Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology - Digital Imaging of Ancient Inscriptions

Supervisor: Dr Alan Greaves

Supervisor bio: 

I am an archaeologist who leads fieldwork projects in Turkiye and the UK. Together with my research team here in Liverpool, we developed new ways of digitally recording ancient inscriptions and images using a range of widely-available programs and successfully piloted these in the field in the ancient city of Telmessos (Greaves et al. 2020). Working together with local community partners, we are now using that technology and educational packages taught in primary schools across the country to tackle Looting and vandalism of ancient monuments across Turkiye and beyond. 

Email: greaves@liverpool.ac.uk

School: Histories, Languages, and Cultures

Department: Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology

Module code: ALGY101

Suitable for students of: This project would suit student from any subject in the Arts, Humanties or Digital Technology. 

Desired experience or requirements: You will be introduced to the different computer programs a systems and packages that we use (Photogrammetry, Virtural Reality and Reflectance Transformation Imaging). No prior knowledge of specific systems is required, but this is largely a desk-based IT project and a willingness to learn is essential. If you are studying remotely or hybrid, you will need access to computer facilities, a strong internet connection and some proprietry software. 

Places available: 3

Start dates: Session 1 (15th June 2026), Session 2 (6th July 2026)

Project length: 4 or 8 weeks

Virtual option: Yes

Hybrid option: Yes

Project description:

For this project, students will be given training, demonstrations and supervision in the Virtual Relfectance Transformation Imaging (V-RTI) imaging technology. Once you are comfortable with the process, you will work independently to prepare V-RTI files from photographic datasets that have been collected in the field by the Liverpool team. It will also be necessary to manage digital archives and review available research literature.

V-RTI generates user-friendly visualisations of ancient monuments that allows fine surface details (such as eroded and vandalized inscriptions or grafitti) that may not otherwise be visible to the naked eye. These can then be used interactively and saved in different formats to make visually striking digital images that researchers, museums and the public can in easily engage with. 

Additional requirements:

To learn more about V-RTI and our research team's work, you can read our primary publication here:

Greaves, A. M., Öz, A., Yegen, G., Apayd?n, V., & Gilby, C. (2023). Heritage education and active learning: Developing community and promoting diversity in Turkey. Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage, 10(2), 144-161. doi:10.1080/20518196.2023.2176087