Friday, 8 January 2016

Saving The Planet - Brick By Brick

Those barbarians and savages who the IS regime represent, may think that the destruction of all art which is either pre-Islamic e.g. Babylonian, or 'non Islamic' e.g. Shia tombs, which they have carried out across those areas of the globe that they control, is the final statement on the matter. Indeed in some sort of weird way, they may believe that this destruction helps herald in the new, pure caliphate that they claim is their aim.

However like all barbarians from both the past and present, they are unable to create, and are not able to comprehend how to create. So, they would be surprised to know that science and art are combining to recreate, that which they have smashed.

Incredibly clever use of computers, and the algorithms that decipher images from photographs and videos, are enabling "cyber-archaeologists" to recreate that which has been destroyed. Initially these recreations are only holographic images and projections, but the use of the evermore sophisticated 3D printers, raise the possibility of digitally accurate reconstructions being created in the near future.

Photogrammetry Recreating That Which Was Lost ......

The work is being performed by an EU-funded project set up to apply new technology to cultural heritage issues, and uses Photogrammetry which is a popular technique in modern cultural heritage projects. It uses software to turn multiple 2D photographs of a single object, into 3D images. They have asked anyone who has images of the objects that were destroyed to send them to them, and by scanning them into the software they build evermore precise images .... to the extent that cuneiform can be read on some of the holographs.

Whilst the final results currently don't match what scientists could have achieved if they had scanned the artefacts with specialist equipment, the techniques are rapidly improving and are far better than might have been done in the past.

Nirgul Tablet ~ Mosul ~  Goddess of Hatra ...digitalised

So far the images recreated are few, but enough to prove that the terrorists are not going have the final say on anything .... score one for civilisation.

2 comments:

  1. Daesh are creating their own chapters in the history books as destructive, immoral barbarians and they are bolstering the points in religion's negative column which already outweigh the positives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well certainly in that religions debit column.

      Delete

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