The Farid Karam Antiquities Collection at USF by Institute for Digital Exploration (USF IDEx) on Sketchfab
The Farid Karam, M.D. Lebanon Antiquities Collection consists of 149 objects, including jars, goblets, bottles, oil lamps, unguentariums, and busts/figures, donated to the USF Libraries Special Collections in 1998 by Dr. Farid Karam and his wife Jehanne. Most of the items were acquired by Dr. Karam in Lebanon, originate in Roman Syria, a wealthy province on the Eastern Mediterranean, and date from the 1st through the 4th centuries AD.
In Fall 2016 Dr Davide Tanasi and his students at USF's Center for Virtualization and Applied Spatial Technologies (CVAST) 3D scanned all 149 Karam objects using CVAST's FaroArm, a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). Final processing and creation of the 3D models was completed by Dr. Tanasi at the Institute for Digital Exploration (IDEx) at the University of South Florida Department of History. The project process and history was captured in the article "Virtual Karam Collection: 3D Digital Imaging and 3D Printing for Public Outreach in Archaeology" by Tanasi, Hassam, and Kingsland.
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Virtual Karam Collection: 3D Digital Imaging and 3D Printing for Public Outreach in Archaeology
David Tanasi, Stephan Hassam, and Kaitlyn Kingsland
Archaeological museums are often perceived as repositories of relics, entrusted to preserve ancient material culture in perpetuity but at the same time committed to making it accessible. The fear of deterioration often denies access or imposes limits on the interactions between visitors and artefacts. This contribution will present the results of the Virtual Karam Collection, a digitization project of archaeological heritage consisting of a collection of artifacts that has limited access and is not properly shared and communicated with the public: The Farid Karam Lebanese Antiquities Collection of the University of South Florida’s Libraries. 149 objects were 3D scanned and the digital models were shared with the public using an ad hoc web platform. It is clear that digital renderings cannot replace real objects; however, the digital surrogates and replicas make up for it by being available for experimentation and manipulation. In order to overcome the obvious limitations on tactile interaction with digital media, an alternative system was used, employing realistic 3D printed copies and having student stakeholders in the collection participate in creation of the replicas. The promising result of this project offers a new perspective on the practice of virtual mimesis of ancient artifacts as strategic educational tool both for people with visual impairments and cognitive disabilities, and for the general public which can learn more using the touch interaction.
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Alabastron
Unknown
Alabaster bottle has a rounded bottom and cannot stand. The walls are thick and translucent. The rim has been repaired. A double line is incised above the inscription.
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Alabastron
Unknown
Thick-walled vessel has a flattened rim, narrow cylindrical neck and a larger cylindrical body with a rounded bottom. The vessel cannot stand. Rim is uneven in depth and it is out-of-round. Neck is 1.9 cm. in length and off-center.
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Aphrodite
Unknown
Female figurine holds a bowl in the palm of her left hand, arm reflexed and palm at shoulder level. She holds a pitcher in her right hand, which hangs along the side of her body. The figure is nude. Her hair is parted in the middle and knotted at the back. Features are delicate: the body depicts a young woman gazing toward the bowl in her hand.
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Aphrodite with Eros
Unknown
The item was acquired by Dr. Farid Karam in Lebanon. A woman carries a child on her left shoulder. Child's legs extend to the front with knees bent. Lumps on the child's back may be eroded wings. The child is touching the woman's face with its right hand. Woman's right arm is bent at the elbow; the wrist is at the height of and to the front of the shoulder. The right hand is broken off. The left hand hangs at her side below her hip and holds a round object. The woman's hair is gathered in a chignon at the nape of her neck and she wears a draped garment that covers her shoulders and crosses in the back. The lower part of the figure is missing.
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Awl
Unknown
Heavy metal object with a domed head and possibly a flange. The shaft tapers from the head to the broken tip. The object is pierced between 8 cm. and 9 cm. below the head. The bore is clear of debris.
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Balance
Unknown
Delicate balance consists of one hook attached to the beam at the fulcrum, two materials hooks attached at one end and one independent weight. The hooks articulate. The beam is square in cross-section, terminating in an acorn-shaped embellishment. The weight consists of a ring with a conical weight hanging below, terminating in a rounded point.
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Bottle
Unknown
Piriform bottle has an in-folded rim that is uneven in depth and that overhangs the diameter of the neck. The rim has been flattened parallel to the base. The cylindrical neck expands smoothly into the body which leads to a flat base. There is no palpable pontil mark. The glass is thick and finely pitted.
