Preserving Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age - Sending Out an S.O.S. - Nicola Lercari
Ancient Egyptian Coffins in 3D: Digital Analysis, Visualization, and Dissemination
Preserving Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age - Sending Out an S.O.S. - Nicola Lercari
Rita Lucarelli [+]
University of California at Berkeley
Kea Johnston [+]
University of California, Berkeley
Description
This chapter discusses the importance of digital data capture techniques such as digital photogrammetry for expanding access to texts carved on Egyptian sarcophagi by creating collections of digitized large mortuary objects. Such large objects are often stored in museum warehouses and not easily shared with scholars and the public. By providing a thorough explanation of the digital techniques and results of the “Book of the Dead in 3D” project at UC Berkeley, this chapter highlights the significance of conducting text analysis on the 3D models of the coffins by creating interactive annotations--including text transcription and translation of the magical spells--on the digital models themselves. This kind of embedded metadata is critical to scholars of Egyptology. The case study presented--the sarcophagus of Psamtik in the collections of the Phoebe Hearst Museum at Berkeley--describes in detail the technique of digital photogrammetry combined with custom programming to create the annotated 3D models.