Articles by Luca Bezzi

2024 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Digital twins of archaeological finds: open source technologies applied to 3D scanning

Luca Bezzi, Alessandro Bezzi, Rupert Gietl, Cicero Moraes, Giuseppe Naponiello, Sara Airò, Andreas Putzer, Elena Silvestri

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the complex issue of 3D documentation of archaeological artifacts under different viewpoints: from potential technologies to current methodological limitations, in light of the obtained results. These results will be described based on direct experiences derived from specific archaeological projects, whose primary aim was indeed the creation of digital replicas of selected artifacts. Among the institutions involved in such projects are the MArTA (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto), the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, and the UMST (Unit. di Missione Strategica) of the Soprintendenza per i Beni e le Attività Culturali of the Autonomous Province of Trento (PAT).

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2024, 35.2, 203-214; doi: 10.19282/ac.35.2.2024.22

2019 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Archeorobotics. Applicazioni robotiche aperte e archeologia estrema

Luca Bezzi, Alessandro Bezzi, Rupert Gieti, Giuseppe Naponiello, Kathrin Feistmantl

Abstract

This paper presents an overview on the development and use of open hardware devices in archaeology and their operation in extreme conditions. State-of-the-art technologies are analysed, based on the working experience of the Arc-Team company, which, in 2006, started up a new branch of research, informally called Archeorobotics. The research was initially focused on open hardware radio-controlled UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle); over time different devices were developed, like ROV (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle), USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle), CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine and other electronic and mechanical tools.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2019, 30, 467-470; doi: 10.19282/ac.30.2019.31

2016 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Torre dei Sicconi: progetto di ricostruzione e valorizzazione di un antico sito castellare trentino

Nicoletta Pisu, Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi, Cicero Moraes

Abstract

The old castle of Torre Sicconi was founded in 1201 by the Caldonazzo family on the hill (Monte Rive, TN) which rises above the village. In 1385 the fortress was badly damaged during the conflict against enemy troops from Vicenza and Verona. The castle was partially rebuilt in the same place, but during 16th century the political and social changes led to a progressive abandonment of the site. The ruins were definitively destroyed in 1915 by the Austro-Hungarian army. In 2005 the city council of Caldonazzo and the Archaeological Superintendency of Trento started a project to restore the site of Torre Sicconi. The project was divided into three phases: first, the castle was investigated by archaeologists who discovered many of the original buildings; then, the walls were consolidated and repaired and, in the meantime, the entire hill was converted from a wood to a botanical garden; lastly, all the data collected from the different research projects (historical, archaeological, architectural, survey, remote sensing, etc.) were used to rebuild the castle in a Virtual Reality World.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2016, Supplemento 8, 263-270

2016 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

FACCE. I molti volti della storia umana. Una mostra open source

Telmo Pievani, Moreno Tiziani, Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi, Cicero Moraes, Nicola Carrara

Abstract

In 2012 a partnership between Arc-Team s.r.l., Antrocom onlus and the Museum of Anthropology (University of Padua) started the Taung project, whose aim was the facial reconstruction of the fossil known as Taung child, a specimen of Australopithecus africanus discovered by Raymond Dart in 1924. It was a perfect pilot project of open research, developed with open tools and focused on sharing knowledge and data. On the basis of this experience, three years later the same partnership organized the exhibition called FACCE. I molti volti della storia umana, which opened to the general public in Padua on the 14th of February 2015. The main topics of this exhibition were the human face and the reconstruction of 27 skulls, 22 of them related to human evolution and 5 related to famous people connected to Padua (St. Anthony of Padua, Luca Belludi, Francesco Petrarca, Giovanni Battista Morgagni and the mummy of an Egyptian priest preserved in the museum’s collection). The common thread of this exhibition offers an opportunity to address well-known anthropology issues, highlighting how the boundaries of the study of this discipline have changed a lot over time, often coming to overturn today what was affirmed in the past. The main characteristic of this event is the fact that it can be considered an open source exhibition, maybe the first of its kind. All processes, from the scanning of skulls using Computer Vision techniques to the modelling of the faces and presentation of the results to the media, were performed using only Free and Open Source Software. Moreover, all the products (images, videos and augmented reality apps) will be released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution, which is a kind of license approved for free cultural work.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2016, Supplemento 8, 271-279

2014 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Un prototipo di Augmented Reality per la valorizzazione della villa romana di Torre di Pordenone (Friuli Venezia Giulia)

Matteo Frassine, Anna Nicoletta Rigoni, Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi, Giuseppe Naponiello

