• New Technology for Imaging Unreadable Manuscripts and Other Artifacts

    Author(s):
    Todd Hanneken (see profile)
    Date:
    2016
    Group(s):
    Ancient Jew Review, Digital Humanists
    Subject(s):
    Multispectral imaging, Books, History, Manuscripts
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Reflectance Transformation Imaging, Texture Imaging, IIIF, History of the book, Manuscript studies, Scribal culture
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6G15T98J
    Abstract:
    In the twenty-first century advances in digital technology are propelling the study of ancient literature and scribal culture. This essay describes an integrated set of advances in image capture, processing, and dissemination that improves upon first-hand experience and harnesses the power of the web to connect people and data. Illegible manuscripts are an area of particular interest among all the cultural heritage artifacts that benefit from these advances. Spectral RTI makes it possible to distinguish letters and other evidence of use based on traces as subtle as the corrosion of parchment where ink had once been and the spectral signature of ink stains that cannot be distinguished by the human eye. WebGL and open standards are making it possible to link to interactive enhanced images from anywhere on the web, and to link from the images to annotations and tools for analysis. The essay proceeds in four sections. First, Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) makes it possible to capture and visualize fine texture in artifacts such as inscriptions, but at high resolution also the texture of parchment. Second, spectral imaging dramatically improves upon the spectral range and resolution of the human eye in seeing and distinguishing colors. Third, Spectral RTI combines the advantages of the first two technologies producing a result that is greater than the sum of its parts. Finally, open web standards open new doors for accessing, viewing, and annotating Spectral RTI images.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Book section     Show details
    Publisher:
    Brill
    Pub. Date:
    2016
    Book Title:
    Ancient Worlds in a Digital Culture
    Editor(s):
    Claire Clivaz, Paul Dilley, David Hamidović
    Page Range:
    180 - 195
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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