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CT: A New Nondestructive Method for Visualizing and Characterizing Ancient Roman Glass Fragments in Situ in Blocks of Soil¹

¹ From the Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands (R.J.J., M.P., J.S.); and the National Service for Archaeological Heritage (Rijksdienst voor het Oudheidkundig Bodemonderzoek), Amersfoort, the Netherlands (J.K., T.d.G., D.J.H.). Presented as an education exhibit at the 2005 RSNA Annual Meeting. Received April 25, 2006; revision requested May 10 and received June 26; accepted June 28. All authors have no financial relationships to disclose. Address correspondence to R.J.J. (e-mail: r.j.jansen{at}amc.uva.nl).

A rare, complete ancient Roman burial site was discovered near the Dutch village of Bocholtz. In addition to many preserved grave offerings, there were countless fragments of deteriorated glass objects still buried in the ground. This glass was in very poor condition, however, and there was no possibility of excavating it directly. Instead, archeologists working at the site decided to dig up blocks of soil containing the glass fragments. High-resolution spiral computed tomography (CT) with multiplanar reformation, shaded-surface-display rendering, and volume rendering was used to obtain detailed information about the position, number, and form of the deteriorated glass fragments. CT-guided removal of the soil made it possible to restore some of the objects excavated from the blocks. In five of the 14 excavated objects, a correct Isings classification could be made based on the CT findings. In addition, CT was very important for the reconstruction of the layout of the burial chamber, the compilation of a list of grave contents, and the positioning of these contents within the chamber.

© RSNA, 2006