APAC Labs researchers Valentina Vassallo, Rahaf Orabi, Raphael Moreau, Ropertos Georgiou, and Sorin Hermon contributed to the publication “Technical examination of two cylinder seals by 2D and 3D shape analysis and non-invasive analytical investigation”, in Peter M. Fischer & Rainer Feldbache, “The New Swedish Cyprus Expedition: The 2023 and 2024 excavations at the Late Bronze Age cemetery of Hala Sultan Tekke”, Opuscula, 18 (2025).
The publication shares the results of technical analysis performed on two cylinder seals excavated by the Swedish team in 2024 at Hala Sultan Tekke. The multimodal examination shed light on the manufacturing processes, modes of production and the state of preservation of these artefacts through the application of a variety of methods, combining 2D documentation for qualitative examination and 3D documentation for quantitative shape analysis and advanced non-invasive analytical methods.
Specifically, the APAC Labs team employed Large Format Panoramic Imaging, Structured 3D Light Scanning, Photogrammetry, Microscopy, and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) in their analysis of the two seals. This multimethod approach allowed the team to identify the material components of each seal, and, in the case of Seal N1378, the resulting 3D model was “unwrapped” and used to visualize an entire composition consisting of two scenes: one of four animal figures (e.g., antelopes) around a tree; and a winged human figure holding two animal figures (e.g., crocodiles) by their tails.
