Enhancing access and understanding of ancient manuscripts: the 3D Digital Edition of the Codex Cospi

Engaging museum visitors with ancient manuscripts poses challenges due to preservation requirements, incomprehensible language, and fragile nature, which prevents physical handling. Innovative approaches and technologies are emerging to enhance accessibility and comprehension for both specialist and general audiences. This study addresses two research questions: RQ1, how can 3D enhance traditional 2D representations of ancient manuscripts? RQ2, how can a reliable and engaging 3D knowledge space be created to facilitate their understanding? These questions are explored by creating the 3D Digital Edition (3DDE) of the Codex Cospi, a Mesoamerican divinatory manuscript with a complex leporello structure. The project highlights the effectiveness of 3D digitisation in capturing and presenting intricate layouts, enabling users to better explore the manuscript’s dual sides and contextual layers beyond the limitations of in-site exhibitions and 2D formats. To enrich the artefact representation, the 3DDE seems the best format to integrate interdisciplinary research into a cohesive, interactive virtual space, and employ storytelling techniques to engage a diverse audience. Aimed at both public and academic dissemination, the 3DDE of the Codex Cospi serves as a tool for knowledge production and cultural valorisation, bridging the gap between accessibility and scholarly reliability. Its adaptability makes it suitable for museum exhibitions, education, and research, offering an immersive and enriched understanding of the manuscript’s historical and cultural significance.