Archeologia e Calcolatori 25 - 2014

The statistical technique known as Textual Correspondence Analysis has been used here to study the late third millennium Mesopotamian figurative languages which were used to produce the so-called presentation scenes in Ur III glyptic. For this investigation the authors prepared a data set that collected the codings of a corpus of Ur III presentation scenes known from cylinder seals or ancient seal impressions on administrative documents. In this paper we first offer a summary and the discussion of the aims, strategies and first results of this investigation, then the iconography of presentation scenes is interpreted through the classification of the scenes on the basis of the analysis of the forms and of their external features. The paper concludes with a general summing-up of the results and their meaning.

This article focuses on the preliminary results of a CNR-ISMA ongoing project for the digital edition of Linear B texts, having the ultimate goal of providing scholars, and all those who are interested in the Mycenaean world, with an updated edition of these documents. LiBER (Linear B Electronic Resources) is a document management system which is able to process a variety of materials, such as the logo-syllabic script preserved by these ancient records and their physical supports, as well as to project all relevant data into a dynamic archaeological map. In particular, LiBER has been designed to manage structured texts and all the information available about their chronology, paleography and spatial distribution. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the general philosophy which lies behind the conception of this kind of enterprise and the solutions adopted for the encoding of this specific logo-syllabic script - by exploring drawbacks and potentials of descriptive markup languages and a database driven approach - and for the representation of data through dynamic maps.

Thesaurus Project aims at promoting the knowledge of the underwater cultural heritage, ancient and modern, through the application of several typologies of tools: underwater autonomous vehicles, which will be able to explore the sea bottom in teams communicating with each other; a database, which will be useful to store and manage all the information referring to archaeological or historical objects, shipwrecks and sites. This paper aims to explain the logic structure of the database indicating the particular needs of the research, the different typologies of items which have to be managed (archaeological and historical objects; ancient, medieval or modern shipwrecks; underwater sites; written or figurative sources, etc.), the relation with other similar databases and projects. The main task of this part of Thesaurus is to plan and organize an IT system, which will allow archaeologists to describe information in detail, in order to make an efficient managing and retrieving data system available.

The paper illustrates the results of the surveys carried out along the Jato Alto and Belìce Destro rivers, and the research methodology based on computer applications. The study was conducted through the integration of analytical techniques based on a GIS platform to manage and process spatial data. The principles followed in the settlement distribution (possibility of water supply, exposition, slope and intra-site visibility) and the influence of foreign elements in the territory were examined with innovative methodologies. Specific attention was therefore directed to describing the relationships between settlements and the neighbouring area, by applying landscape archaeology to study this part of Western Sicily from Prehistory to the Middle Ages, and to develop a methodology for studying the ancient landscape. The area that was chosen extends about 180 km2, to the S-E of Palermo, between the mountains near the town of Monreale and the Oreto Valley. The use of Geographic Information Systems in archaeology shows how it is an ideal tool to quickly and effectively manage, store and analyze the large amount of data produced by surveys. This system allows us to query both graphics and alphanumeric data, for statistical calculations or complex spatial analysis, aimed at identifying distribution models or relationships between different elements otherwise not visible. A fundamental part of this system is the organization and construction of a database, which requires a careful analysis in planning the phases of the project.

Digital maps linked to GIS platforms are extremely effective tools for the knowledge of the archaeological heritage and its management. Currently available GIS cloud is very useful for the remote sharing of archaeological data, because it is able to index and quickly retrieve heterogeneous information from large databases. A cartographic engine embedded in the system makes the cloud more powerful and allows users to share geospatial archaeological data quickly on the web. This is very important in collaborative research projects and for dissemination. The Laboratory of Ancient Topography, Archaeology and Remote Sensing of IBAM CNR is experimenting an open source suite to create a fully working GIS in the cloud system. This suite is composed of different databases (MySQL, postgreSQL, postGIS), a cartographic engine and a web client (QGIS server, QGIS Web Client), and a http server (Apache Web Server), all embedded in the owncloud cloud system. The system is currently being tested for the realization of the digital archaeological maps of the cities of Lecce and Taormina, now in progress in cooperation with the University of Salento and Messina and the Archaeological Superintendence of Apulia Region and Messina Province.

The wreck of the ship Mercurio lies at a depth of 17 m, off Punta Tagliamento, between the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. It was discovered in 2001, and was excavated in 2001, and again between 2004 and 2011, by Carlo Beltrame (Università Ca’ Foscari) in collaboration with the local archaeological superintendency. It was a brigantine, belonging to an Italian-French squadron, sunk during the battle of Grado in the 1812. Problems typical of post-Medieval ships (especially when military), such as the complexity of the aspect because of the presence of metal concretions and a lot of items of different materials and typologies and the difficulties in documenting very small objects (such as the many buttons of uniforms) with the photogrammetrical system, were solved with the use of an intra-site GIS on a Quantum GIS open source application. The GIS allowed us not only to manage the large amount of information (site-plans, topological positions of the items, photos, etc.) produced during the excavations, but also to answer questions about the dynamics both of the sinking and the formation processes and, thanks to the use of a system of virtual frames, about the location of the nautical equipment, the links between the human skeletons and the personal objects and parts of the uniforms and the location of the caulker store-room.

