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## Pompeii’s Documentation in the Digital Age
The restoration project that preceded and enabled the 2024 DNA study also produced a digital archive of the casts that will remain a research resource for decades. The laser scans of all 86 casts, the CT data from the 16 scanned in three dimensions, and the DNA results from the 14 individuals sampled represent a body of data that can be interrogated with new methods as those methods develop.
The three-dimensional surface models produced by laser scanning are particularly valuable because they capture the current condition of the casts in a format that can be compared against future conditions to track deterioration or monitor the success of conservation treatments. They also provide a research medium: features of the surface that might be difficult to examine on the fragile original can be studied in the three-dimensional model without risk of damage. Researchers who need to look closely at, for example, the positioning of the gold bracelet on the adult’s arm can examine the model rather than the cast itself.
The 3D models and CT data have also been used to produce scaled reproductions of the casts using three-dimensional printing technology. These reproductions can be displayed in contexts where the fragile originals cannot be sent — traveling exhibitions, educational institutions, research facilities — without removing the originals from the conservation-controlled environment of the Pompeii laboratory. The reproductions are exact enough to be used for research purposes, and they allow the casts to be accessible to a wider audience than the physical originals can reach.