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Deciphering Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Towards a New Strategy for Navigation in Museums
Jaime Duque-Domingo1, Pedro Javier Herrera2, Enrique Valero3
1Depto.de Ingeniería de Software y Sistemas Informáticos, ETSI Informática, UNED. C/Juan del Rosal, 16, 28040 Madrid, Spain. jaimeduque@amenofis.com.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 25, 2017
Summary
This study introduces a computer vision method to decipher Egyptian cartouches by identifying hieroglyphs. The approach accurately interprets royal names from stone and painted inscriptions, aiding Egyptology research.
Area of Science:
- Computer Vision
- Egyptology
- Digital Humanities
Background:
- Egyptian cartouches contain royal names crucial for historical understanding.
- Deciphering cartouches manually is time-consuming and prone to errors.
- Automated methods can enhance the study of ancient Egyptian inscriptions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel computer vision strategy for deciphering Egyptian cartouches.
- To accurately identify hieroglyphs within cartouches and establish their sequence.
- To develop a method applicable to various inscription types and conditions.
Main Methods:
- Inputting cartouche images for contour localization.
- Extracting and identifying individual hieroglyphs using computer vision techniques.
- Interpreting hieroglyph sequences against a benchmark to determine royal names.
Main Results:
- The method successfully deciphers fragments of Egyptian cartouches.
- It is effective on both high/low relief and painted hieroglyphs.
- The approach is robust to variable lighting and object completeness.
Conclusions:
- The proposed method offers new possibilities for recognizing hieroglyphs.
- It opens avenues for deciphering longer Egyptian texts and inscriptions.
- This technology has practical applications in museums and archaeological contexts.
