RI Marine Archaeology Project and Functional 3D to document archaeological artifacts

via Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP)

On Saturday October 31, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) and Functional 3D, will offer the public an opportunity to observe online the digital documentation of artifacts recently excavated from an 18^th-century Newport Harbor shipwreck.  

The direct live link is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyR6ORVxEEuKM3WYbHhC1kw/live/           

RIMAP and Functional 3D have partnered to produce digital images of artifacts for study and interpretation, and the demonstration online on Saturday will show how that technology creates images that can be manipulated on screen. There will be no public present,, but access to the channel is free and the event will be videotaped and made available for later review.           

RIMAP trains volunteers to participate in professionally directed marine archaeology research. Compliance with RI pandemic safety guidelines has meant smaller field studies of local shipwrecks in 2020, but RIMAP’s Principal Investigator Dr. D. K. Abbass says: “Under water may be one of the safest places to be in the pandemic.”  Christopher Wilczewski, founder of Functional 3D, will conduct the Saturday demonstration. His experience includes the imaging  of very small archaeological artifacts, full-sized statues, and even large cityscapes. Wilczewski says: “By leveraging visualization, this technology allows remote consultation, collaboration, design, and execution of plans, which streamlines the process and offers unique solutions.”           

For more information about marine archaeology, visit www.rimap.org. For more details about 3D technology, visit https://www.f3dscans.com.