PM-Vis: A Visual Analytics System for Tracing and Analyzing the Evolution of Pottery Motifs

In Chinese archaeological research, analyzing the evolution of motifs in ancient pottery is crucial for studying the spread and growth of cultures across various eras and regions. However, such analyses are often challenging due to the complexities of identifying motifs with evolutionary connections that may manifest concurrent changes in appearance, space, and time, compounded by ineffective documentation. We propose PM-Vis, a visual analytics system for tracing and analyzing the evolution of pottery motifs. PM-Vis is anchored in a “selection-organization-documentation” workflow. In the selection stage, we design a three-fold projection paired with a motif-based search mechanism, displaying the appearance similarity and temporal and spatial proximities of all motifs or a specific motif, aiding users in selecting motifs with evolutionary connections. The organization stage helps users establish the evolutionary sequence and segment the selected motifs into distinct evolutionary phases. Finally, the documentation stage enables users to record their observations and insights through various forms of annotation. We demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of PM-Vis through two case studies, expert feedback, and a user study.