Project background
The Virtual Hampson Museum showcases over 400 3D digital artifacts from the collections at the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park in Northeast Arkansas. Within the online museum, visitors can browse the 3D artifacts, read artifact descriptions and using the 3D viewer can manipulate and perform basic measurements on the objects directly within their browser interface using Adobe 3D PDF technology. If interested in additional analyses, users can download the high resolution artifact models and freely provided 3D software for more robust 3D analysis. Users also can view a series of 3D rendered images that show what the Native American village of Upper Nodena may have looked like. The Upper Nodena village was where a lot of the original artifacts were found. The Virtual Hampson museum project began in 2007 with the intent to digitally document and disseminate the amazing collection of Native American pottery vessels housed at Hampson Archeological Museum State Park. The Konica Minolta VIVID 9i laser scanner was used to scan the artifacts. The VIVID 9i also collects RGB color so all artifacts are documented in full color. Over 500 artifacts were scanned over a period of 10 weeks split between two summer field seasons. A team of 3-4 individuals processed the artifacts over a period of two years.