Scanners and 3D printing enlarge our knowledge of the past and make up our archaeology of the future.
What if archaeologists cannot work on location, because of war or conflict, and the artifacts have been stolen or the archaeological site demolished? Syrian cultural heritage has been under attack for more than seven years now. Archaeologists team up with engineers in the Scanning for Syria project to look for ways to digital preserve damaged and lost cultural heritage.
The symposium will be followed by the opening of the pop-up exhibition Scanning for Syria and close with a reception. The exhibition will inform the public on recent advances in innovative methods for artefact reproduction. It will draw attention to ongoing initiatives to safeguard important Syrian archaeological heritage, taking as example the remains uncovered by Leiden archaeologists at the Tell Sabi Abyad site from 1996 till the start of the war in Syria.
The symposium and exhibition are organized jointly by TU Delft and its Leiden based-partners: the Faculty of Archaeology, the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Global Heritage and Development, and the National Museum of Antiquities. They take place within the framework of a KIEM-Creative Industry project.
Image: Peter Akkermans studying two clay tablets found at Tell Sabi Abyad
