Archeologia e Calcolatori 37.1 - 2026

The paper presents the initial results of a recent project focused on one of the necropolises, known as ‘I Pini’, related to the pre-Roman settlement of Numana/Sirolo (Ancona, Marche Region). Specifically, it focuses on the re-contextualization of archival data from excavations carried out in the last century and on the integration of various geophysical survey methods, implemented with a synergistic approach both within and outside the now-musealized archaeological area. These operations, aimed at resuming archaeological investigations of the necropolis and achieving a more precise topographical framework, have shed new light on the context, revealing new information regarding previous investigations and contributing to the definition of a more targeted excavation strategy. The extension of non-invasive surveys beyond the area already subject to excavation has also revealed new significant archaeological features pertaining to the necropolis itself, redefining its boundaries and providing new insights into its internal layout.

The archaeological site of Poggio Gramignano (Lugnano in Teverina, TR) represents a complex, multi-period settlement sequence, spanning from the Orientalizing-Archaic period to Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. This paper presents the results of an integrated research strategy combining non-invasive methodologies, namely aerial remote sensing, analysis of historical aerial photographs and satellite imagery, magnetometric survey, and 3D ground-penetrating radar (GPR), with targeted stratigraphic excavation data. The application of these techniques has significantly enhanced the understanding of the site’s spatial organization, architectural development, and diachronic transformation beyond the limits of the excavated areas. Remote sensing and geophysical surveys have revealed a previously unknown extent of the Roman villa complex, including peripheral structures, retaining walls (basis villae), and a large summit cistern connected to a hydraulic distribution system. Photointerpretation has also identified features attributable to a pre-Roman settlement, possibly enclosed by a ditch, corroborating evidence recovered during recent excavations. The integration of geophysical data with stratigraphic observations has allowed the recognition of multiple construction phases characterized by different orientations, suggesting significant architectural reorganization over time. Particular attention is devoted to the Late Antique phase, during which parts of the Augustan villa fell into disuse and were partially reused, including the establishment of an infant cemetery within abandoned rooms. Overall, the study demonstrates the critical role of non-invasive approaches in reconstructing complex archaeological landscapes and refining historical interpretations at multi-layered sites.

The district of Laredo is located in the middle valley of the Moche River, along the northern coast of Peru, near the city of Trujillo. Since pre-Hispanic times, this area has been characterized by continuous processes of occupation, documented through irrigation systems, monumental earthen architecture, and road networks connecting the valley with inland regions. Today, these archaeological remains coexist with agricultural landscapes of colonial origin, industrial infrastructures linked to sugar production and contemporary settlements, forming a complex and stratified cultural landscape that remains little known and undervalued. This territorial heritage can be fully understood only when considered as a whole and analyzed through a multiscale approach – territorial, urban, and architectural. The research is based on the development of a GIS platform designed to integrate, manage, and analyze environmental, archaeological, and architectural geo-datasets at different spatial scales. The GIS-supported spatial analyses made it possible to reconstruct settlement dynamics from the Lithic Period to the modern era, to explore relationships between sites, infrastructures, and environmental factors, and to define criteria for the sustainable management and enhancement of the historical landscape and earthen heritage of the middle Moche Valley.

This paper addresses the ‘measurability crisis’ affecting Italian preventive archaeology within the framework of the Preventive Verification of Archaeological Interest (VPIA). Despite adopting technical terminology, the discipline remains tethered to a ‘mystical’ approach, wherein Archaeological Potential often conceals subjective judgments. The article advocates for an “atheist” paradigm shift: replacing the heuristics of Potential with a geometrically grounded Risk calculation. The author proposes a new syntax based on the formula, treating Work Interference (I), Probability of discovery (P), and intrinsic Quality (Q) as distinct variables. Crucially, the paper suggests adopting parametric grids (inspired by Dutch KNA standards) to objectify Quality (Q) upon completion of diagnostic surveys. This methodological distinction anchors the decision regarding extensive excavation to measurable data rather than predictive estimates, a necessary condition for integrating heritage protection into BIM procedures and public procurement contracts.

