The large rongorongo tablet from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the improvement of the documentation of the Large Washington rongorongo tablet (inventory number A129774) in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, presenting for the first time detailed high-resolution photographs of the artifact at almost original size. Digital image processing was employed to enhance the contrast of the signs damaged by reshaping of the tablet for its later use in marine carpentry. The possible reuse of other rongorongo artifacts is discussed. A new improved tracing of the Large Washington inscription based on digitally enhanced images and direct study of the original artifact allowed the recoding of more glyph traces in damaged areas of the tablet. The analysis of the inscription prompted a tentative explanation of structured sequences that appear frequently in rongorongo script.