Meet and Greet: Doing RTI in Austria
Last week I went to another project meeting in Bregenz, Austria. I was there to collect some more data for the Meet and Greet project I am currently involved in. This time I scanned a bunch of animal bones from excavations in Austria to evaluate the benefits of Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI). The results are not in yet, but it has been a fun experience.
What did I do?
So part of the project is to look at animal bones. These bones are discarded after the animal has been slaughtered for food. However, these bones are not waste as they show clear signs of cutting and chopping. Most of these marks are visible to the naked eye, but some are very subtle and require further investigation. This is where RTI comes in.
As I have written before, RTI is perfect for making small things visible, and that is what we tried to do here. Together with the researcher in charge, Benjamin Siechert, I scanned interesting parts of these bones with our RTI domes. I brought both domes (100cm and 50cm in diameter) and a camera with a 50mm and a 105mm lens. With this equipment, I was able to take a wide range of photographs.
Why did I scan bones?
As I said, the markings on the bones are interesting, and as I am always trying to find new material on which to test the RTI technology, bones were a very interesting subject. One of my goals as a researcher is to use this technology more and find ways to improve it. I am always in need of data and I am always happy when researchers share their material with me.
What to expect from the scans?
I am not really sure. The photos look pretty good, but it all depends on the RTI images (which have to be post-processed first) and whether the specialist (Benjamin) can do more with RTI than without. For me personally, it is interesting to see the limitations of my equipment and how I can improve it for further research. For example, I am thinking of making an even smaller dome for micro-RTI, which might have come in handy this time. Let’s just say it’s a journey.
By the way, if you are reading this and have some interesting archaeological or historical material for me to scan, I might be interested. Just let me know via the Contact Form.
