Namibian Researchers Train in St. Petersburg to Create Digital Twins of African Heritage Sites
Practical field training for archaeologists from Namibia has taken place in Kamsky Garden on Vasilyevsky Island as part of a project to create digital twins of cultural heritage sites across Africa and the Islamic world. The initiative is being carried out by the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences in partnership with the State Hermitage Museum.
Working alongside Russian colleagues, the Namibian researchers practiced field documentation techniques using the monument to composer Komitas as a test subject. They photographed the monument and its surroundings to produce a three-dimensional digital model. Such digital replicas are intended to help preserve cultural heritage sites that may be lost over time or damaged by human activity.
The center has already signed memorandums of understanding with Ethiopia, Seychelles, Palestine, and Algeria. The first expedition to Namibia is scheduled for August.
