Analyzing stylistic variations of recurring wrapping weaves on votive animal mummies may provide a means of highlighting the characteristics of regional wrapping styles, understanding whether they could be linked to specific ateliers and/or a more refined time frame, and unraveling diachronic and geographic technological changes of the wrapping chaîne opératoire.
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This investigation is carried out by performing rigorous morphological and stylistic comparisons among the 3D entities grouped into the same wrapping type. To this end, they are ingested into a high-precision 3D measurement software.
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Given that the size and shape of the mummies changes according to the species, age and position of the animals within the bundles, the process involves scaling the models in order to guarantee high-accuracy standards and better focus on the weaving patterns. Once scaled, the models are meticulously aligned by selecting key points.
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After the alignment phase, an algorithm facilitated the precise comparison of the patterns, producing a variation (or distance) map. Such visual output is optimal for scrutinizing the subtle variations on the surface of any solid object. For the weaving patterns, the algorithm detected minute differences between surfaces within less than a 1mm range. The color coding is intuitive: green indicates similarity, while red and blue suggest disparities.
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