The image shows shelfs after shelfs of archaeological finds. Photo: Sebasitan Hageneuer
Archaeology

My trip to the Vorderasiatisches Museum

on
2024-03-01

So the VAM is the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin. I went to their archive to do some scanning and it was quite a sight. The archive definitely reminds me of the end scene of the first Indiana Jones film, although I couldn’t find the covenant…

Why was I there?

So, as part of my Garden Scene project, I want to collect more pieces of the puzzle. The garden scene isn’t the whole thing. It was part of a much larger composition and I am currently travelling around to find and scan more pieces. This week I was in Berlin and scanned two fragments of the whole composition. As I am writing this on my way back, I have not yet processed the images, but will do so soon.

The VAM has two pieces (at least what is known of them) of this larger composition. The first shows a flute player and the second two servants in front of a table. I scanned both pieces using different techniques.

How did I scan?

So, as usual, I started with good old Structure from Motion, which basically means I just took a lot of pictures. I brought my own lights this time as the lighting in the archive was not very good. The SfM models will help me to create 3D models quickly as it is quite straightforward. However, as a second method, I used a handheld 3D scanner to make precise scans of the objects. This scanner is quite new, so I still need to get used to it, but I think I have created some good 3D models.

Finally, I also did some RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging). This time I did not use our RTI domes, but created handheld RTI. It went quite well, except that due to the unfortunate lighting there were always some shadows on the object. Let’s hope that the bright flashlight of the RTI photography eliminates this somehow. Once set up, each scanning method was fairly fast.

What’s next?

As soon as I have the time, I will process this week’s images into 3D models and RTI images. The results will become part of my online publication (which is still in progress) and will allow the viewer to see all the known and reconstructed pieces in this larger relief of the North Palace in Nineveh.

My next trip will take me to Leiden in the Netherlands, where another piece is kept. This time it will be a beautiful and intricate tree that will form part of the larger relief. I should mention that I am able to do all this thanks to funding from the Fritz-Thyssen Foundation. I’ll let you know how it goes in Leiden!

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Sebastian Hageneuer
Germany

Hi! My name is Sebastian. I am an archaeologist, a university lecturer, freelancer, guitarist, and father. You could say I am quiet busy, so I learned to manage my time and energy to build good habits and still have space for myself and my family. Sounds difficult? Read here how I do it. (Nearly) Every Friday.

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