POLYNOMIAL TEXTURE MAPPING AND RELATED IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE RECORDING, ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIALS

Abstract

Polynomial Texture Mapping (Malzbender et al., 2000, 2001) uses multiple images to capture the reflectance properties of a given surface. Multiple captures may be combined in order to produce interactive, relit records of the material sampled. Cultural heritage examples of the technology include work on cuneiform tablets, numismatic archives and lithic artefacts. This paper introduces the PTM data capture and processing technologies available for artefact recording, and the perceived archaeological potential of additional methods to supplement the standard PTM datasets. Case studies in the use of PTM include ongoing work on stylus writing tablets, medieval wood, excavated material from the site of Portus (www.portusproject.org) and medieval ceramics. Each of these presents particular challenge for recording, analysis and presentation. The paper also identifies the synergies between PTM, related imaging technologies, photogrammetry and non-contact digitisation through case studies on Libyan rock art and on a Roman polychrome statue. It identifies ongoing challenges and proposed future developments.