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Bottle
Unknown
Bottle has a small mouth, an inverted funnel neck and a globular body. The mouth flares and terminates in a simple rim which is uneven in depth. The bottom is broad and sharply concave with a prominent pontil mark.
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Bottle
Unknown
Piriform bottle has a ledge rim folded inward. The cylindrical neck transitions smoothly to the conical body. The base is slightly concave with no pontil mark.
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Bottle
Unknown
The small bottle has a flat rim with a rounded edge. The cylindrical neck of 2.4 cm. leads to a slight swelling of the body which is also cylindrical. The bottom is rounded so that the bottle cannot stand. The chamber inside has been hollowed out in a single bore that does not trace the shape of the outside of the bottle. The vessel is not translucent.
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Bottle with funnel neck
Unknown
Vessel has a tapering neck that narrows as it descends 6.3 cm. before flaring into the globular body. Rim is flat, possibly cracked off. Base is concave with a pontil mark.
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Bottle with glass foot
Unknown
A white stripe decorates the black body of the vessel. Base material is unknown, possibly wood. The surface is densely scratched longitudinally. The white stripe rises from the lower extremity in an irregular set of steps to the neck while circling the object twelve times. The thread is flush with the surface. The object transforms from a square cross-section at the foot to a round cross-section at the shoulder. The round neck rises 1.6 cm. to a round rim. The rim edge is squared off. The neck was broken and repaired with glue. The foot is augmented with a broken glob of black glass. The object is not free-standing and weighs 20.2 grams.
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Bowl
Unknown
Globular unglazed pot has a 2.5 cm. opening at the top; this aperture has been repaired. Foot is 1.5 cm. high and 6.0 cm. in diameter. Foot has been repaired. The upper half of the pot is decorated with three bands of designs: the uppermost band is beaded; the next band is designed with circular motifs; the last band may be an inscription in Arabic or merely fractured curved and slanting lines. The lower half of the pot is unadorned. The pot was molded in two halves and then joined at the widest part; evidence of the seam can be seen on the inside of the pot.
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Bowl
Unknown
Bowl has a concave rim that flairs and falls gracefully from a ridge at the height of the bowl. The rim is carefully executed and finished. The ridge is delicate but inconsistently formed, rolling to the inside twice. The bowl is supported by a ring base. The bottom of the inside of the bowl is convex; there is no pontil mark.
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Bowl
Unknown
The bowl rises from a flat base of 3.7 cm. in an inverted conical form for 6 cm. at which point the handles are attached at the widest part of the bowl. The bowl then curves inward from the shoulder to create a broad neck before flaring to the wide mouth. The rim has been finished smoothly on the top with a slight ridge to the inside. The handles are pierced from below by a hole 0.5 cm. in diameter. The bowl is free-standing.
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Bowl with collar
Unknown
Bowl has a high collar and inside shoulder that may have supported a lid. The bowl has an S-shaped profile beginning with the inside shoulder, tracing the steep slope of the side and terminating above the pad base. In the center of the pad base is a semicircular indentation that appears as a small dome on the inside of the bowl surrounded by a narrow trough. The rim of the collar is rounded; the lower edge of the collar is flattened.
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Bust of a man
Unknown
Man with mustache and full beard holds a frond in his right hand. Hand rests over his breastbone. Frond extends over the right shoulder. Right hand has index and middle finger extended. Hair is carefully arranged in curls over the entire head and beard. Mustache hair is straight. Eyelids and pupils are carved in relief. Lips are clearly defined, as are the eyebrows. Figure wears a draping garment over his right shoulder. The left shoulder has been chipped away. Nape of the neck and back of the shoulders are chipped away or unfinished.
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Curved garment pin
Unknown
Long slender object tapers to a dull point. The head end is embellished with a heavy solid cone of metal, the base of which attaches to the shaft. The shaft tapers from its attachment point to the dull point. The point may have been broken. The head end is bent in a smooth curve to a 75 degree angle from the length of the shaft. The shaft is pierced by a bore along the straight shaft beginning 10.7 cm. from the dull end. The shaft swells to either side of the bore.
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Curved garment pin
Unknown
Long slender object curves at a 90 degree angle beginning 2 cm. below the ball head. The ball head has a ridge along the equator. The object has a solid cylindrical shaft that terminates in a broken point. The shaft is flattened and broadened between the 2nd and 4th cm. below the ball head to support a bore.
