12th International Congress on the Deterioration and Conservation of Stone Columbia University, New York, 2012 3D-LIGHTSCANNING OF THE TWO RUNE STONES IN JELLING, DENMARK - A TOOL IN THE DOCUMENTATION OF THE STATE OF PRESERVATION Susanne Trudsø The National Museum of Denmark, Department of Conservation, Brede, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby. E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract The two important rune stones in Jelling had been exposed to the natural climatic conditions for more than a thousand year and there was a growing concern for their state of preservation. A condition survey concluded that there was an urgent need for protecting the stones from further degradation. Included in the survey project was a three dimensional documentation of the two rune stones and 3D light scanning was used for this purpose. Due to the existence of old copies of the rune stones light scans of originals and older copies could be compared. The result were maps, showing similarities and differences, which could be read directly from these maps. The comparative light scanning revealed small inequalities and confirmed that loss of surface was an ongoing process, but difficult to detect with the naked eye. In this way the 3D light scanning became an important tool, proving the deterioration as a slow, but still active and not acceptable process. As the stones could not be conserved by existing methods they now are sheltered in-situ in two showcases, first and foremost in order to avoid humidity and frost. Keywords: rune stones, 3D lightscanning, 3D documentation, in-situ stone monuments, copies, comparative light scanning, documentation of exfoliation 1.