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The Egyptian collection of the RMAH comprises about one hundred execration figurines made of unbaked clay, bearing curses written in hieratic script (a cursive writing system related to hieroglyphs) and dating to the Middle Kingdom (c. 1850 BC). These represent captured (foreign) enemies and were buried ritually in order to symbolically neutralise foreign and domestic enemies and general threats. Nearly 90 years after their discovery, the red and black pigments used to inscribe these four millennia old objects are now faded or damaged. The Execration texts on these figurines are regarded as one of the most renowned collections of written sources for ancient Near Eastern studies, Egyptian history and Biblical studies for the early 2nd millennium BCE. When it comes to documenting every characteristic of an object in a highly detailed way, clay artefacts inscribed with ink and other pigments, such as the aforementioned figurines, pose a particular challenge. These three-dimensional media with curved surfaces hold traces of writing that, in some cases, have faded or have disappeared completely. The study of these objects is generally hampered by their poor state of conservation, any handling can result in a considerable loss of material (and therefore also valuable information). The EES project aimed to develop new imaging techniques (using interactive 2D, 3D and multispectral images) that can improve the legibility of faded inscriptions and enhance the decorations on clay objects. Combining 3D digitisation and multispectral imaging in a userfriendly and transportable system, that is also manageable by curators, conservators, researchers and other stakeholders in the museum, is a truly pioneering project. It must facilitate the management of recorded collections and offer numerous possibilities for historical and art-technical studies on these objects, while the future handling is limited to a minimum, thus ensuring their sustainability. nrpages: 66 status: published

The Royal Museums of Art and History of Brussels (RMAH) boast a rich and world-renowned collection of glyptic material from the Ancient Near East. The collection consists of stamp and cylinder seals, seal impressions and sealings, originating from a broad range of cultures and dating from the beginning of their production down to the Roman period. They illustrate the entire historical development of a type of object that provides unique insights into the economic, cultural, enviromental and political history of a vast region. Over the years, many of these seals, seal impressions and sealings have been studied and published, but a comprehensive revision of the entire corpus imposed itself since long date. This contribution presents the first results of this scientific and museological exercise. ispartof: Bulletin van de Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis vol:83 pages:23-43 status: published

ispartof: Phoenix: Bulletin Uitgegeven door het Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Genootschap Ex Oriente Lux vol:59 issue:2 pages:67-78 status: published

This contribution presents insights into the ongoing evolution of new visualization techniques relevant for the fields of archaeology and, particularly, Assyriology. We focus on systems and methods facilitating the reading of texts and sealings impressed on clay tablets. Making high resolution 3D models of archaeological objects seems an attractive and fulfilling solution, but in most cases the acquisition of these models is complex and their manipulation is demanding for both computer and researcher. Research groups across the world are working on these issues. In the presented survey, special attention goes to the results developed by Ancient Near Eastern scholars and engineers of Leuven University - Belgium, who built a Portable Light Dome related to the PTM-technology, which supplies schol¬ars with so-called 2D+ images of digitally recorded objects. These virtual artifacts allow a detailed dynamic study of a wide variety of archaeological finds. For the field of cuneiform studies, the outcome is revolutionizing the approach how in a combined way the tablet, the text or any other kind of impressions on its surface can be visualized all together. The new visualization techniques present themselves as excellent digital safeguards and have proven to be high quality aids when used during a study process as well as for consultation after publication. ispartof: Akkadica vol:132 issue:2 pages:163-178 status: published