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Curved garment pin
Unknown
Solid metal item has a ball at one end, tapering to a blunt point at the other. The shaft is pierced by a bore 7.1 cm. above the blunt end. The object is bent in a smooth 90 degree curve beginning 0.5 cm. behind the ball end.
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Cyathiscomele
Unknown
Slender object has a small olivary end supported on a solid narrow shaft. Shaft increases in diameter slightly as it approaches the spoon. Between shaft and spoon is a bead inscribed with semicircles. An unadorned bead encircles the shaft just above the bowl of the spoon. The bowl of the spoon suggests a long oval shape, creased along the spine into a V-shape. The bowl of the spoon is 5.4 cm; the tip of the spoon is broken off.
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Cyathiscomele
Unknown
Slender instrument has a solid cylindrical shaft. On one end is an olivary point; on the other is an oblong spoon with a rounded bowl. The bowl of the spoon is cracked and bent. The side edges of the spoon are chipped while the fore edge is rounded.
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Dipper jug
Unknown
Bottle has a bulbous body and a simple flared rim over a narrow, short neck. The bottom is rounded so that the object cannot stand. The body is gray and decorated with narrow stripes in black. The clay itself is reddish brown, seen in the occasional chip in the surface. The white deposit on the surface indicates that the item lay in a wet environment.
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Double alabastron
Unknown
Two vials, which were blown independently, share a common wall. The unit is decorated with two raised threads that rise from the base in a spiral of five wraps each. Two handles attach at the rim and at the outer wall 2.5 cm below the rim on either side along the lateral axis. The bottle is not free-standing. The threads appear to be made of a material that is softer than glass.
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Double head flask
Unknown
An everted tubular rim and conical mouth flow smoothly into the globular body. The body displays two like faces and sits on a concave base. The faces depict children: bulging foreheads and pug noses, prominent cheekbones, full lips and full rounded chins.
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Dropper bottle
Unknown
The squat body is teardrop-shaped with the spout extending 2.5 cm. beyond the body. The spout is horizontal and drawn out of the body of the vessel. The bottom is flattened and the item is free-standing. The tip of the spout is not finished; it may have been broken. The aperture is very narrow. The cylindrical neck of the bottle rises from the body for 4.7 cm. to the rim. The rim is flattened and in-folded unevenly.
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Dropper bottle
Unknown
A flattened rim leads to a 4.5 cm. neck that tapers inward and then expands to the globular body. The rim is infolded and flattened. The narrow spout is attached to the shoulder of the body and tilts upward at a 60 degree angle. The tip of the spout is not finished and may have been broken. The bottle is free-standing on a flattened base.
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Elongated bottle
Unknown
The bottle has a flattened rim, folded inward, and a long cylindrical neck that widens into the body. The body has four indentations irregularly spaced that run longitudinally to the base. The base is a rounded square shape, indented with no pontil mark.
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Ewer
Unknown
Large pitcher has a trefoil mouth. The neck tapers slightly before expanding into the globular body. The base is a narrow ridge. The handle is round; it is attached at the rim and high on the shoulder. The pitcher was thrown on a wheel and the separately worked handles were applied later.
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Ewer
Unknown
Small pitcher has a trefoil mouth and simple rim. The handle rises from the high shoulder and curls down to meet the rim.
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Ewer
Unknown
Small pitcher has an in-folded rim on a cylindrical neck. The body is cylindrical, defined top and bottom by a raised band and then a convex shoulder and convex bottom. The base is flat with two raised circles, one inside the other. Handle attaches to the shoulder and the rim; the rim terminus has a thumb-piece. Loops (gadroons) decorate the shoulder and the base. The body is decorated with large motifs of eight arms.
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Ewer
Unknown
Pitcher has a single handle which attaches at the neck and at the shoulder. The base is a flat disk. Black figures of Hercules fighting the Hydra decorate the red surface. The object has been repaired at the base with pink clay. It has also been broken and repaired with glue at the neck and the handle.
