3D printing technology has been a significant boon to medicine, manufacturing, green technology, and other sciences. Today, it is also proving to have practical benefits for historians and the preservation of some of the planet’s most significant relics. Specifically, 3D printing is being used to give new life to the famous victims of Mount Vesuvius.
Pompeii, a designated World Heritage Site, is one of Italy’s biggest tourist destinations and one of the best looks into the culture of Pax Roman times. Unfortunately, the casts taken of the city’s dead inhabitants are too fragile to be taken from the site. Only now, with the help of 3D scanners and printers, could 1:1 models of these most sought after artifacts be produced for study in remote locations throughout the world. Not only will this provide for new insights into ancient peoples, but museums worldwide will be able to offer their visitors a rare look at Pompeii.
