Digital Imaging of Artefacts: Developments in Methods and Aims

This volume brings together new lines of research across a range of disciplines from participants in a workshop held at Wolfson College, Oxford, on 23rd May 2017. In light of rapid technological developments in digital imaging, the aim in gathering these contributions together is to inform specialist and general readers about some of the ways in which imaging technologies are transforming the study and presentation of archaeological and cultural artefacts. The periods, materials, geography, and research questions under discussion therefore are varied, but the contributions are united in shared interests surrounding the aims of these techniques for imaging objects: what advantages do they offer, whether in research or museum contexts, what limitations are still faced, and how can technological development encourage new types of research and public engagement?

Table of Contents

Foreword – by J. L. Dahl

Introduction – by Kate Kelley and Rachel K. L. Wood

Potential and limitations of 3D digital methods applied to ancient cultural heritage: insights from a professional 3D practitioner – by Steven Dey

The potential of hyperspectral imaging for researching colour on artefacts – by David Howell

A structured light approach to imaging ancient Near Eastern cylinder seals: how efficient 3D imaging may facilitate corpus-wide research – by Jacob. L. Dahl, Jonathon. S. Hare, Kate Kelley, Kirk Martinez, and David Young

The use of the digital microscope and multi-scale observation in the study of lapidary manufacturing techniques. A methodological approach for the preliminary phase of analysis in situ – by Elise Morero, Hara Procopiou, Jeremy Johns, Roberto Vargiolu, and Hassan Zahouani

Imaging seals and coins with various light angles and spectra: consequences for understanding and representing colour and relief – by Hendrik Hameeuw

Prehistoric stone sculptures at the Gregorio Aguilar Barea Museum, Nicaragua: photogrammetry practices and Digital Immersive Virtual Environment applications for archaeology – by Alexander Geurds, Juan Aguilar, and Fiona McKendrick

A multispectral imaging and 3D modelling project on the Arundel Marbles – by Alison Pollard

The Khosro Cup Replication Project: 3D imaging for a temporary exhibition – by Rachel K. L. Wood

Dr Kate Kelley Received Her Doctorate Of Philosophy In Assyriology From The University Of Oxford In 2018 And Is A Specialist In The Socio-Economic History Of Early Mesopotamia. She Is A Research And Teaching Fellow At The University Of British Columbia (2018–19), And Formerly A Research Associate At The Oriental Institute, Oxford For The Project Seals And Their Impressions In The Ancient Near East (2016–17). Kate Has Been Working For The Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative Since 2012, Including Digitizing Cuneiform Tablets In The Louvre, The National Museum Of Scotland, And The Yale Babylonian Collection.

Dr Rachel K. L. Wood Is Lecturer In Classical Archaeology At Corpus Christi College, Oxford And A Junior Research Fellow At Wolfson College, Specialising In The Art And Archaeology Of Ancient Iran. In Her Previous Position As A Postdoctoral Researcher With The British Museum And University Of Oxford Project Empires Of Faith, She Was An Assistant Curator Of The Ashmolean Museum’s Exhibition Imagining The Divine: Art And The Rise Of World Religions (October 2017–February 2018).