Three-Dimensional (3D) Documentation of Ancient Tombstones by Laser Scanning

Abstract

Cultural heritage works, which host hundreds of years of knowledge, are in danger of extinction due to various reasons over time. Therefore, it has become a necessity to carry out documentation work in order to transfer the cultural heritage to future generations. Many methods are used in the documentation of cultural heritage. The works, which were previously documented classically, have started to be documented in more detail and sensitively with the development of technology. Especially with digital cameras, the art of documenting with photography and laser scanning data has gained importance day by day. With the integration of digitalization and photography, three dimensions (3D) documentation studies have gained speed and various methods have been developed. The laser scanning method has started to be used in documentation as it has deficiencies as well as the advantages of documenting with photography. The laser scanning method provides a great advantage in terms of accuracy, time, and cost in documenting cultural heritage, as well as providing high-resolution data. The terrestrial laser scanning device, in this study, is aimed to document the historical tombstones digitally without any contact. In the study, the tombstone was scanned with a laser scanning device from different locations. 3D models were produced from laser scanning data and the historical tombstone was documented by visually presenting it.