Using Technology to restore and preserve ancient Egyptian tombs: KV 17, Seti, New Kingdom
"Factum Arte produced a conservation facsimile of a section the tomb of Seti I from the Valley of Kings for the Desert Valley Project. The project had the support of both the Ministry of Culture of Egypt and the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Specific emphasis was placed on to installing into the facsimile sections of the tomb removed in the nineteenth century by the British, French, Americans and Italians."
KV17, the tomb of Seti I is the deepest and longest tomb yet found in the Valley of the Kings. It is also lushly decorated. Unfortunately the tomb has suffered considerable damage by early removal of reliefs, removal of ancient flood mitigation structures and squeezes: an early technique to create a 'copy' of paintings by literally transfering paint onto material by applying a sponge to the back to dissolve paint, which stripped the ancient surfaces.
Bats, birds, and insects also damage tomb surfaces, while millions of visitors literally 'love them to death' via contamination with sweat/oil or brushing up against them, and altering the humidity with their breath, causing salts to leech out of walls and push the painted surfaces away, while flash photography fades ancient pigments.
This article (click on the image to view) shows some of the different techniques used to scan, digitise and recreate the burial chamber of the tomb which was completed in 2009.
A replica of KV 62, Tutankhamun opened at Thebes in 2014.
Site preservation and education are important aspects of modern archaeology and Egyptology. Replica artefacts allow a wider audience who would not normally be able to access them (children, the elderly/disabled and those who cannot afford to travel) to view and learn about sites without damaging, vandalising or destroying them.
The process of copying also teaches us about the techniques and materials used in the original construction.
[original link broken]
Edit: updated for Blogger:
http://www.factumfoundation.org/pag/241/
"Factum Arte produced a conservation facsimile of a section the tomb of Seti I from the Valley of Kings for the Desert Valley Project. The project had the support of both the Ministry of Culture of Egypt and the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Specific emphasis was placed on to installing into the facsimile sections of the tomb removed in the nineteenth century by the British, French, Americans and Italians."
KV17, the tomb of Seti I is the deepest and longest tomb yet found in the Valley of the Kings. It is also lushly decorated. Unfortunately the tomb has suffered considerable damage by early removal of reliefs, removal of ancient flood mitigation structures and squeezes: an early technique to create a 'copy' of paintings by literally transfering paint onto material by applying a sponge to the back to dissolve paint, which stripped the ancient surfaces.
Bats, birds, and insects also damage tomb surfaces, while millions of visitors literally 'love them to death' via contamination with sweat/oil or brushing up against them, and altering the humidity with their breath, causing salts to leech out of walls and push the painted surfaces away, while flash photography fades ancient pigments.
This article (click on the image to view) shows some of the different techniques used to scan, digitise and recreate the burial chamber of the tomb which was completed in 2009.
A replica of KV 62, Tutankhamun opened at Thebes in 2014.
Site preservation and education are important aspects of modern archaeology and Egyptology. Replica artefacts allow a wider audience who would not normally be able to access them (children, the elderly/disabled and those who cannot afford to travel) to view and learn about sites without damaging, vandalising or destroying them.
The process of copying also teaches us about the techniques and materials used in the original construction.
[original link broken]
Edit: updated for Blogger:
http://www.factumfoundation.org/pag/241/
Factum Foundation :: Recording the tomb of Seti I
Over the course of a year, a Factum Arte team travelled three continents recording the tomb of Seti I, the most breathtaking and intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The chambers of the tomb were scanned and photographed in Luxor in May 2016.
Preservation is key so we can keep great works for a longer time. Great job on the sharing of article.
ReplyDeleteالاله اتوبيس حارس الجبانة يا سلام على الجمال
ReplyDeleteOld histories are cool. Good to know now.
ReplyDelete