Bas-reliefs from Palmyra for the first time printed prostheses on a 3D printer
Ancient bas-reliefs of the Syrian Palmyra damaged by the militants of the “Islamic state” (banned in Russia), restored in Italy by 3D-printing and prepared for shipment to Syria. It is reported by the Italian newspaper Ansamed.
Palmira from may 2015 to March 2016 was on the territory controlled by ISIS. During this time, the militants destroyed at least 20 percent of ancient buildings in the Museum grounds and stole Antiques worth over a million dollars.
Congratulations to @Saf_ISCR for the excellent work in restoring ancient #Palmyra”s sculptures! https://t.co/tAAZbvVuRX via @telegraphnews
— Italy in UK (@ItalyinUK) 17 Feb 2017.
While a small part of the historically significant works of art were hidden by the former General overseer of the Museum of Palmyra, Khaled al-Assad in the first months of occupation. For refusing to give the location of his hoard, the researcher was publicly beheaded by militants in the main town square on 18 August 2015.
After the liberation of the city by Syrian forces loyal to Syria, the treasure was discovered. Among the other artifacts in this burial were two plates with relief portraits of women and men, complemented with inscriptions in Greek, Aramaic and Latin languages, Dating from the III and II centuries ad.
These bas-reliefs was damaged — apparently, some parts of the images have been lost even before the items were hidden under the ground. The greatest damage suffered by the bas-relief portrait of a man (the so-called “boys from Palmyra”), whose hammer was fully chipped left side of my face.
In 2016, the former Minister of culture of Italy Francesco Rutelli organized transportation for restoration in Rome of the artifacts from this treasure in the framework of bilateral agreements between the Syrian and the Italian organizations for the preservation of cultural heritage. The restoration was dedicated to the memory of Khaled al-Assad.
During the restoration experts of the Higher Institute of conservation and restoration in Rome had a full laser scanning of the bas-relief that has allowed them to create a 3D model of the right half of the face “young men from Palmyra”
Based on its mirror reflection have created a form for the manufacture of the prosthesis of the lost left part of the head of the bas-relief.
This, like others, filling gaps in the plates, the fragments were printed on a 3D printer from the masses based on nylon powder, and then attached to the monument using miniature magnets. This technology will allow without causing harm to the monument to replace the hardware on the original part if it is found in the future.
Until the end of February 2017, the restored monuments can be seen at the exhibition “Recovered from the wreckage — Ebla, Nimrud, Palmyra” in the Roman Coliseum. By the end of the bas will be sent to Damascus for a subsequent return to Palmyra.
Palmyra — one of the most famous ancient monuments in the Asian continent, it is called one of the historic gems of the Middle East, has survived more than two thousand Roman structures built in the pre-Islamic era.
27 June 2015, the militants of the IG began the destruction of the complex with the destruction of the statue “the lion of Allat”, made in the early first century of our era. 23 August, the terrorists blew up the temple Balsamina, built in 131 ad in honor of one of the gods of the local Pantheon, and in the fifth century turned into a Christian Church. August 30 terrorists destroyed another monument — the temple of Bel, which was one of the main shrines of the city. The fourth of September, the radicals blew up three unique funerary towers, and October 5, blew up the arc de Triomphe, which was considered the hallmark not only of Palmyra, but of the whole of Syria.
Previously, terrorism has also damaged the world-famous archaeological Museum in Mosul, with its famous collection of Parthian and Assyrian antiquities. Was destroyed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and Dur-Sharrukin. In the old HOMS has been the destruction of the architectural ensemble of churches and mosques Ibn al-Walid and is the largest ancient amphitheater Syria in Bursa.
Elizaveta Vlasova