[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/ Skip to main content
Log in

A novel framework for 3D reconstruction and analysis of ancient inscriptions

  • Short Paper
  • Published:
Machine Vision and Applications Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Studying ancient inscriptions is based up to date mostly on observation and manual analysis by means of which epigraphists attempt to establish a geographical and chronological classification as well as to analyze the lettering techniques. In this paper we propose a novel framework for efficient 3D reconstruction of inscriptions and for statistical analysis of their reconstructed surfaces. The proposed framework employs a shape-from-shading technique to reconstruct in 3D the shape of the inscribed surfaces. The obtained surfaces are segmented into smaller box-shaped regions containing single letters. These letters are classified into groups of same characters or symbols and then an atlas (average) letter shape is created for each character. For the construction of those atlases we employ a functional minimization method that registers the surfaces of same letters to the unknown average surface, which is also estimated simultaneously. Using the estimated atlases, an automated analysis of the inscribed letters is performed. This framework can be effectively used for the study of the variations of the lettering techniques within an inscription or a set of inscriptions. We applied our framework to five ancient Greek inscriptions. Our results are reported in detail and the variations found in lettering techniques are commented on by archaeologists who also validate the accuracy of our proposed method.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
£29.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Basri R., Jacobs D.: Lambertian reflectance and linear subspaces. PAMI 25(2), 218–233 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Basser P.J., Mattiello J., Lebihan D.: Estimation of the effective self-diffusion tensor from the NMR spin echo. J. Magn. Reson. B 103, 247–254 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Beck C.W.: Synthetic elastomers in epigraphy. Archaeol. Inst. Am. 67, 413–416 (1963)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bozia E., Sangco G., Wagman R.S.: A new dedication by Diogenes and other unpublished inscriptions from Epidauros. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 160, 120–122 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cornelis, K., Pollefeys, M., Vergauwen, M., Van Gool, L.J.: Augmented reality using uncalibrated video sequences. In: SMILE, pp. 144–160 (2000)

  6. Duda R.O., Hart P.E., Stork D.G.: Pattern Classification. Wiley, New York (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Ercil, A.: Solving the 2D puzzle problem for automated reconstruction of archeological findings. In Proceedings of SIU, pp. 164–167 (2003)

  8. Foo, S.C.: A gonioreflectometer for measuring the bidirectional reflectance of material for use in illumination computation. Master’s thesis, Program of Computer Graphics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (1997)

  9. Gil-Garcia, R.J., Badia-Contelles, J.M., Pons-Porrata, A.: A general framework for agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithms. Pattern Recognition, 2006. 18th International Conference on ICPR 2006, vol. 2, pp. 569–572 (2006)

  10. Horn B.K.P.: Robot Vision. McGraw Hill, New York (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hughes D.D.: A heroizing gravestone from Thera. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 133, 122 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ikeuchi, K., Nishino, K., Nakazawa A.: Towards the digital archive of cultural heritagepreservation and restoration of ancestral assets through observation. In: The 8th International Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia (2002)

  13. Joshi S., Davis B., Jomier M., Gerig G.: Unbiased diffeomorphic atlas construction for computational anatomy. NeuroImage 23(1), 151–160 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Landon G.V., Seales W.B.: Petroglyph digitization: enabling cultural heritage scholarship. Mach. Vis. Appl. 17, 361–371 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Levoy, M., et al.: The digital Michelangelo project: 3D scanning of large statues. In: Proceedings SIGGRAPH (2000)

  16. Malzbender, T., Gelb, D., Wolters, H.: Polynomial texture maps. In: Computer Graphics, Proceedings of ACM Siggraph (2001)

  17. Mennella G.: Una nuova dedica a Maioriano e un probabile corrector Lucaniae et Brittii nel 459. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 133, 237–242 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Pollefeys, M., Van Gool, L.J., Akkermans, I., De Becker, D., Demuynck, K.: A guided tour to virtual Sagalassos. In: VAST ’01: Proceedings of the 2001 Conference on Virtual Reality, Archeology, and Cultural Heritage, pp. 213–218 (2001)

  19. Pollefeys, M., Van Gool, L.J., Vergauwen, M., Cornelis, K., Verbiest, F., Tops, J.: Image-based 3D acquisition of archaeological heritage and applications. In: VAST ’01: Proceedings of the 2001 Conference on Virtual Reality, Archeology, and Cultural Heritage, pp. 255–262 (2001)

  20. Pritchett W.K.: Photographs of the Choiseul marble. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 41, 149 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Shao, W., Terzopoulos, D.: Populating reconstructed archaeological sites with autonomous virtual humans. In: Intelligent Virtual Agents, pp. 420–433 (2006)

  22. Shashua A.: On photometric issues in 3D visual recognition from a single 2D image. IJCV 21(1–2), 99–122 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Stejskal E.O., Tanner J.E.: Spin diffusion measurements: spin echoes in the presence of a time-dependent field gradient. J. Chem. Phys. 42(1), 288–292 (1965)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Vanderpool E., Wallace W.P.: The sixth century laws from eretria. Hesperia 33(4), 381–391 (1964)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Wagman R.S.: Inni di Epidauro. Biblioteca di Studi Antichi, Pisa (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Wang, H., Li, S., Wang, Y., Zhang, J.: Self quotient image for face recognition. In: ICIP, vol. II, pp. 1397–1400 (2004)

  27. Woodhead A.G.: The Study of Greek Inscriptions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1967)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angelos Barmpoutis.

Additional information

This research was in part funded by the Gerondelis Foundation Inc. grant to EB and the University of Florida Alumni Fellowship to AB.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barmpoutis, A., Bozia, E. & Wagman, R.S. A novel framework for 3D reconstruction and analysis of ancient inscriptions. Machine Vision and Applications 21, 989–998 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00138-009-0198-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00138-009-0198-7

Keywords

Navigation