Friday, 29 March 2024 PL EN | |

 

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muzarp@man.poznan.pl

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Become a rock art researcher!

Become a rock art researcher!


Dear Visitor, in our museum you can find small rocks brought from Sudan, which are covered with engravings created thousands of years ago. If you cannot visit us today, nothing is lost! We give you a unique opportunity to see them here:

 

Stone no 1

 

Stone no 2

 

Stone  no 3

Stone no 2 (colour change)

   
   

You can look at these objects in such a way as if you were holding a real artefact in your hands. How is it possible?

What are the RTI images?

You can see the effect of our use of a special documentation technique mysteriously called RTI. In a nutshell, it consists in taking a set of photographs with a fixed camera under varying lighting conditions. On each of the photos taken, the flash sheds light on the documented artefact from a different direction. In the result, we get a “model” that can be virtually illuminated from any side, as if we were using a flashlight for this purpose. 

How does this differ from ordinary photography?

The difference is enormous! Rock engravings in our museum are extremely interesting, although sometimes difficult to read. It is all because these representations have been gradually destroyed over thousands of years and have been covered with a dark coating (so-called rock or desert varnish) of almost the same colour as the rest of the stones. Since the engravings are quite shallow, it is not always easy to see them – you just need light shed at the right angle. As you will soon find out, you can throw such a light yourself, using only a computer mouse. 

What do the engravings on rocks represent? 

Well, in order not to spoil your fun, we will not precisely describe our stones. But you can expect to see animals and people on them. One of the rocks shows something that even we cannot recognise. Thus, we may have photographed this object upside down or from the side. So if you have any idea of what ROCK 3 may show, do not hesitate to tell us about it!