X-ray scanning technology to unlock mysteries of rare Roman-era chainmail shirt

Researchers at EPFL have spent the past few months capturing 3D images of a Roman-era chainmail shirt using a computed tomography (CT) scanner. The piece of military armor, which dates back more than 2,000 years, is one of only a handful of similar items ever found in Europe. The twisted, corroded remains of the shirt were buried deep underground and fused with dozens of other objects that were almost impossible to tell apart using conventional investigatory techniques.

The chainmail shirt in 3D [Credit: © PIXE/EPFL]

The EPFL researchers, working with Vaud Canton archaeologists, then came up with a full inventory of items held within the chainmail shirt. Using a 3D printer, they reproduced the items while leaving the fragile shirt – reduced by the ravages of time to a hunk of distorted metal – completely intact.
The findings will be unveiled in a special exhibition at the Cantonal Museum of Archaeology and History from 26 April to 25 August 2019.

Pick apart and reconstruct

“This research shows the potential applications of CT scanning technology in archaeology, where finds are often complex, deformed, distorted or fused,” says Pascal Turberg, who leads the ENAC Interdisciplinary Platform for X-ray micro-tomography (PIXE) at EPFL. “Using 3D imaging, we can pick these objects apart and reconstruct them.”

The chainmail shirt in the 3D scanner [Credit: © PIXE/EPFL]

The platform’s scanners can produce images down to a resolution of just 0.5 microns – extremely useful for working out the structure of the tiniest objects.
“The complex shape of the chainmail shirt made the whole process technically challenging,” adds Turberg. “What’s more, iron has a high X-ray attenuation coefficient and generates unwanted artefacts. Working on the fragment gave us a chance to hone our 3D imaging expertise. What we learned will serve us well in the future, allowing us to scan complex materials containing metallic elements.”

A staple, two brooches, and a handle pin

The findings proved just as exciting for the archaeologists involved in the project. “This initiative was a success,” says Lionel Pernet, director of the Cantonal Museum of Archaeology and History. “With 2D X-ray images, we could only see 30 or so complete items and fragments contained inside the shirt. The 3D scans revealed more than 160!”

A brooch [Credit: © PIXE/EPFL]

The newly discovered objects – all of which will go on display in 3D-printed form as part of the exhibition – include a furniture staple, two fibulas (Roman brooches with a spring-fastening mechanism), a cutting edge, and a pin for a cooking pot handle.

Building on success

The archaeologists are already thinking about how CT scanning technology could enhance their research in the future. They’re planning to use the scanner to peer deep inside a remarkable toolkit unearthed at Vufflens-la-Ville, and to count the tree rings inside wooden posts and statues so they can date the pieces more accurately.

The 3D printed objects found in the chainmail shirt 
[Credit: A. Herzog/EPFL 2019]

“Scanning a funerary urn would save us a lot of time,” explains Matthieu Demierre, a lecturer at the University of Lausanne and an archaeologist at Archaeodunum, a firm that works with the cantonal archaeology office.

“Rather than working blind, we’d be able to see exactly where the bone fragments and other items are inside.”

A remarkable dig

The Roman-era chainmail shirt – an exceptionally rare find – was unearthed in 2012 at Le Mormont, a hill near La Sarraz in Vaud Canton. The archaeological site, which contains 250 separate pits, is estimated to date from around 100 B.C.

It’s been puzzling archaeologists since it was discovered during quarry expansion work in 2006. It was initially believed to be a sanctuary. But expert opinion shifted in 2011 when the contents of the pits were examined in closer detail. The finds reveal that the site was used for both religious and secular purposes.

Moreover, the presence of the chainmail shirt, complete bronze and iron cooking pots, metal containers, and other valuable objects – all buried in a short space of time – makes the site highly unusual for its era.

Archaeologists also found a large number of human remains, some showing evidence of ritual killings (aligned human and cow skulls) and others pointing to more violent deaths (severed heads and charred bodies).

Was the site a refuge for a besieged community? Could it have been a place of worship? Perhaps it was a military camp?

The researchers will only be able to solve the mystery once they’ve learned more about the items that came to rest there.

Author: Sandrine Perroud | Source: EPFL [April 23, 2019]

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