Thanks to funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) new technology has been developed which makes it possible to study the finer details of some of the world’s greatest historical artefacts.
The new system allows researchers to study documentary and other artefacts remotely in great detail without being restricted by fixed lighting angles. The result will be to ensure that high-quality digital versions of these materials can be consulted by scholars worldwide.
The project has been led by a team of computer scientists and archaeologists at the University of Southampton in conjunction with academics at the University of Oxford and the system can be viewed in action on You Tube today at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ecsnews#p/a/u/1/Kqi-85U2zYs
Dr Kirk Martinez and colleagues at the University of Southampton’s ECS – Electronics and Computer Science department have developed two Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) systems to capture images of documentary texts and archaeological material. The systems takes 76 pictures of artefacts with the light in different positions, then creates a new type of RTI image. The viewer can then move the virtual light anywhere and focus on the detail.
“Hewlett Packard Research Laboratories invented this technology a few years ago and it has been used sporadically around the world,” said Dr Martinez. “What we have done is develop the technology so that it is fast enough to be usable every day in a museum situation where you have lots of objects that need scanning.“
During the course of the project, the teams scanned 100 clay tablets, most of which were typically about 5,000 years old.
“If you really wanted to look at a picture to investigate fine details at the moment without this technology, you would be hard pressed to see any detail on current archive photos – and may need to re-photograph,” said Dr Martinez.
This technology is currently being used in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and it has recently been tested in the British Museum and in the National Gallery.
The software developed for these systems will be available open source online this autumn together with a guide to making your own system.
The 12-month Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) System for Ancient Document Artefacts was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Digital Equipment and Database for Impact programme.
The academic team members are: Dr Graeme Earl, Dr Kirk Martinez and PhD student, Philip Basford, University of Southampton and Professor Alan Bowman, Dr Charles Crowther and Dr Jacob Dahl, University of Oxford.
ENDS
AHRC Media contact: Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager, 01793 416021; j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
1.For further information about Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) System for Ancient Document Artefacts
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology/acrg/AHRC_RTI.html
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/archaeology/acrg/acrg_research_DEDEFI.html
2. Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) - Each year the AHRC provides approximately £100 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes hundreds of research awards ranging from individual fellowships to major collaborative projects as well as over 1,100 studentship awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
3. Digital Equipment and Database Enhancement for Impact (DEDEFI) - During 2009/10 and 2010/11 the AHRC invested £4m in research projects that have lead to enhanced access to leading edge digital technologies and facilities by arts and humanities researchers and also to enhanced impact from digital research outputs, such as databases, established with current or past AHRC or AHRB support. This call was designed to sustain, build upon and enhance the UK’s research strengths in the arts and humanities, including the outputs from AHRC’s ICT Programme, and to complement existing activities, such as those supported through the RCUK Digital Economy Programme.