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THE OSIRIS PROJECT 
(OPTICAL SYSTEMS FOR INTERFEROMETRIC-PHOTOGRAMMETRIC RELIEF 
INVESTIGATION AND SCANNING). 
DEVELOPMENT OF A DEVICE FOR 3D NUMERICAL RECORDING OF 
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND EPIGRAPHIC DOCUMENTS 
BY OPTOELECTRONIC PROCESSES 
D. Laboury 3 , Y. Renotte b , B. Tilkens b , M. Dominique 15 , R. Billen c , Y. Cornet' 
a Egyptological Dept, and Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeometry of the University of Liège (ICAUL), University of Liège, 
13, route de Marche, B - 4190 Xhoris, D.Laboury@ulg.ac.be 
h Hololab, Dept, of Physics, and ICAUL, University of Liège, allée du 6 Août, 17, B-4000 Liège, (y.renotte, B.Tilkens, 
M.Dominique)@ulg. ac.be 
c Dept, of Geomatics and ICAUL, University of Liège, allée du 6 Août, 17, B-4000 Liège, (Roland.Billen, ycomet)@ulg.ac.be 
KEYWORDS: Archaeology, Optical Engineering, Metrology, Moiré, Photogrammetry 
ABSTRACT: 
Archaeology is permanently confronted with the problem of recording the objects of its study, since excavated relics of the Past are 
always exposed to a progressive and often irremediable process of defacement, and, finally, of annihilation. In order to find a solution 
to this very important and still unresolved problem, the OSIRIS project aims to develop one or several devices that allow by 
optoelectronic processes an accurate, quick and easy to use recording, dedicated to the specific and very demanding needs of 
Archaeology. 
RÉSUMÉ: 
L'Archéologie est continuellement confrontée au problème du relevé des objets de son étude, de par les altérations qu'implique 
nécessairement, et souvent irrémédiablement, la mise au jour des vestiges enfouis du passé. Afin d'apporter une réponse à ce 
problème crucial, qui n'a pas encore trouvé de solution idéale à ce jour, le présent projet se propose de développer une ou plusieurs 
techniques de relevé opto-électronique qui permettent un enregistrement précis, rapide et souple d'emploi, appliqué aux besoins 
spécifiques et particulièrement exigeants de l'étude archéologique. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Archaeology, as the Science which studies the material remains 
of human behaviour, naturally stands at one of the crossroads 
between the human Sciences and Science (physics, chemistry, 
biology, geology, geography, ...). This connection is precisely a 
way to define what we are nowadays used to name 
Archaeometry, that is the combination of laboratory techniques 
with the traditional methodology of the historical and 
archaeological investigation to deepen the analysis, the 
knowledge and the interpretation of ancient works of art, 
monuments and archaeological objects. Archaeology is also 
permanently confronted with the problem of reading, recording 
and conserving these material traces of human behaviour which 
constitute its investigation field. The basic principles of the 
OSIRIS Project are these very two essential dimensions of 
archaeological research: on one hand, Archaeometry, the 
synergy between historical Sciences and the laboratory 
techniques of Science; and on the other hand, the study and 
conservation of material remains or traces of the Past. 
2. THE TRADITIONAL RECORDING TECHNIQUES 
IN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART HISTORY 
The recordings needed by the different aspects of the 
Archaeological research have a double aim: the creation of a 
medium allowing to publish in the more accurate way the 
studied object; and, even more importantly, the virtual 
conservation of this object, or, at least, the conservation of the 
historical information (in the broadest sense of the expression) it 
reveals and preserves. 
The conservation of archaeological objects is far from being a 
simply theoretical problem. Indeed, in its very process of 
revealing the relics of the Past, Archaeology is by definition 
destructive: it always destroys the containing of the object it 
aims to reveal, and the thus revealed content is then exposed to 
new aggressions of its surrounding world, which in many cases 
will damage it irreparably on a relatively short period of time, in 
comparison to its age. No monument can avoid this 
phenomenon of deterioration and, finally, of destruction. The 
case of Ancient Egyptian archaeological heritage, whose study 
is at the root of the OSIRIS project, clearly exemplifies this: the 
especially dry, chemically and hygrometrically stable desert 
ground of Egypt naturally allows the long-lasting preservation 
of archaeological objects, even the more fragile ones, like 
millenary papyrus, wooden artefacts or textiles. But, once 
exposed to the open air, to its climatic variations, to nowadays 
pollution and to human aggressions of all kind, these relics of 
the Past decay at a very impressive speed, even those made in 
the very hard stones (Figure 1, Bell, 1987, pi. 1).