A Meroitic double statue of the pair of gods Amun and Mut – Restoration in 3D with a computer and on the object

Abstract

In 2012, the Czech National Mus eum’s Archaeological Expedition to Wad Ben Naga (SUD) made a unique discovery in the ruins of the so-called Typhonium, a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Mut, which dated to 1st century BC: numerous fragments of a sandstone double statue of seated Amun and Mut were discovered in front of the entrance to the main sanctuary. Shortly after the recovery and conservation of the individual fragments it became clear that further restoration measures could not be carried out on-site. The conservation of the statue in the Czech National Museum (Prague) enabled employment of modern approaches in restoration, standards of reversibility and the use of 3D scanning and printing technologies. The restoration revealed new aspects of the Meroitic traditions of sophisticated craftsmanship, as well as those of a turbulent epoch.