At the Tecnopolo in Piacenza, a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus was scanned by a robot to map its surface, better understand its state of deterioration, study it in detail and even replicate it using 3D mapping. All without touching it and therefore without compromising its fragile structure: an interesting frontier for archaeological research. The information and communication agency of the regional council gave the news.
How does scanning work? The computer rotates around the object in 360 degrees, photographing it with a camera and detecting its surface without coming into contact with it. The high-precision geometry of the sarcophagus is thus obtained, a “point cloud”, which consists of 3D digital mapping.
The advantages of this operation are many: it provides precise information on the state of conservation (data that can be used to create supports for exhibitions or for transport), it allows a comparison with other finds of the same kind for a more in-depth understanding of the construction techniques , and finally makes it possible to create a replica of the artifact.
The sarcophagus comes from Luxor, dates back to 900-800 BC and belongs to Ankhekhonsu, priest of Amon and scribe. It was donated in 1885 to the city of Bergamo by Giovanni Venanzi, consul of Italy in Alexandria in Egypt. Kept in the archaeological museum of the Lombard city, it arrived in Piacenza on the occasion of the exhibition Egypt Unveiled, just completed at the Gothic Palace in Piacenza. The sarcophagus was scanned thanks to a joint action between the Municipality of Piacenza, the European Institute of Restoration and the Musp Consortium (Machine tools and production systems).