Impression casts from cuneiform tablets and seals

Heather Richardson <heather.richardson [at] prm__ox__ac__uk> writes

>As a University museum with a heavily researched collection we are
>occasionally asked by researchers if they can take impression casts
>from objects such as cuneiform tablets or stone seals. ...
>
>... We would be very interested to hear from any museum
>colleagues regarding the policy of their institutions on this
>subject and also suggestions of a casting material they would feel
>confident in recommending.

There's simply no need any longer for impression casts, so why take
the risks? The group of Gert von Bally (University of Muenster,
Germany) has shown in the 1990's that holograms can be produced from
cuneiform tablets with mobile cameras with high resolution. These
can replace the original for study and can easily be archived and
copied. Google will lead you to references.

Gerhard Eggert
State Academy of Art and Design
Objects Conservation
Am Weissenhof 1
D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:46
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