SCOPUS 2017

Archeology
The mining shafts in the Timna Archaeological Park, which houses
the world’s oldest copper mine located in southern Israel, are
stocked with stories of intrigue. Dating back to the turn of the
first millennium BC, various nomadic populations, during the time of
Kings David and Solomon, exploited the mine and left their mark in
the form of elaborate rock engravings near the mining tunnels. The
mine has long offered a treasure trove of information to archeologists,
but a revolutionary technology at the Hebrew University’s Institute of
Archeology is bringing these dramatic images to life and giving new
insights in the lives of these ancient populations.
Researchers in the Institute’s Computerized Archeology Lab are
leading a hi-tech revolution that is transforming the study of ancient
artifacts. Notably, they are developing methods for the analysis of
3D models that are vastly increasing our knowledge of antiquity and
broadening the horizons of archeological research.
Vivid images from Timna, such as those depicted in the rock
engraving, “Chariots” which illustrates Egyptian chariots, groups of
local hunters and a variety of wild animals can now be examined from
the perspective of the carving tools used to create them as well as the
specific techniques and stylistic features of the engraving.
Led by Prof. Leore Grosman, the lab employs advanced scanning
machines and develops precise algorithms and efficient methods for
the documentation and measurement of artifacts and engravings.
These models allow researchers to measure more precisely a host
of important parameters that are crucial to our understanding of the
objects from ancient life.
The analysis of these digital models can determine an object’s
center of mass, volume, average angles, curvature, and even surface
roughness. They are replacing the less reliable manual measurements
that have traditionally been used to analyze artifacts.
TODAY, MOST ARCHEOLOGICAL
CENTERS IN ISRAEL USE THE HEBREW
UNIVERSITY’S TECHNIQUE, AS DO
UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE
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