ZEDIKUM digitisation project on Berlin's Museum Island: archaeological objects in 3D
Press release from 05/19/2016
The German Centre for Digital Cultural Assets in Museums (ZEDIKUM) has firmly established itself on Berlin's Museum Island in the first six months of its existence. The interdisciplinary research and service facility, which is based at the Museum of the Ancient Near East of the National Museums in Berlin - Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and funded by the Minister of State for Culture, Monika Grütters, makes it possible to digitise objects from all archaeological museums on the "island" in 3D, document them, make them scientifically accessible and make them available to a wide range of interested parties.
More than one million archaeological objects from twelve millennia are stored on the Museum Island. This globally unique collection is one of the largest repositories of cultural artefacts in the world. Using a so-called stripe light scanner, archaeological objects up to one metre in size can be captured, stored and made accessible to researchers worldwide. At the same time, this also enables completely new forms of communication in museums. This will be particularly relevant for the new concept and redesign of the permanent exhibition of the Museum of the Ancient Near East in the Pergamon Museum, which will be completed in 2025. Virtual reality elements are to be integrated to enhance visitors' imagination and make the unique collections accessible to younger target groups in particular. The museum's 600,000 or so artefacts, which originate from excavations in Syria and Iraq and were brought to Berlin through the division of finds, provide a wide range of insights into the history and culture of ancient oriental societies.
SPK President Hermann Parzinger drew a positive balance of the first months of ZEDIKUM: "This centre is leading museum research into the 21st century. Not only are we able to capture objects, we can also recognise them much better. In 3D, for example, scroll seals or cuneiform tablets are much easier to read, and at the same time the materiality can be precisely determined. This is important, for example, when dealing with artefacts that could originate from looted excavations or illegal trade. The scanning process makes it possible to distinguish very precisely between originals and forgeries. At the same time, the process is also suitable for use in crisis areas such as Syria and Iraq, where cultural artefacts are under threat. And there is another wonderful aspect: the process can also be used to expand our merchandising programme."
According to Markus Hilgert, Director of the Vorderasiatisches Museum of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, who is leading the project, ZEDIKUM is about establishing a national competence centre for digital cultural heritage research: "By generating and processing 3D object data, we want to put research practice with archaeological objects on a new footing, especially in museums. We are not only interested in the 3D digital documentation of objects, but also in the development of innovative tools for object-based, digital cultural heritage research. This will also benefit our museum visitors, who will soon be able to experience the worlds of antiquity in a digitally supported presentation."