Shedding light on pre-Columbian crania collections through state-of-the-art 3D scanning techniques

Abstract

<p class="VARAbstract">During the 19<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> centuries, numerous museums, scientific societies, and royal academies were founded in Europe and America. In this scenario, the Anthropological Museum Montané was founded in Havana, Cuba. Its collection has grown over the years, thanks to researchers, antiquarians, and amateurs. Since its foundation, the Museum Montané has become an essential institution for anthropological and archaeological research in the region. Nowadays, the Museum Montané, like other museums in developing countries, faces a challenge in the introduction of state-of-the-art technologies to digitizing exhibits and the creation of innovative projects to attract visitors. The current possibilities of virtualization of cultural heritage using digital technologies have a favorable impact on the preservation, access, and management of museum collections. The use of three-dimensional (3D) models fosters engagement with visitors, stimulates new forms of learning, and revalorizes the exhibits. In the current study, we use a hand-held structured light scanner to create 3D reality-based models of pre-Columbian crania from the Caribbean and South American collection of the Anthropological Museum Montané. The resulting 3D models were used for producing 3D printing replicas and animated videos. The 3D resources derived will encourage new knowledge through research, and provide broader access to these pre-Columbian crania collection through learning and outreach activities. The significance of digitizing these specimens goes beyond the creation of 3D models. It means protecting these fragile and valuable collections for future generations. The methodology and results reported here can be used in other museums with similar collections to digitally document, study, protect, and disseminate the archaeological heritage. Going forward, we seek to continue exploring the application of novel methods and digital techniques to the study of the pre-Columbian crania collections in Latin American and the Caribbean area.</p><p class="VARAbstractHeader">Highlights:</p><ul><li><p>A hand-held structured light scanner was used to acquire 3D reality-based models of pre-Columbian crania. The 3D models resulting were used for 3D printing replicas and 3D animations.</p></li><li><p>This study provides unprecedented 3D reconstructions of pre-Columbian crania in the Caribbean area, and new 3D reconstructions of artificially deformed crania from South America.</p></li><li><p>The 3D resources created will encourage new knowledge through research, and provide broader access to these pre-Columbian crania collection through learning and outreach activities.</p></li></ul>

Pampean megamammals in Europe: the fossil collections from Santiago Roth

“…As previously done in small and large museums worldwide (Erolin et al, 2017 ; Rangel-de Lázaro et al, 2021 ; Younan & Treadaway, 2015 ; see also Kerber, 2023 ; Püschel & Martinelli, 2023 ), the 3D scanners used proved to be a fast method that allowed us to reach adequate results in detail and accuracy. The acquisition and post-processing methodology followed allowed us to create a reality-based 3D data set reproducing the geometry and textures of the original specimens.…”

Crania Canaria 2.0: construyendo una colección virtual de cráneos

“…Massive digital projects can be accessed online: regarding cultural heritage of the world (https://www.cyark.org/), museum content of Europe (3D-ICONS, Barsanti & Guidi, 2013), or the large collections hosted at the 3D Smithsonian Institute (https://3d.si.edu/?utm_source=siedu&utm_medium=refe rral&utm_campaign=promo). In addition, we can find similar digitalisation projects aiming to grant access to small collections and/or museums (Erolin et al, 2017;Rangel-de Lázaro et al, 2021) and to create teaching/learning environments (Serrano-Ramos et al 2016). And although there can be a conflict of interest between open-access data and data curator which restrains its access (as debated in Hublin, 2013), even 3D open-access data is increasingly available for scientific research, for example at the MPI-EVA Human Evolution Microtomographic Archive (http://paleo.eva.mpg.de/), now being part of a newly expanded site (https://human-fossil-record.org/).…”

“…Reinoso et al, 2020). Likewise, digitalisation allows us to transcend accessibility restrictions and overcomes the difficulty of interaction with the artefact that may be due to fragility, uniqueness, lack of physical space for exhibition (Kyriakou & Heremon, 2018) and problems relating to grant access for small collections and/or museums (Erolin, Jarron & Csetenyi, 2017;Rangel-de Lázaro, Martínez-Fernández, Rangel-Rivero, Benito-Calvo, 2021). In addition, we can create virtual teaching/learning environments (e.g.…”

Rangel Rivero A., Vázquez Sánchez, V. 2021 (Eds.). Antropología biológica aplicada en Cuba. La Habana: Editorial UH, 263 p.

“…Este aporte brinda cierto balance al volumen, pues representa el quehacer de los investigadores de la Universidad de Santiago de Cuba. En concordancia con el incremento del uso de técnicas digitales en la arqueología cubana (i.e., Rangel de Lázaro et al, 2021;Grau et al, 2021), uno de los apartados resalta el potencial de la reconstrucción 3D y la morfometría geométrica, en el estudio y preservación del patrimonio arqueológico. Con la utilización de esta última técnica, el capítulo de los autores Naila García, Carlos Arredondo y Carlos Alberto Mancina, se suma a los esfuerzos de otras investigaciones precedentes para explorar la variabilidad en la forma y tamaño del cráneo de aborígenes de Cuba.…”