Imaging in the UK’s commercial archaeology sector”. Digital Transformations: New developments in cultural heritage imaging at The Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies, University of Oxford, 25 February 2011.
  • Talk at the University of Falmouth’s Academy of Innovation and Research (AIR) on Digital Archaeology. Penryn Campus, 31 May 2013.
  • Talk for the Cornwall Archaeological Society: Digital surface recording in archaeology: some recent case studies from Cornwall. Truro, Cornwall, 7 November 2013.
  • Lecture for the MA Public Archaeology course at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL: Digital Public Engagement. London, 17 March 2014.
  • Talk for the Cornwall Archaeological Society: Do you see what I see? Examining 3D data in archaeology. Truro, Cornwall, 5 November 2015.
  • Talk with Mary Ellery (Chair of the Morrab Library) for the Rotary Club of Penzance: The Morrab Library Photographic Archive. Penzance, Cornwall, 17 March 2016.
  • Talk for Kernow DAT (Dev/Art/Tech): 3D capture in archaeology. Penzance, 15 September 2016.
  • Lecture for the Cornwall Archaeological Society annual conference, Archaeology in Cornwall:New Light on Inscribed Stones in West Penwith. Penzance, 26 November 2016.
  • Lecture for Café Scientifique, Redruth, 3D Technologies in Archaeology. Redruth, Cornwall, 19th January 2018.
  • Lecture for Hayle Heritage Centre, Reading the unreadable: 3D scanning and enhancing the Cunaide Stone inscription. Hayle, Cornwall, 3rd July 2019.
  • Webinar for Scenario, Successfully Capture any Object in 3D. Online, 19th May 2022.
  • Lecture for Meneage Archaeology Group (MAG). Surface analysis and artificial intelligence for archaeologists. 25 February 2023.

Teaching

I have contributed to the MA in Public Archaeology at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology through a lecture to students and via the CASPAR seminar series.

I have contributed to the MSc course in Archaeological Computing at the University of Southampton (2005-2009), and lectured to continuing education students at Birkbeck College, London.

I regularly teach 3D capture techniques through either dedicated one-on-one sessions or to small groups as part of archaeological recording projects.

Some other quick facts

  • Worked with 3D capture in one way or another since 2002
  • OG podcaster since 2005
  • OG blogger since 2004
  • Tinkered with location-based tech since 2002
  • All-round geek and early adopter of tech
  • Plays trad music on the mandolin
  • Tinkers with synthesisers

Social media

Follow me on Mastodon