Test & measurement
A fresh perspective on the ancient world
have improved our understanding of how human culture developed in ancient times. Playing a key role in that research has been the Keyence VHX-7000 Series Digital Microscope, the world's first 4K ultra-high accuracy microscope. Elizabeth Thomas, an Archaeology PhD
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student at the university, had the opportunity to use the Keyence digital microscope when conducting research for her Masters and PhD. This work involved analysing Egyptian mirrors, many of them dating back to the Middle Kingdom era of the 12th Dynasty. The VHX-7000 was used to gather
information on the different kinds of corrosion found on the mirrors. Thomas felt it was important to see the different layers in the mirrors and how they were made, which was not possible using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) where image delivery was in grayscale. Essential for Thomas’ work was the
ability to create colour images and show extremely high levels of detail at high magnification settings. Having access to full- colour high magnification images was vital to ascertain how an artifact might have looked in its original state. Thomas found that another benefit of using
the Keyence digital microscope was that it could display textiles that had been preserved in corrosion. The VHX-7000 was able to capture images of these textiles for
he Archaeology Department of the University of Liverpool has carried out two ground-breaking projects that
ABDUA:21845 - Period: 12th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom. Location: Hu. Presented by Professor Flinders Petrie in 1898-99
Comparing a greyscale SEM image with an image using the VHX-7000, Egyptian Mirrors
subsequent examination by an expert. In addition, the digital microscope made
stitching images a straightforward process, whereas an SEM would require image stitching to be carried out manually using separate software. The VHX-7000 also
eliminated the need for preparing samples – an SEM requiring them to be secured on to a stand – while the measurement capabilities of the Keyence system saved Thomas a considerable amount of time. “There are many advantages to using the
VHX-7000,” says Thomas, “and it represents a massive jump in functionality from any previous digital microscopes I’ve used. For example, the flexibility of being able to move
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June 2021 Instrumentation Monthly
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