Articles by Alexia Pavan

This article presents a methodological framework for the integrated digital documentation and analysis of inscribed artefacts in the context of cultural heritage research and collections. It focuses on the combined use of high-resolution 3D photogrammetry, structured metadata, and semantic annotation as tools for investigating objects whose significance lies at the intersection of materiality, text, and ritual practice. The approach is illustrated through a corpus of Islamic inscribed metal bowls preserved in the Museo Orientale ‘Umberto Scerrato’ in Naples, examined within the broader framework of the ITSERR project, dedicated to the study and digital representation of religious texts and their material transmission. Three-dimensional models are treated not as simple visual surrogates, but as analytical environments in which inscriptions, decorative elements, manufacturing traces, and spatial relationships can be systematically recorded, queried, and linked to textual and contextual information. The paper discusses data acquisition protocols, modelling strategies, and principles for organising interoperable datasets designed for long-term preservation and reuse. By integrating technological, philological, and archaeological perspectives, the proposed workflow contributes to current debates on digital methods in cultural heritage research and outlines practices that can be transferred to a wide range of inscribed objects and textual corpora beyond the specific case study.