More Than Just Documenting the Past: 15 Years of 3D Scanning at the Archaeological Heritage Office of Saxony

The 3D find documentation has been an essential part of the Archaeological Heritage Office of Saxony since 2005. The great effectiveness, the considerable gains in accuracy and the consistently high quality of the data have established the 3D laboratory as a centre of expertise. Using the three close-range scanners, over 24,000 objects had been scanned and documented by mid-2020. Various projects, such as the excavation of the Neolithic well at Altscherbitz, the DFG project ‘Automated Classification’ and the international, EU-funded projects on medieval mining in the Erzgebirge, clearly show the advantages of the high-resolution digitisation of archaeological finds. In addition to standard applications, industrial methods are being used to address research questions in archaeology and conservation. For example, dimensional changes during the conservation of waterlogged wooden finds are monitored by multiple scans and wear-and-tear traces are detected and examined. Furthermore, the 3D data are employed in the important area of knowledge transfer in exhibitions and public relations. With the help of common rendered graphics, animations, 3D printing and VR/AR applications, the research results and knowledge thus acquired are presented. With the publication of the Internet portal Archaeo | 3D, a platform has been created to present the 3D data from the last 15 years to both professionals and interested members of the public.