Digital Forensics for Ancient Manuscripts Using Local Thickness and Independent Component Analysis

Degeneration and destruction of the ancient manuscripts have sustained through time presenting serious problems for their preservation and interpretation. Nevertheless, it contains important to be restored, authenticated, and studied using digital image forensics, a specialist area of image analysis. This study aims to identify to explore the possibility of patterns or detailed information that cannot be observed by the naked eye in these ancient manuscripts. In this study, it applicates ancient Indonesian manuscripts from different periods. To analyse it, we apply an analytical method with Local Thickness and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) approaches. In the ICA experiment, no significant details or information were found. However, in the local thickness analysis, there were differences in local thickness between two manuscripts from different periods. The value of this work is to enhance knowledge about digital imaging in ancient manuscripts.