Uffizi, Indiana University Make Digital Copies of Sculptures

Uffizi, Indiana University Make Digital Copies of Sculptures

Time, acts of war and natural disasters can damage and destroy the world’s artistic¹ and cultural objects.

More than 1,000 years ago, fire destroyed the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. In 1755, an earthquake destroyed Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, along with artwork inside.

In modern times, the Taliban used explosives to destroy the huge Bamiyan Buddhas² in Afghanistan. And, even more recently, the Islamic State group purposely destroyed much of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra..

Museums store evidence of culture and history as well as exhibit great works. A major goal of most museums is to ensure that important historical objects do not disappear forever.

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, holds 1,250 ancient pieces of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. These objects have inspired artists, historians and anthropologists for many years. So the museum is working to create a complete and permanent record of the artworks.

Survival of shared heritage

The project is a joint⁴ effort between the museum and scientists from Indiana University in the United States. The team is using low-cost technology to create digital copies of Uffizi’s ancient sculptures.

?The process is called “photogrammetry.” It stores the art in digital form. At one time, this process was slow and costly⁵. But not anymore said IU professor Robert Frischer on Skype. He said photogrammetry is now less costly and much faster."

“Now we can gather the 3-D data on a life-size statue in the matter of a half hour and we can process the data ... in a matter of a half hour to a couple of hours.”

The images permit the viewer to examine the sculpture from all sides. And when the viewer zooms⁶ in, the image becomes clearer.

The Uffizi hopes to have the collection completed and available on the Internet by 2020.

Words in This Story

inspire - v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create?

anthropologist³ - n. a person who studies human races, origins, societies, and cultures?

digital - adj. using or characterized by computer technology?

photogrammetry -? n.

3-D -? adj. appearing to be three-dimensional?

zooms in -? v. adjusting an image so it appears bigger and closer to the viewer

1 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

2 Buddhas   

n.佛，佛陀，佛像( Buddha的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She called on spirits and Buddhas and made innumerable vows, all to no avail. 她把一切的神佛都喊到了，并且许下多少誓愿，都没有用。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Tibetans identification with the political role of Living Buddhas is declining. 藏新政权的政治舞台中活佛的政治角色处于边缘。 来自互联网

3 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 zooms   

n.嗡嗡声( zoom的名词复数 )；隆隆声；（车辆等）疾驰的声音；变焦

参考例句：

• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 m.p.h. 从你口中打出的喷嚏速度可达每小时600里。 来自互联网
• When the camera zooms in, the whole world watches out. 当镜头对准（汶川），全世界都在关注。 来自互联网