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The Future - Digital Epigraphy |
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 Digital epigraphy substitutes computers for pen and ink (image courtesy GRACO, University of Quebec, Montreal) |
Most recently, our recording methods have begun to make a quantum leap forward with the first experiments in "digital epigraphy." The Hypostyle Hall Project has undertaken a joint research program with the Group for Computer Aided Research in Architecture of the Université de Montréal, Canada. The goal is to streamline the epigraphic process, allowing accurate facsimile drawings to be produced more quickly and to integrate architectural and epigraphic research by creating a 3D computer model of the Hypostyle Hall's architecture and integrate a digitized record of the reliefs and inscriptions. Most promising are computer aided techniques for recording curved and irregular surfaces, such as the huge columns, which are very challenging for traditional epigraphic methods that rely on photographs taken at 90 degree angles or on 1:1 tracings on clear plastic sheets.
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