Iraq's Ancient Tablets Get Virtual Makeover

May 30, 2008

A technology normally used in reconstructive surgery to create prosthetic limbs is now being applied to create reproductions of Iraq's precious and fragile cuneiform clay tablets.

Sponsored by the Italian ministry of Foreign Affairs, the innovative project involves rapid prototyping. Using a previously built 3D model, the technology builds up layers of thermoplastic material and creates a perfect replica of the original.

Here is the full story and here is my video at the Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA), where the process is tested.