Digital Modelling in Museum and Private Collections: A Case Study on Early Italic Armour

Abstract

Public, and particularly museum-based, collections provide invaluable opportunities for analysis. The objects in these collections typically offer relatively complete examples which often become reference points for newly excavated material or analyses. However, aside from issues of provenance and occasionally authenticity, one of the biggest challenges with the analysis of objects in museum collections is, perhaps ironically, their public and collection-based context. Objects on display are often only directly analysed immediately following their initial discovery and are then increasingly restricted for direct analysis (e.g. placed behind glass, displayed in such a way that their removal is difficult, etc.). Although visible to millions, once in a collection the level of analysis possible is often limited and superficial. In this paper we discuss the analysis of three collections of ancient Italian armour now housed in collections, both public and private. We examine some of the ethical considerations when looking at such collections. We also discuss the issues faced when analysing and making digital models of objects, which are used to explore the nature and importance of military equipment in Italy during the first millennium BCE. In addition, we argue that, although famous, many of the pieces held in collections are currently being underutilized in studies of the ancient world. We suggest digitization, even when conducted quickly, can help to unlock more information from previously excavated and analysed items and we highlight the pros and cons of various techniques when working in museum-based contexts.

Depth and Dimension: Exploring the Problems and Potential of Photogrammetric Models for Ancient Coins

“…The 3D models were constructed using Agisoft Metashape 1.8.3 with a method adapted from Emmitt, Mackrell and Armstrong (2021). For each coin, the photos were imported and subsequently aligned with the quality at 'high' and the tie points were then edited.…”

“…The challenging and varied shape of the coins, as well as issues surrounding reflectance, required a similar but ultimately unique methodology compared to those undertaken by the team on other artefact types in past studies on 3D modelling (Emmitt, Mackrell and Armstrong 2021;. Coins pose several optical challenges compared to other artefacts.…”

Digitally Restoring Artefacts Using 3D Modelling Techniques for Immersive Learning Opportunities

“…Often, projects make use of a mix of scanning technologies, depending on the object being scanned, and the intended use of the digital model. Textures obtained from photogrammetry could also be laid over more detailed point clouds obtained through LiDAR scanning [17].…”

A Comparison of Volumetric Reconstruction Methods of Archaeological Deposits Using Point-Cloud Data from Ahuahu, Aotearoa New Zealand

“…This technique utilizes multiple photographs around a common object or feature to create a 3D point cloud, which can consist of thousands or hundreds of millions of points [24]. Both objects [1,4] and features [25,26] are frequently digitized in this way, and photogrammetry is applied to excavations as well as wider built and natural landscape contexts [27][28][29][30]. These data are most commonly employed as aids for interpretation or for visualization as 2.5D objects, which is an otherwise 2D dataset that is represented as a 3D model, although some work has been done on making 3D volumes from the data (e.g., [31]).…”

“…Three-dimensional recording in archaeology is an increasingly applied and accessible methodology. The reduction in costs of specialized equipment and computing power, in addition to simplified workflows, has meant that such recording methods can be applied in a wide range of contexts (e.g., [1][2][3][4][5]). Volumetric calculations are one of the goals of 3D recording, the ability to digitally define the volume that is being investigated, whether it be a sedimentary deposit or an architectural wall [6,7].…”