A new paper has been published by our colleagues in the journal Cercetări Arheologice. Entitled “Virtual reconstruction and restoration of an uncommon bronze vessel from the Mălăiești Roman fort“, the paper discusses the differences and particularities of virtual reconstruction and virtual restoration with practical examples in the case of a rare military roman bronze vessel, found in the Mălăiești Roman fort. The paper also has a supplementary web page dedicated to all the research carried out for this object and also a section of virtual experience where the vessel can be interacted with in three different approaches.
Abstract
This paper details the preparation stages and processes for the digital documentation and virtual reconstruction and restoration hypotheses of a heavily damaged archaeological artefact. The presented workflow starts with the immediate actions after the artefact unearthing, going through physical restoration, 3D digitization, virtual restoration (including virtual anastylosis) and a virtual reconstruction hypothesis proposal for the initial shape and looks of the object as when it was created. The artefact subjected to this process is an uncommon bronze vessel found on the premises of the Roman fort from Mălăiești, Prahova County, Romania. The scientific data and archaeological research have already identified with accuracy its dating, chemical composition, and the most probable functionality. All this information was disseminated in a recent study. The authors also discuss the good practice models applied in both virtual and physical restoration and how the two fields intertwine. The digital results are also exhibited in a simple but effective narrative style in the online medium, accessible at https://cercetari-arheologice.ro/materials/ca29.1/malaiestiVessel/, designed for both public and expert scientific groups.