Archaeologists have the formidable task of protecting cultural heritage and enhancing their knowledge of history. They need to know how it was built and how it was used.
Excavations are underway in the Swedish city of Gothenburg for a major infrastructure project. During the excavation, crews discovered three wooden shipwrecks dating from the 16th century. Because preserving wood exposed to the ground would be costly and complex, they decided to record everything digitally. The archaeological team chose to use 3D scanning to scan every piece of wood they found in the excavation pit.
Non-contact 3D scanners can efficiently scan rare objects and artifacts and create digital 3D models. Scanning provides the ideal quality and precision for staff to study, recover or copy objects and artifacts and classify them into catalogs, repositories, and databases. This makes it easier for research teams to share their findings with peers.
The archaeological team in charge of the wreck contacted Creaform's dealer to find out what kind of 3D scanning system would work for them. The team eventually decided to use a portable 3D scanner recommended by the dealer, Go! SCAN SPARK. The scanner impressed the team with its data quality, speed and versatility and was an indispensable tool.
The archaeological team decided to use Go! SCAN SPARK is used to record information about each piece of wood (about 500 pieces). What they ended up with was a fully pieced 3D model of the wreck that could provide information about where the ship was built, what it was used for and how it used to sail.