Starting from the archaeological and architectural analysis of the Nuraghe Palmavera, located near Alghero in northwestern Sardinia, this study presents a preliminary investigation into the application of digital twin methodologies and computational modelling for predictive structural analysis and risk assessment. The focus is placed on one of the towers within the nuragic complex, selected as a representative case for testing the integration of digital tools with archaeological data. The research explores the potential of mechanical digital twins to simulate structural behaviour over time, assess vulnerability to environmental and anthropogenic stressors, and support conservation strategies based on objective, data-driven insight.

This article presents the results of a digital reconstruction of Hut 1 from the Bronze Age site of Posta Rivolta (Foggia), conducted as part of an ongoing doctoral research project. The study employs an integrated methodology combining archaeological data, three-dimensional modelling, and structural simulations to propose a scientifically grounded and verifiable architectural hypothesis. The focus is on the analysis of the wooden framework, developed through comparison with the site of Nola-Croce del Papa and adapted to local archaeological markers. The validity of the hypothesis was tested through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to assess the aerodynamic response of the structure to environmental stresses. Additionally, volumetric calculations of the timber used were performed, with particular attention to the functional distribution of the perimeter posts. The results highlight a coherent and intentional design, compatible with structural and environmental requirements, laying the groundwork for further research and valorisation efforts.

Despite its proximity to Rome and its historical and cultural significance, Tivoli remains largely unknown in many respects. In this regard, the close association with Hadrian’s Villa and the prominent role this site has played in the development of archaeology have contributed to obscuring one of the most characteristic phenomena of the Tiburtine countryside in antiquity: the villae of otium. With this in mind, the Universidad Pablo de Olavide has launched a new archaeological project aimed at highlighting one of the most significant residential architectural complexes in the suburbium of Rome during the Late Republican period. Given the absence of a modern plan of the site, the first phase of the project has focused on producing a topographic survey and an architectural analysis that combine cutting-edge methods with the clarity and effectiveness of traditional analogue systems.

The monumental turreted pronaos on the façade of the church of Santa Maria dell’Alizza in Alezio (Lecce, Italy) represents a unique structure in the panorama of Late medieval religious architecture in Southern Italy. This paper illustrates the results of a historical-architectural study conducted on the structure, based on a careful instrumental metric survey. This study allowed us to better examine the construction techniques, highlight their peculiarities, document the transformations that occurred over time, and analyze in detail the decorative elements present. At the same time, the historical research helped contextualize the individual interventions, offering a new perspective on the circumstances that led to the construction of the pronaos, the relationship between it and the church, and its original function.

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.

The adoption of Additive Manufacturing (AM) in cultural heritage conservation represents a profound transformation in the way digital data are produced, interpreted, and converted into physical artefacts. Alongside physical fabrication, there is increasing attention to the quality of the digital model, its traceability, its role within HBIM workflows, and the need to integrate documentary standards such as Dublin Core, the London Charter, and the Seville Principles. This contribution analyses the data lifecycle in the context of additive fabrication for the study and preservation of cultural heritage, highlighting technical, semantic, and methodological aspects, with particular attention to metric validation, interoperability, versioning, and semantic enrichment of models, all of which are essential to ensure scientific reliability and reproducibility of operations.

This article presents the results of a survey conducted between 2021 and 2022 among 175 archaeology professionals, mostly in France (88%). The aim was to analyze the uses, impacts, and future perspectives of 3D digitization tools in archaeological practice. The data, collected through a 24-question online form, were processed using statistical and lexicometric methods. The findings reveal a growing but uneven integration of 3D digitization methods, driven by practical needs and individual initiatives rather than institutional mandates. Key motivations include time-saving, accuracy, and data visualization, while main obstacles relate to equipment, training, and official recognition. The article concludes by calling for structured training programs, institutional support, and the development of shared standards to foster a sustainable and professionalized use of 3D digitization in archaeology.

