Reverse-Engineering History: Re-presenting the Chichester Tablet Using Laser Scanning and 3D Printing

Abstract

3D digitization methods have become essential tools in cultural heritage practice. Methods like laser scanning and photogrammetry are being widely applied for the conservation of priceless objects and for enabling audience engagement with history. Such data have value as a new wave of multisensory museum practice ripples through the sector and could provide a perfect use for the enormous corpus of 3D data in cultural heritage. This paper documents such an application, where laser scanning has been used in conjunction with 3D printing to re-present the Chichester Roman tablet, an object of key importance in early Romano-British history, to new audiences. It details the process used to digitize the tablet and recreate different versions of its missing text and its state of preservation. It describes how such data can play a role beyond just documentation. Discussed is how such approaches enrich families' engagement in cultural heritage and how such material can used as didactic material in higher education.