French Filmmaker Preserves Rich History of Mesopotamia
Concerned by the destruction ISIS had caused in Iraq, Ivan Erhel, a French filmmaker, took it upon himself to save what remained of the rich history of Mesopotamia. The loss of the relics and history in the museum in Mosul really hit a nerve, and Erhel chose to save what was left of the history of the oldest civilization. After a conversation with a friend who had purchased an Artec Eva 3D scanner, an idea was born about using 3D laser scanning services. Erhel thought that filming the journey of the return of an Iraqi writer who lived in France to save ancient Mesopotamian history would be a good idea.
Introducing 3D Laser Scanning Services to the Project
Before this project, Erhel had no experience with the Artec Eva or any other 3D lser scanning services before. Now it was up to him and the technical support of a 3D scanning services expert to make the project work.
The first piece of history to be scanned was the largest. The ‘Process way of Babylon,’ a 250 meters long stretch of a brick wall, featured important pieces of history that included legendary curvings of creatures. Professional laser scanning services would have been helpful, especially on such a large piece. Instead, Erhel and the team had to improvise by propping up a handheld Eva on a stick to access those hard-to-reach places.
While they encountered logistical challenges, scanning under gunshot sounds was the real challenge. Erhel and his team were the first to arrive on-site, and they had no time on their side. The ‘Last survivor of Nimrud’ was the last piece of history that the team managed to 3D scan in Iraq.
Erhel reckons that the 3D scanning services and 3D printing have given their team the true value in what they had set out to achieve and a proper way of preserving history. He believes that while history can be preserved in photography, 3D scanning services have made it possible to make history complete and also eternal.
Since then, Erhel’s film has been completed and available to watch in France. He plans to set up two centers where he will teach young Iraqis about 3D scanning and technology and their role in preserving history. Erhel believes that 3D scanning services will only get better, and projects like his can offer meaningful value
Lastly, Erhel hopes that his film will expose to the world the other side of Iraq as the cradle of all human civilization and not just a war-stricken nation.