21st century methods to record 2,000 years of ancient graffiti in Egypt

SFU geography professor Nick Hedley. Photo Credit: Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser researchers are learning more about ancient graffiti-and their intriguing comparisons to modern graffiti-as they produce a state-of-the-art 3D recording of the Temple of Isis in Philae, Egypt. Working with the University of Ottawa, the researchers published their early findings in Egyptian Archaeology and have returned to Philae to advance the project. -It's fascinating because there are similarities with today's graffiti,- says SFU geography professor Nick Hedley, co-investigator of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)-funded project. -The iconic architecture of ancient Egypt was built by those in positions of power and wealth, but the graffiti records the voices and activities of everybody else. The building acts like a giant sponge or notepad for generations of people from different cultures for over 2,000 years. As an expert in spatial reality capture, Hedley leads the team's innovative visualization efforts, documenting the graffiti, their architectural context, and the spaces they are found in using advanced methods like photogrammetry, raking light, and laser scanning.