Digital archaeologists copy Palmyra arch with help of 3D printer

Life-sized replicas of a 2,000-year-old Roman arch from Palmyra are to be temporarily erected in London’s Trafalgar Square and New York’s Times Square in April to mark World Heritage Week. The 15m-tall original is all that remains of Syria’s famous Temple of Bel, which Islamic militants blew up in August 2015. The UK-based Institute for Digital Archaeology is behind the project, which will make use of photographs and a 3D printer. The institute is a joint enterprise between the University of Oxford, Harvard University and the Museum of the Future in Dubai. It promotes the use of digital imaging and 3D printing in archaeology, conservation and art history.