Odesa Archaeological Museum Launches Virtual Modeling Project

Scientists from the Odesa Archaeological Museum were trained by experts from an international project in Poland and received the necessary equipment to create virtual models of valuable exhibits from the museum's collection.

Now, according to the museum, the stage of creating digital models of these artifacts has begun: they will be used for scientific work and shown to all lovers of history and archeology.

From December 2 to 12, 2024, employees of the Odesa Archaeological Museum Maria Lobanova and Oksana Hrytsiuta were trained as part of the joint international project of the Archaica Research Laboratory and CyArk "Ukrainian Heritage Digitization and Dissemination Initiative" (UHDDI). For 10 days, the project participants were taught how to digitize archaeological artifacts and create virtual 3D models.
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On February 5, 2025, the second phase of the project began at the Odesa Archaeological Museum. Yaroslav Chentsov and Daria Hemberzhevska, specialists of the Archaika Research Laboratory, joined the museum team. At this stage, it is planned to create 60 3D models of museum exhibits, including artifacts from the Egyptian collection, ancient vases, and a unique limestone slab with images of people and animals found in Usatove. In the future, the museum plans to use these models in scientific and popularization work, as well as publish them on social media for a wide audience. Since the exhibits are not accessible to visitors due to the war, the digital models will allow for virtual access to them.

UHDDI has received support from the U.S. Department of State through the Embassy's Cultural Defense Fund Program. This project aims to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian institutions to protect, preserve, and present our cultural heritage in modern ways, during and after the war.

Кирило Бойко