Using Image Analysis Software to Create a Physical Skull Model for the Facial Reconstruction of a Wrapped Akhmimic Mummy

As part of a larger program of research, several mummies from the city of Akhmim have undergone Computed Tomography (CT) scanning. Analysis of the images of these mummies is providing insight into the age, sex and health of these individuals. In an effort to gain an understanding of how specific people from the city of Akhmim may have looked in life, forensic facial reconstruction was undertaken. This paper is a discussion of the review, analysis and interpretation of the two-dimensional CT images of an Akhmimic mummy through the preparation of virtual on-screen and physical three-dimensional models, including a printed skull

Image-based rendering of ancient Chinese artifacts for multi-view displays - a multi-camera approach

Image-based rendering (IBR) is an emerging and promising technology for photo-realistic rendering of scenes and objects from a collection of densely sampled images and videos. This paper proposes an image-based approach to the rendering and multi-view display of ancient Chinese artifacts for cultural heritage preservation. A multiple-camera circular array was constructed to record images of the artifacts. Novel techniques for segmenting and rendering new views of the artifacts from the sampled images are developed. The multiple views so synthesized enable the ancient artifacts to be displayed in modern multi-view displays and conventional stereo systems. Several collections from the University Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Hong Kong are captured and excellent rendering results are obtained. ©2010 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), Paris, France, 30 May-2 June 2010. In IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems Proceedings, 2010, p. 3252-325

Egyptian Mummies at the Redpath Museum: Unravelling the History of McGill University’s Collection

This article provides the context for the acquisition of the Egyptian Mummies collection at the Redpath Museum through donors such as James Ferrier, Sir Thomas Roddick and the Montreal Natural History Society. Since the 19th century the Mummies have solicited a great deal of public interest and have also been the object of rigorous scientific studies, this paper explores the history of the collection at Redpath and the impact of new technologies on adding to our knowledge of the collection.

From Ta-Kesh to Ta-Kush : the affordances of digital, haptic visualisation for heritage accessibility

CITATION: Smith, K. et al. 2020. From Ta-Kesh to Ta-Kush: The affordances of digital, haptic visualisation for heritage accessibility. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 19. doi:10.1016/j.daach.2020.e00159This paper describes the 3D facial depiction of a 2700-year-old mummy, Ta-Kush, stewarded by Maidstone Museum, UK, informed by new scientific and visual analysis which demanded a complete re-evaluation of her biography and presentation. The digital haptic reconstruction and visualisation workflow used to reconstruct her facial morphology is described, in the context of the multimodal and participatory approach taken by the museum in the complete redesign of the galleries in which the mummy is displayed. Informed by contemporary approaches to working with human remains in heritage spaces, we suggest that our virtual modelling methodology finds a logical conclusion in the presentation of the depiction both as a touch-object as well as a digital animation, and that this ‘digital unshelving’ enables the further rehumanization of Ta-Kush. Finally, we present and reflect upon visitor feedback, which suggests that audiences respond well to interpretive material in museums that utilizes cutting-edge, multimedia technologies.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212054820300588Publishers versio

Forensic facial reconstruction and its contribution to identification in missing person cases

Forensic facial reconstruction is a means for producing a facial surface from the skull. There are several technical approaches that can be applied, which include computerised and plastic sculptural methods. Whether the reconstruction is attempted in virtual or actual reality, the facial surface is projected by one of two principal means: by reconstruction of the craniofacial anatomy or by mathematical extrapolation of the face surface from that of the skull. More recently, it has been possible via a combination of the two. In this chapter, the history of facial reconstruction from the skull will be briefly introduced and the principal methods described. Both plastic and computational approaches will be summarised. The utility of forensic facial reconstruction will be discussed with reference to the investigation of cases of missing persons, and to current controversies in research and practice, relating to the precision and efficacy of the technique

Hearts and Minds: Examining the Evolution of the Egyptian Excerebration and Evisceration Traditions through the IMPACT Mummy Database

Egyptian mummification and funerary rituals were a transformative process, making the deceased a pure being; free of disease, injury, and disfigurements, as well as ethical and moral impurities. Consequently, the features of mummification available to specific categories of individuals hold social and ideological significance. This study refutes long-held classical stereotypes, particularly dogmatic class associations; demonstrates the apocryphal nature of universal heart retention; and expands on the purposes of excerebration and evisceration implied by synthetic and radiological analyses. Features of the embalming traditions, specifically the variable excerebration and evisceration traditions, represented the Egyptian view of death. Fine-grain analyses, through primary imaging data for these traditions, have recently been made possible on a large scale through the development of a radiological mummy database. The IMPACT Radiological Mummy Database is a multi-institutional, collaborative research project devoted to the scientific study of mummified remains through primary data from medical imaging modalities. This first application of IMPACT addresses the evolution of Egyptian excerebration and evisceration, and how suites of features in mummies of differing age, sex, status, and location differ and how they relate to the fate of the recipient’s afterlife and to sociopolitical and ideological changes and interactions

