Approaches Used to Recognise and Decipher Ancient Inscriptions: A Review

Inscriptions play a vital role in historical studies. In order to boost tourism and academic necessities, archaeological experts, epigraphers and researchers recognised and deciphered a great number of inscriptions using numerous approaches. Due to the technological revolution and inefficiencies of manual methods, humans tend to use automated systems. Hence, computational archaeology plays an important role in the current era. Even though different types of research are conducted in this domain, it still poses a big challenge and needs more accurate and efficient methods. This paper presents a review of manual and computational approaches used to recognise and decipher ancient inscriptions.Keywords: ancient inscriptions, computational archaeology, decipher, script

Digital Epigraphy at the Greek Epigraphy Laboratory, Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Description of ongoing research activities at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice associated with the Laboratory of Greek Epigraphy of the Department of Humanities. In particular, the Venice Squeeze project and the Axon: Greek historical inscriptions project are presented

A framework for digital sunken relief generation based on 3D geometric models

Sunken relief is a special art form of sculpture whereby the depicted shapes are sunk into a given surface. This is traditionally created by laboriously carving materials such as stone. Sunken reliefs often utilize the engraved lines or strokes to strengthen the impressions of a 3D presence and to highlight the features which otherwise are unrevealed. In other types of reliefs, smooth surfaces and their shadows convey such information in a coherent manner. Existing methods for relief generation are focused on forming a smooth surface with a shallow depth which provides the presence of 3D figures. Such methods unfortunately do not help the art form of sunken reliefs as they omit the presence of feature lines. We propose a framework to produce sunken reliefs from a known 3D geometry, which transforms the 3D objects into three layers of input to incorporate the contour lines seamlessly with the smooth surfaces. The three input layers take the advantages of the geometric information and the visual cues to assist the relief generation. This framework alters existing techniques in line drawings and relief generation, and then combines them organically for this particular purpose

ACCURATE 3D SCANNING OF DAMAGED ANCIENT GREEK INSCRIPTIONS FOR REVEALING WEATHERED LETTERS

In this paper two non-invasive non-destructive alternative techniques to the traditional and invasive technique of squeezes are presented alongside with specialized developed processing methods, aiming to help the epigraphists to reveal and analyse weathered letters in ancient Greek inscriptions carved in masonry or marble. The resulting 3D model would serve as a detailed basis for the epigraphists to try to decipher the inscription. The data were collected by using a Structured Light scanner. The creation of the final accurate three dimensional model is a complicated procedure requiring large computation cost and human effort. It includes the collection of geometric data in limited space and time, the creation of the surface, the noise filtering and the merging of individual surfaces. The use of structured light scanners is time consuming and requires costly hardware and software. Therefore an alternative methodology for collecting 3D data of the inscriptions was also implemented for reasons of comparison. Hence, image sequences from varying distances were collected using a calibrated DSLR camera aiming to reconstruct the 3D scene through SfM techniques in order to evaluate the efficiency and the level of precision and detail of the obtained reconstructed inscriptions. Problems in the acquisition processes as well as difficulties in the alignment step and mesh optimization are also encountered. A meta-processing framework is proposed and analysed. Finally, the results of processing and analysis and the different 3D models are critically inspected and then evaluated by a specialist in terms of accuracy, quality and detail of the model and the capability of revealing damaged and ”hidden” letters

Developing an interoperable cloud-based visualization workflow for 3D archaeological heritage data. The Palenque 3D Archaeological Atlas

In archaeology, 3D data has become ubiquitous, as researchers routinely capture high resolution photogrammetry and LiDAR models and engage in laborious 3D analysis and reconstruction projects at every scale: artifacts, buildings, and entire sites. The raw data and processed 3D models are rarely shared as their computational dependencies leave them unusable by other scholars. In this paper we outline a novel approach for cloud-based collaboration, visualization, analysis, contextualization, and archiving of multi-modal giga-resolution archaeological heritage 3D data. The Palenque 3D Archaeological Atlas builds on an open source WebGL systems that efficiently interlink, merge, present, and contextualize the Big Data collected at the ancient Maya city of Palenque, Mexico, allowing researchers and stakeholders to visualize, access, share, measure, compare, annotate, and repurpose massive complex archaeological datasets from their web-browsers

The Stone Lab: Decoding Shikahogh Khachkars

"The Stone lab: Decoding Shikahogh Khachkars" is an MPhil by design, seeking to describe the role of Khachkar in formation of Armenian national identity through studies of the stone masonry and the notion of a territory, which in this case is represented with the Shikahogh village (Figs. 1 and 2). Although much study has been done on Khachkars in general, no prior research has been conducted on the historic cradle of Khachkars that is Shikahogh. The Stone lab aims to discover and interpret the stories of Shikahogh unknown Khachkars. Therefore the hybrid approach of experimental archaeology and digital reconstruction have been employed at the Shikahogh lab to unveil the hidden inscriptions of these Khachkars as well as to narrate the functions and technological processes behind their creation. This research portrays the driving factors of belonging and identify preservation underneath the context of Khachkar and Petroglyphic heritage of Armenia

Chapter 1 Cowboys, Cod, Climate, and Conflict

The DEH can be seen as an academic response to three major interwoven changes and challenges: the digital revolution; global warming and global warming and social-political agency related to environmental change. In the twenty-first century, we are challenged with a transformation in human collective intelligence. The key features of this transformation involve the “digital” replacing the “analogue”; design thinking and post-secularism supplanting tradition; and human agency emerging as the main driver of planetary change. Unlocking the keys to human perception, mitigating behavior and adaptive action may likely rank among the preeminent challenges we face in an age witnessing unprecedented rates of global change. The chapter showcases how the DEH is being applied by three international funded research projects: Larry McMurtry’s Literary Geography; NorFish (Environmental History of the North Atlantic Fisheries, 1500-1800); and the Climates of Conflict in Babylonia project

La epigrafía romana de Augusta Emérita más allá del Museo: digitalización, modelización 3D y difusión a través de dispositivos móviles

Este trabajo ofrece la experiencia de innovación científica de digitalizar y modelar en 3D un conjunto de cincuenta y nueve inscripciones romanas del Museo Nacional de Arte Romano (Mérida, Badajoz), a través de una tecnología de bajo coste, basada en el modelado digital de imágenes en movimiento (Structure from Motion, SfM). Su difusión a través de internet y el desarrollo de una aplicación propietaria para su visualización en smartphones y tablets con sistema operativo Android. Los resultados obtenidos permiten comprobar el potencial de estas tecnologías para incrementar la visibilidad y difusión del patrimonio arqueológico que se conserva en los museos. This paper offers the experience of scientific innovation of digitizing and 3D modeling a collection of fifty-nine Roman inscriptions from the National Museum of Roman Art (Mérida, Badajoz) through a low-cost technology based on Structure from Motion (SfM). The project includes the dissemination through the Internet and the development of a proprietary application for viewing on smartphones and tablets with Android mobile operating system. The results confirm the potential of these technologies to increase the visibility and dissemination of archaeological heritage preserved in museums