Thera Frescoes - Princeton University Computer Science€¦ · History I Aegean civilization:...
Transcript of Thera Frescoes - Princeton University Computer Science€¦ · History I Aegean civilization:...
Thera Frescoes
Benedict J. Brown
Princeton University
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
GeographyThera is a Greek island. The modern name is Santorini.
http://www.boutrostours.com/images/map-greece.gif
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
History
I Aegean civilization: before “ancient Greece”I Minoan age: c. 2000 BC – c. 1400 BC
I Named for King Minos of CreteI Centered on CreteI Bronze-age civilizationI Overseas trade with Cyprus, Egypt, Aegean IslandsI Pre-Indo-European: not Greek, alphabet undecipheredI Cycladic islands had distinct culture, infulenced by Crete and
Eastern civilizationsI Eventually conquered by Mycaeneans
I Sources:I Encyclopedia Brittancia: “Aegean Civilizations”I http://www.ancientgreece.com/history/history.htmI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History of Greece
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Eruption
Thera exploded about 1650 B.C.
http://www.mmtaylor.net/Holiday2000/Legends/Atlantis.html
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Eruption
Most of island and civilization destroyed
http://www.mmtaylor.net/Holiday2000/Legends/Atlantis.html
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Eruption
Explosion was bigger than Mt. St. Helens or Krakatoa
http://www.mmtaylor.net/Holiday2000/Legends/Atlantis.html
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Eruption
Source of Atlantis legend?
http://www.mmtaylor.net/Holiday2000/Legends/Atlantis.html
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Akrotiri
I Major excavation at AkrotiriI Well preserved by ash, like PompeiiI No bodies =⇒ time to evacuate island
Thera Foundation Thera Foundation
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Wall Paintings
I The most important finds are wall paintings
Saffron Gatherers - Thera Foundation
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Wall Paintings
I The most important finds are wall paintings
Spirals - David Dobkin
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Wall Paintings
I The most important finds are wall paintings
Thera Foundation
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Wall Paintings
I Shattered by eruption and earthquakes
Spirals - David Dobkin
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
FrescoPainting on plaster:I Basically invented by Minoans, used by Romans,
rediscovered during Italian Renaissance(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresco)
I Buon frescoI Pigment is applied to wet plasterI Highly durableI Pigment must be applied very quickly
I A seccoI Paint (pigment with binder) is applied to dry plasterI Much less durableI Useful for touching up after plaster has dried
I Thera wall paintings are mostly buon fresco, with some asecco elements
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Fragment Matching
I Archaeologists match based on edge fits (3-D)I PainstakingI Requires lots of handling of piecesI What about erosion?
I Many things we could matchI 2-D and 3-D edge profileI thicknessI paintingI plaster color/discolorationI proximity of findsI user annotationsI some of these have been explored some
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Painting TechniquesI Curves painted using stencils to allow fast painting on wet
plasterI Use curve fitting to identify stencils (Papaodysseus et al.)I Stencils are Ellipses, hyperbolae and linear spirals
Papaodysseus et al.
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Existing Matching WorkI 2-D Edge profileI Line widthsI Curve extension
Papaodysseus et al.
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Existing Matching WorkI 2-D Edge profileI Line widthsI Curve extension
Fragoulis et al.
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Existing Matching WorkI 2-D Edge profileI Line widthsI Curve extension
Papaodysseus et al.
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Other Tasks for ComputerI Archiving (annotated database)I Technical analysis (e.g. curve fitting)I Color restorationI Inpainting missing areasI Efficient distribution of work
David Dobkin
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
Scanning SetupI Assume frescoed face is flat, scan with flatbed scannerI Scan back with 3-D scanner for thickness and registrationI Scan sides with 3-D scanner for matching
Turntable
Flatbed Scanner
Fragment
Fragment3−D
Scanner
3−DScanner
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
3-D ScannerI Off-the-shelf, NextEngine scanner
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
3-D ScannerI Off-the-shelf, NextEngine scanner
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes
User Experience
I Archaeologist scans piece, and simultaneously entersinformation into db
I Virtual worktable for matching piecesI Ability to annotate pieces graphicallyI Distributed, multi-user, matching environment
Benedict J. Brown COS 598c — Thera Frescoes