A multi-camera approach to image-based rendering and 3-D/Multiview display of ancient chinese artifacts

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IE-Map: a novel in-vivo atlas and template of the human inner ear

Brain atlases and templates are core tools in scientific research with increasing importance also in clinical applications. Advances in neuroimaging now allowed us to expand the atlas domain to the vestibular and auditory organ, the inner ear. In this study, we present IE-Map, an in-vivo template and atlas of the human labyrinth derived from multi-modal high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, in a fully non-invasive manner without any contrast agent or radiation. We reconstructed a common template from 126 inner ears (63 normal subjects) and annotated it with 94 established landmarks and semi-automatic segmentations of all relevant macroscopic vestibular and auditory substructures. We validated the atlas by comparing MRI templates to a novel CT/micro-CT atlas, which we reconstructed from 21 publicly available post-mortem images of the bony labyrinth. Templates in MRI and micro-CT have a high overlap, and several key anatomical measures of the bony labyrinth in IE-Map are in line with micro-CT literature of the inner ear. A quantitative substructural analysis based on the new template, revealed a correlation of labyrinth parameters with total intracranial volume. No effects of gender or laterality were found. We provide the validated templates, atlas segmentations, surface meshes and landmark annotations as open-access material, to provide neuroscience researchers and clinicians in neurology, neurosurgery, and otorhinolaryngology with a widely applicable tool for computational neuro-otology

Three Dimensional (3D) Forensic Facial Reconstruction in an Egyptian Population using Computed Tomography Scanned Skulls and Average Facial Templates: A Study Examining Subjective and Objective Assessment Methods of 3D Forensic Facial Reconstructions

PhDForensic facial reconstruction can assist identification by reconstructing a face of the unknown person with the aim of its recognition by his/her family or friends. In the facial reconstruction approach adopted in this study, a 3D average face template was digitally warped onto a 3D scanned skull image. This study was carried out entirely on an Egyptian population, and was the first of its kind. Aims: This study aimed to demonstrate that 3D facial reconstructions using the novel methodology described could show significant resemblance to the faces corresponding to the persons in question when they were alive. Moreover, using techniques previously validated for facial reconstruction, the aim was to compare them to the method developed, and to assess approaches used to determine the accuracy of 3D facial reconstructions. Methods: Initially, a pilot study was conducted using a database of laser scanned skulls and faces. The faces were reconstructed using an average facial template generated by merging a number of faces of similar population, sex, and age. The applicability, as well as the main components of the facial reconstruction method, the single and average facial templates, and the facial soft tissue thickness measurements, were investigated. Furthermore, in the main study, the faces of computed tomography (CT) scanned heads of an Egyptian population were reconstructed using average facial templates. The accuracy of the reconstructed faces was assessed subjectively by face pool, and face resemblance tests, and objectively by measuring the surface distances between the real and reconstructed faces. In addition, a number of novel subjective and objective assessment methods were developed. These included assessment of individual facial regions using subjective resemblance scores, and objective surface distance comparisons. A new objective method, craniofacial anthropometry, was developed by taking and comparing direct measurements from the skull, and comparing the measurements from the real and reconstructed faces. The studied cases were ranked according to all subjective, and objective, tests, and statistically correlated. Results and Conclusions: The average facial templates showed a higher identification rate than the single face templates. The approach of facial reconstruction used in this thesis showed a comparable accuracy to many other facial reconstruction methods, yet was superior in terms of its applicability, transferability, and ease of use. In the face pool tests, the younger assessors were able to correctly identify the reconstructed faces better than older assessors. Furthermore, the identification rate by the forensic anthropology experts was higher than the non-experts. The former group showed the highest agreement between the observers in giving the resemblance scores. Although there was a significant rank correlation between the subjective and objective assessment tests, the subjective tests are influenced by the assessors’ subjective characteristics (e.g., age, professional experience), thus making objective assessment more reliable. However, in situations where subjective tests are used, it is better to use the face resemblance tests and consult forensic anthropologists. Also, Craniofacial Anthropometry, particularly the craniofacial angles, can successfully indicate the accuracy of the facial reconstructions. Importantly, this study shows that certain facial regions, particularly the cheek and the jaw, are more reliable than other areas in the subjective and objective assessment of the facial reconstructionEgyptian Ministry of Higher Education and the Egyptian Cultural Affairs and the Mission Sector, as well as the Egyptian cultural Counsellor and the staff of the Egyptian Cultural Centre and Educational Bureau in London, UK