Fixing Ancient Art with 3d Printing

Harvard’s Semitic Museum is using 3d printing to recreate sculptures shattered thousands of years ago.

Researchers scanned fragments of the statue by using photomodelling, then manually rearranged the resulting 3d models pieces into a full model. The missing pieces were then assembled using 3d printed pieces and pieces carved with a CNC router. The gap pieces were painted by hand and the full sculpture was reassembled. Assyrians had smashed the statues 3,000 years ago when they attacked the city of Nuzi, in what is now Iraq.

This is just one example of 3d scanning and 3d modeling revolutionizing archaeology. Researchers are scanning and printing ancient cuneiform tablets, recreating artifacts from the Forbidden City in China, 3d scanning mayan artifacts, ancient mayan ceramics, and Mayan temples. A huge number of projects are digitizing archaeological items and putting the scans online. Creators have been remixing the scans and creating new products with historical elements.