Specifics and technical aspects of applying 3D modeling in the study of runiform inscriptions of the Eurasian Steppes

Abstract

One of the most important tasks of studying epigraphic materials is the exact reproduction of an inscription and its carrier for research and subsequent publication. This problem is universal for epigraphy as a scientific discipline in general, and especially relevant for inscriptions whose study has remained fragmentary and for which the problem of compiling a relatively complete corpus has not yet been solved. One of these groups is the runiform inscriptions of the Eurasian Steppes. Over the long history of their study, various methods of copying inscriptions for research and reproduction in publications have been used. At the initial stage, copies were made by sketching; later, other documenting methods were introduced: the creation of estampages, graphite rubbings and mica copies, photography – initially conservative, and later digital. At the present development stage of this discipline, the question has arisen about the possibility of applying modern means and methods of documenting to the material of Turkic runiform epigraphy. This set of tasks involves both the creation of precise digital images of runiform inscriptions and the development of new approaches to the visualization of these images in printed and electronic publications. This paper considers various aspects of the formation of a system for documenting and publishing epigraphy in relation to the specifics of runiform inscriptions of the Eurasian Steppes.