Shedding old light on archaeological artefacts
“FROM cave paintings to Roman mosaics, our perception of archaeological artefacts is affected by how they are lit - which is usually by bright modern lights. As a result, the way we see them may bear little resemblance to how they would have looked to the people who created them.
…
“Conimbriga was known for its splendid House of Fountains, and many of the mosaics and frescoes at this richly decorated villa are still intact. These include a hunting scene on the floor of the sala da caçada or hunting room.
Most computer reconstructions of the way archaeological sites would have looked assume uniform lighting conditions, and even when given this treatment, the sala da caçada looks impressive enough. But as Chalmers points out, the room would have normally have been lit by a series of lamps or lucernas that burned olive oil, which would give it a quite different look.”
