Reconstructing Ancient Egyptian Tombs and Monuments

It is ironic that the Ancient Egyptian tombs, once sealed, were not intended to be seen by outsiders. Yet the highly valued and often reproduced tomb decorations have had a profound influence on art and have contributed significantly to our understanding of the Ancient Egyptian culture. We describe how recent advances in computational and digital technology can add a new perspective to these marvels of antiquity. Of particular interest to us has been the development of a technique for digital reconstruction of tombs, allowing for the creation of undistorted panoramic views of tomb interiors that are simply unattainable with traditional imaging methods. We have also applied similar computational techniques to bring a new perspective to several monuments of Ancient Egypt.