Cuneiform Tablets Micro-Surveying in an Optimized Photogrammetric Configuration

Abstract

In the current panorama of 3D digital documentation, the survey of tiny artifacts with micrometric details is strongly influenced by two factors: firstly, the still high cost of the instruments and technologies (active sensors) required to achieve the necessary level of accuracy and resolution; secondly, the needed professional skills for the macro-photogrammetric approach. In this context, this research aims to meet the demand for a digital survey and 3D representation of small objects with complex surfaces and sub-millimeter morphological characteristics using a low-cost configuration (passive sensors) for an image-based approach. The experiments concerned cuneiform tablets, which are challenging due to their morphological and geometrical characteristics. The digital replica of these unique artefacts can be helpful for their study and interpretation and many innovative applications: access and sharing, a collaborative interdisciplinary study among several experts, experimentation with machine learning for automatic character recognition, and linguistic studies. The micrometric surveying system described proves to be an efficient and reliable solution for cuneiform tablet digitization and documentation.