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Female figurine
Unknown
Solemn-faced female figurine clasps her breasts. The figure is barefoot and stands on a shallow oval platform. She wears a cylindrical skirt with two bands at the bottom and an incised apron front and back. Incised lines indicate a waistband or belt. She wears a necklace with five beads to the front. Hair is worn in braids (?), long in the back and dressed with a filet to create a topknot on top of her head. The head is disproportionately large compared with the body. The nose is prominent and bulbous. The ears appear as large rings on either side of the head. The eyes are deep gouges. The lips are full and straight. The chin recedes. The back of the figurine is worked in detail. The bend in the elbows forms loops to the back of the figurine.
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Forceps
Unknown
The fold-hinge tweezers are inscribed with five lines on each leg parallel to the hinge and running to the jaws. The shape describes a triangle, with the hinge at the top and the pointed jaws below. Jaws have no teeth and are straight. One jaw is broken off and worn. A hole pierces through the broad area below the hinge and above the first inscribed line. The grip is stiff and sufficient to grasp an object firmly.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Solid metal cylinder tapers from a nail head at the head end of the object to a dull point. The object is pierced by a bore 7 cm. below the head. The hole is clear of debris and supported by a collar, which is defined top and bottom by an inscribed line. The shaft is bent several times between the bore and the point.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Slender, sharp object increases in diameter as it rises toward a knob at the top. The object is pierced by a forged hole 4 cm. below the knob. The object is bent above and below the forged hole in a slightly bowed form.
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Garment pin
Unknown
The slender solid metal object has a rounded head and tapers to a rounded point. A forged bore, reinforced with a collar segment, occurs between 8 and 9 cm. below the head.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Slender, solid metal object has a flattish, slightly domed nail head top. The cylindrical shaft tapers to a point that has been broken away. The object is pierced by a bore between 9.0 and 9.5 cm. below the head. The bore is closed with corrosion but it appears to be reinforced on either side by a collar.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Slender, solid cylindrical object has a flat nail head at one end and a rounded point at the other. The diameter of the shaft remains constant from the head to the bore midway down the length of the shaft. Below the bore at 9.5 cm. to 10 cm., the shaft tapers to the point. The bore is clear of corrosion and appears to be supported by a collar.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Solid metal cylindrical object tapers from a semicircular domed head atop the shaft to a very sharp point. A bore pieces the slender shaft between 4.0 and 4.3 cm. below the domed head. The bore is free of debris and supported by thickened walls on either side of the hole. The shaft is bent several times between the bore and the point.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Slender item is heavily encrusted with corrosion. At the narrow end, a sharp point is exposed. The other end is adorned with a solid ball with a flat circular plate on top of that. The shaft appears to be a solid cylinder which is pierced by a forged bore between 3 and 4 cm. below the embellished end. The hole is clear of debris. The walls of the shaft are distended by the bore.
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Garment pin
Unknown
The object has a square cross-section, possibly broken at the small end. It tapers along the solid square shaft to an acorn-shaped top. The acorn embellishment is separated from the shaft by a narrow neck. The shaft is pieced by a bore lying between 1.6 and 2.0 cm. below the embellished end. The bore is clear of debris and does not distort the profile of the object.
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Garment pin
Unknown
The slender greenish-brown metal object tapers from the head to the sharp point. The head end has eight lobes which suggest a sharply involuted sphere, sometimes referred to as a poppy seed head. There is a forged hole 3.5 cm. below the head. A collar surrounds and reinforces the hole. Incised bands on the shaft extend to the hole and below it for 0.4 cm.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Finely worked shaft tapers from the head end to a point. The head was created by sliding a bead over the point and along the shaft until it could go no further. The bead is round and bears traces of white, which may indicate the presence of lead. The head of the shaft is hollow as can be seen by looking down on the bead from above. The sharp point is clearly inscribed with a spiral groove for at least 1.5 cm.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Slender solid metal cylindrical object has a spherical head atop the shaft. The shaft tapers to a sharp point at the other end. The shaft is pierced by a bore 4.0 cm. below the head. The shaft is swollen to support the sides of the bore. White corrosion on the head may indicate the presence of lead.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Slender solid metal cylindrical object has a spherical head atop the shaft. The shaft maintains a constant diameter until the possible site of a bore, which occurs between 11 and 12 cm. down from the head. The bore is closed and wholly obscured with corrosion. Below the bore, the shaft tapers to a broken tip.
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Garment pin
Unknown
Slender solid cylindrical object with a spherical head at the top of the shaft terminates in a sharp point. A bore pierces the shaft at the 4th cm. below the head. The bore is supported by thickened shaft walls on either side of the hole.