Abstract

In 2008 a new excavation project started in the archaeological site of the Castle of Torre di Pordenone (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy), thanks to the efforts of the Municipality of Pordenone. During the archaeological campaign, a new rectangular building was discovered, in connection with the Roman villa already investigated in the 1930s. This building is divided into at least nine consecutive areas and the W side has a porticus supported by 8 pillars. Given the nature of the architectural elements, which are preserved in almost all cases at the foundation level, the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Nucleo Operativo di Pordenone), in cooperation with the Municipality of Pordenone and the Museo Archeologico del Friuli Occidentale, decided to test modern information technologies, in order to create a virtual tour, based on an accurate 3D reconstruction of the Roman building. The final prototype, developed for the project, has an Augmented Reality level that can be visualized through video-glasses (Head Mounted Display), thanks to the interaction with a high definition webcam and a tablet equipped with open source software.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2014, 25, 189-206; doi: 10.19282/ac.25.2014.10

2013 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

ArcheOS 4.0 Caesar: novità e aspetti della distribuzione GNU-Linux dedicata all’archeologia

Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi, Fabrizio Furnari, Denis Francisci

Abstract

This article illustrates the fourth release of ArcheOS, the first GNU-Linux distribution developed for archaeological aims and released under GPL. Since the first version in 2005, this free operating system has attempted to satisfy all the needs of an archaeological project, covering every single step of the operating workflow, from data collection and storage to elaboration, publication and sharing. The main target of the project is to spread the use of Free and Open Source software and to apply the ideology of the Free Software movement to archaeology itself (a central postulation of the Free Software Foundation is the free circulation of data and ideas). The new release Caesar, based on Debian Squeeze 6.0, has some important changes in the organization of the structure of the entire project. In fact, the developer team focused more on the stability of the operating system and an on-line service to keep the different programs (APT deb-repository) up to date. Caesar ensures a better hardware integration and a more accurate selection of software. The research of new technological solutions is one of the most important aspects of the project, which, from this aspect, is strongly connected with innovation in archaeological methodology.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2013, Supplemento 4, 165-173

2013 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Corso base di free software e open source in archeologia: bilancio di un’esperienza di divulgazione pratica

Luca Bezzi, Kathrin Feistmantl, Simone Deola, Valeria Grazioli, Simone Pedron, Maura Stefani

Abstract

In February of 2012 a basic course was given at the Livelet Archaeological Park, in Revine Lago (Treviso, Italy), about free and open source software for archaeology. It was organized by members of the Studio Associato Sestante and Arc team and supported by the Archaeological Park itself. The express purpose of the course was that of providing an overview of the many possibilities offered by these types of software in the archaeological field, in order to introduce participants to an unknown world, both in the universities and at work. The analysis of the responses to a questionnaire given to the participants has produced very encouraging results.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2013, Supplemento 4, 188-193

2011 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Progetto Castellum Vervassium: dal dato archeologico al WebGIS. Analisi integrate per la ricerca, la tutela e la valorizzazione di un territorio nella bassa e media Anaunia (Val di Non, Trentino)

Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi, Lorenza Endrizzi, Matteo Frassine, Rupert Gieti, Giuseppe Naponiello, Nicoletta Pisu

Abstract

The “Castellum Vervassium” project concerns a series of archaeological investigations regarding the landscape around an ancient settlement now known with the name of Vervò (Val di Non, Trentino, Italy). Among the different analyses (excavation, survey, remote sensing, etc.), in 2010 a sub-project was started to reconstruct a hypothetical ancient road network inside the target landscape. In order to optimize the scientific process, the entire research project was divided into three steps: a topographic study conducted with classical methodology, the determination of the least cost path through LIDAR data and the development of a WebGIS to improve scientific publication of the final result. Every single phase of the work-flow was supported by specific Free/Libre and Open Source software applications. During the classical topographic study, the simple and light GIS OpenJUMP was used to improve precision and to avoid time consuming operations with cartography (without compromising user control in qualitative analyses). For more complex quantity analyses, the software GRASS granted a high quality, mainly thanks to its modular structure. This program satisfied our needs in determining the least cost path between main nodes of the road network and managed huge amount of data analysing a LIDAR DTM of 1 meter accuracy. A WebGIS, based on GeoServer and OpenLayer, made it possible to share the basic topographic and archaeological information of the project with the community. This type of flexible media was the best choice for offering broad access to the data, thanks to different filters and pre-built queries that simplify the internal browsing of the system.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2011, 22, 67-98; doi: 10.19282/ac.22.2011.04

2009 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Archeologia e Open Source, il prossimo passo: costruire e sviluppare progetti hardware

Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi, Rupert Gieti

Abstract

After years spent in developing FLOSS we have reached a high quality level in computational archaeology, and therefore, in 2008 we focused our research on OS hardware projects to develop our data acquisition methodology. In this article we present our experiments in building a drone for aerial documentation..

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2009, Supplemento 2, 183-193