Articles by Enrico Zampieri

This contribution deals with the use of relational databases (RDB) and GIS for the spatial analysis of Iron Age funerary contexts in the Italian peninsula through two projects by the Chair of Etruscology at the University of Bologna. The two selected case studies of Bologna’s western necropolis and Spina’s Valle Trebba necropolis represent distinct phases of research and discuss the challenges in updating historic systems and creating dialogue between systems adopted at different times. The Bologna case provides the opportunity to discuss the quality of data from old excavations in reconstructing funerary landscapes using GIS. The case of Valle Trebba exemplifies the difficulties in planning and managing information on 1215 tombs and over twelve thousand objects through an articulated relational archiving system. The iconography of Attic pottery allows us to understand the management of qualitative data. As far as spatial analysis in a GIS environment is concerned, we reassessed the solutions adopted for the Valle Trebba project, which are currently unsatisfactory, as they do not meet the principles of accessibility of such tools, nor Open Data Standards.

The paper focuses on the issues of archaeological interpretation of the Quagliotti-Davanzali necropolis of Numana (AN) in relation to the virtual reconstruction of the context. The first step of this process is the reconstruction of the necropolis at the time of the excavation. This reconstruction is realized through the analysis and elaboration of the wide archival documentation produced during the archaeological campaigns. The study then focuses on the archaeological analysis of some specific sectors of the necropolis and on how digital models can effectively support this investigation. The limits and the potentialities of the experimented methods for the creation of the models are subsequently highlighted. Finally, a reflection is proposed on the future perspectives of the project in relation to the overall study of the necropolis, with a preliminary application of 3D modelling on the entire funerary area, in particular in its last phase of attendance. Indeed, for this last stage an optimal interpolation between the excavation data and the new research carried out in the field can be achieved, with a view to an integrated reading and a consequent virtual representation of the ancient funerary landscape.

In this paper we will briefly discuss the evolution of the solutions that the Chair ofEtruscology of the Bologna University applied to the topographic survey of the archaeological excavation in the Etruscan city of Marzabotto (BO). The operational choices, the instruments and the software used in the latest excavation fields will be presented here. We will then illustrate the applied experimental workflow and its possible further development in order to take full advantage of the possibilities and benefits offered by the 3D survey techniques.

The paper aims to explain the analytical method used to virtually recreate the houses of the Etruscan city of Marzabotto. As stated in the title, the starting point of the process was the analysis conducted on the tangible archaeological evidence of building materials; these latter were fully integrated with data provided by the ancient sources and the latest technology. Next, the problems and the solutions adopted in order to recreate the houses are presented. In the last section the criteria used for the visual restitution of the unexcavated context of the ancient city are explained.