The VU University Library is making history more accessible by expanding and enriching its collection of digitized heritage materials. Making it easier than ever for lecturers to integrate (replicas of) historical objects into their education.
Bringing Ancient Clay Tablets to Life with 3D Technology
The VU University Library has preserved a selection of their clay tablets, which are too delicate for frequent handling, using high‑quality 3D scanning and printing techniques. The 3D models and 3D printed replicas are now freely available for use in education, allowing students to explore ancient artifacts in both digital and tangible form.
What’s New?
With support from the Npuls Boost Your Collection initiative, we have:
- Expanded our 3D collection beyond the initial five clay tablets previously available on edusources.
- Improved the quality of the scans using the EinScan SE photogrammetry scanner (on loan from the Demonstrator Lab).
- Developed ready‑to‑use educational resources in collaboration with Assyriologists and educational advisors.
- Aligned the collection with Object-Based Teaching & Learning (OBTL) to encourage active learning through co‑creation with lecturers and students.
