Anatomage Table Gives History Students A Detailed View Of Ancient Artifacts

Students in the Elmira College World History course recently examined a fifth-century B.C. Egyptian mummy without risking the integrity of the priceless and delicate artifact. To do this, they used the College’s newly acquired Anatomage Table, a 3D touch display large enough for nearly a dozen people to stand around. The life-size touch-enabled display adds a new level of hands-on experience for students in multiple fields of study.

While the table has been used in Biology, Forensic Science, and Anatomy courses, Mark Pitner, Associate Professor of Asian History, saw an opportunity to use the tool and enhance his History course.

“The Anatomage Table allows us to move through the mummy layer by layer without destroying the artifact,” he explained. “This saves the original materials for future examinations and we can use the Table in the future, as more artifacts become available.”

Anatomage Table Gives History Students A Detailed View Of Ancient Artifacts

Pitner started the class with some general discussion about the mummy using the Anatomage Table but then let students work in groups to identify items of interest in the object such as amulets, preserved body parts, and the general condition of the mummy.

“This is something I could not have dreamed of as an undergraduate student looking at black and white photos of Egyptian artifacts,” shared Pitner.

EC students in multiple courses have access to the table thanks to a $52,482 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and a matching gift from alumna Janet Frankovsky ’58, who dedicated her career to teaching and working as a school nurse in the Vestal, New York School District.

Share This Page