Unwrapping and visualizing cuneiform tablets

Abstract

Cuneiform inscriptions, which scholars consider the first written language, were made in moist, clay tablets. We've developed a semiautomatic method for concisely displaying the tablets' inscribed writing, thereby providing a clear visualization that can be printed on paper. We first scan the tablets with 3D range scanners and use the scan data to construct a high-resolution 3D model (at a resolution of 50 microns). Next, we unwrap and warp the tablet surface to form a set of flat rectangles, one per side or edge of the tablet. This process permits all the writing to be seen at once, although necessarily slightly distorted. Finally, we apply curvature coloring and accessibility coloring to the unwrapped text, thereby replacing raking illumination with a nonphotorealistic rendering technique.