Digital Documentation and Reconstruction of Fragile Organic Artefacts: A State-of-the-Art Review

Abstract. The study and preservation of fragile organic artefacts represent an ongoing challenge in cultural heritage conservation, particularly when traditional physical reconstruction is unfeasible due to degradation or fragmentation. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of digital documentation and reconstruction practices for organic materials such as leather, textiles, and wood, with an emphasis on their material characteristics, conservation risks, and computational potential. Central to this discussion is a case study of a 12th-century leather bag recovered from an underwater excavation in the port of Rhodes Island. The study combines close-range photogrammetry, laser scanning, and recent AI-driven methods, including Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) and Gaussian Splatting, to propose a replicable and transparent workflow for the non-invasive documentation and digital reassembly of fragile artefacts. The paper also explores the role of interdisciplinary collaboration, semantic annotation, and interactive visualization in enhancing interpretative accuracy and public accessibility. The findings underscore the need for methodological transparency, data traceability, and ethical considerations in the digital management of vulnerable cultural heritage.