This paper illustrates the experiment of image-based modelling conducted on the site of Calicantone (RG) by the international course in Archaeology of the Dipartimento di Scienze Umanistiche of the University of Catania, in collaboration with the Dept. of Engineering and Architecture of the same University and the Soprintendenza of Ragusa. The aim of the research was to experiment and verify a single process of digital acquisition, elaboration and communication, and to investigate the potential of shifting from 3D to 2D for the creation of metrically and geometrically reliable orthophotos (so called new photogrammetry). In particular, this kind of application has not been widely used by the archaeological teams working in Sicily, especially when the Computer Vision is not aimed at the reconstruction or the dissemination of the results. The site of Calicantone represented an ideal context for a multiple experimentation of image-based modelling. Indeed, the construction of a methodology of survey of the site involved a global understanding of a complex context, made by different kinds of evidence: built architecture (walls), negative architecture (rock cut tombs), horizontal restitution of the trenches vs vertical restitution of the slopes of the hill hosting the tombs. From the point of view of the archaeological narrative, the exceptional impact of the landscape, the necessity of an enhancement and the limited visibility of some of the archaeological evidence encouraged the acquisition of the data through passive detectors, in order to support the traditional 3D reconstruction of the landscape.

The domus de janas are the typical rock-cut tombs of Sardinian Late Prehistory. Many of them are decorated. Motifs are made with different techniques: painting, sculpture and incision. Architectural elements, busts, cattle and sheep, and horn-shaped features are represented. Painting is generally used to decorate the ceilings, the jambs of doors, walls and false doors. The difficulty of detecting traces of paint complicates the identification of the ancient use of this decorative technique. The aim of this work is to describe the great utility of the plugin DStretch, extension of the ImageJ software, as a method of computer analysis and processing of multispectral images on the paint traces at the sides of the Perdonighéddu domus de janas (Sorgono, NU, Sardinia, Italy). This system opens up new perspectives in the study of the paintings found in the domus de janas, by allowing a crisper image of the decoration, through an alteration of digital photography chromatic scale. The analysis of the images of this grave reveals the presence of traces of painting that decorate the sides of the entrance by forming two doorposts supporting the lintel.

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the techniques used for data collection, elaboration and interpretation during the archaeological investigation in the agora of Segesta, conducted by the Laboratorio di Scienze dell’Antichità (LSA) of the Scuola Normale Superiore and the Laboratorio di Disegno e Restauro (LADIRE) of the Dipartimento di Civiltà e Forme del Sapere of Pisa University. The use of close-range photogrammetry, both terrestrial and aerial, combined with traditional drawing techniques, allowed us to improve the quality and amount of data collected for scientific purposes. As a result, the analysis of the archaeological stratigraphy, and especially the examination of structures and architectural elements, benefitted from a wider and more detailed collection of graphic data and information concerning the ancient site of Segesta. On the one hand, the use of terrestrial photogrammetric techniques, such as the so-called Structure from Motion (SfM), allowed us to obtain 3D models of the excavated area. At the same time, by using RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) we started an up-to-date survey of the whole site. Using these new techniques, we were able to develop and improve the digital acquisition of data and create 3D models of the elements discovered and of the whole agora. Moreover,, thanks to the fundamental collaboration of the DreamsLab of the Scuola Normale Superiore, it was possible to achieve a virtual simulation of the public square of Segesta and of the most important buildings surrounding the agora. This virtual simulation of the agora in augmented reality, and the opportunity to visualize and utilize it within the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE), will certainly make it possible to improve archaeological research and data dissemination, presentation and communication.

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.

The paper investigates the perspectives of applying the smart city paradigm in the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage field, thus outlining the emerging concept of Smart Cultural Heritage and Smart Archaeology and proposing an integrated approach, in which the fundamental value of the cultural framework is acknowledged in the complexity of the smart paradigm. The theory of Cultural Commons, moreover, is invoked as a basis for the study of the advantages of sharing common resources (such as cultural heritage and the related digital information) within the Communities, identified in their inclination to innovation by means of the Evolving Networks model. In this context, the Or.C.He.S.T.R.A. project proposes a participatory and cooperative complex system of heterogeneous information on the ancient center of Naples as a case study, ranging from mobility, to health, energy, and cultural heritage, to support the smart exploitation of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage, for citizens, visitors and tourists while fulfilling the requirements of sustainability and eco-friendliness. The first experimentations of this methodological approach are presented, with focus ranging from archaeological exploitation to participated management of cultural heritage, to educational innovation. The integration of these aspects multiplies their potential, and influences the value of cohesion and density of networks of shared goods and services in the area, supporting the spread of innovation in the community, and creating value in the territory, thus impacting the possibility of the appearance of the tragedy of cultural commons.

The application of least-cost analysis (LCA) in archaeology has considerably increased in recent years. Modern Geographical Information Systems provide the tools for generating least-cost site catchments, least-cost paths and route networks as well as accessibility maps. Recently, published case studies present LCA results for very different time periods and parts of the world. Consequently, it seems that the technology for generating these results is readily available and reliable. However, the quality of the LCA outcome depends on the accuracy and the resolution of the geographical data used, and on the cost model itself. Varying the parameters of the cost model allows assessing the stability of the modelled catchments, routes or accessibility maps. Without validation, the LCA results remain exploratory and should not be used as a basis for building an even more complex model. The technical aspects of the case studies considered will be discussed with respect to these issues.