Detecting archaeological features from satellite images is an increasingly vital tool in archaeology, offering a non-invasive means to discover and protect ancient structures. Among these, nuraghes, which are tower-shaped stone structures from the Bronze Age unique to Sardinia (Italy), present a significant challenge due to their varied sizes, forms, and environmental contexts. This paper introduces a pioneering approach employing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven method for detecting nuraghes in satellite images, specifically employing a Deep Learning (DL) model based on Vision Transformers (ViT), which is an advanced neural network architecture that excels in processing image data. The system, called ‘Artificial Intelligence Operator for Heritage’ (AIOH), is trained on custom data retrieved for this work: the dataset, NuragAI, includes thousands of satellite images from Google Maps with manually annotated nuraghe presence. It is designed to train the model to identify subtle and complex characteristics of nuraghe structures. The effectiveness of this approach was quantitatively assessed through extensive validation, with very high results on the training and testing set and interesting results also on data, detecting nuraghes in various terrains and under different lighting conditions. A preliminary on-site field campaign, to test results, was also carried out, confirming the model efficiency.

This paper presents two software applications for quantitative archaeological documentation: Munsell Soil Finder and PyWALL. Both tools were developed using AI-assisted natural language programming (Vibe Coding), demonstrating its viability for domain-specific archaeological software development. The two tools address recurrent operational bottlenecks: the standardization of color recording and time-intensive masonry documentation. Munsell Soil Finder maps pixel samples from calibrated photographs to Munsell (H V/C) notation via KD-tree nearest-neighbour search in CIELAB and ΔE2000 refinement, using 2734 reference samples plus interpolated values. PyWALL segments bricks and mortar in orthorectified images via K-Means clustering (Lab + edge/texture features) or a pre-trained DynUNet, extracts contours, and exports to DXF. Validation comprised: 1) chart tests with ColorChecker profiling (accuracy 63-100%, robustness ≥0.87); 2) human-versus-software and inter-observer comparisons (38.3% exact agreement with the software output; 28.9% among observers), highlighting the variability of visual assessment; 3) segmentation benchmarking (IoU 0.883-1.00; F1 0.938-1.00). A case study on Rimini’s medieval walls employs fuzzy c-means on combined chromatic and metric features to identify a consistent brick module (~27×12×5 cm), two clusters per brick orientation – separated primarily by CIELAB values rather than format, suggesting variability in clay composition or f iring conditions – and fragmentation rates of 26.92-41.14%.

This article proposes a quantitative approach to the stylistic analysis of ancient Roman Corinthian capitals through computational image processing. The study focuses on the evolution of the canonical Corinthian capital produced in Rome and its related contexts between the late first century BCE and the fourth century CE, a period during which significant formal transformations affected the morphology of the acanthus leaves and the overall decorative system. While traditional archaeological analysis has identified several diagnostic features for classification and dating, these assessments have largely relied on the qualitative expertise of specialists. In this work we introduce a basic quantitative method to estimate the curvature of two-dimensional representations of capitals, such as archaeological drawings. The method extracts geometric information from the contours of decorative elements without requiring training datasets or complex machine-learning procedures. By analysing the sharpness and curvature of ornamental features, the approach provides a quantitative descriptor of stylistic change over time. The results demonstrate that this method can distinguish capitals belonging to different chronological phases and therefore has the potential to support archaeological classification, facilitate the study of large corpora of artifacts, and contribute to the development of computational tools for cultural heritage research and documentation.

Ceramic, which is one of the most precious sources for the reconstruction of the past, constitutes the main discovery during archaeological excavations. The classification of ceramic sherds based on origin/dating/typology would require a long, and sometimes tedious, work by specialized archaeologists who could better use their time to carry out investigations on the dig site and for this reason these fragments often remain unclassified in the warehouses of universities and superintendencies for very long periods of time. AI and robotics can help automate this process: this project tries to address a possible solution by presenting the development of a robotic arm that carries out the pick-and-place of fragments classified using ArchAIDE, an AI-based ceramic classification application. The contribution of this article is an automated system which, after having recognized the fragments using the ArchAIDE AI, trained on 66 ceramic classes, collects them and places them in appropriate containers based on the assigned class.

The paper proposes a methodological reflection on the use of computational procedures and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the representation and communication of archaeological heritage, taking the work of Giovanni Battista Piranesi as a case study. Piranesi’s engravings, situated between reality and invention and characterized by a complex interplay of survey, interpretation, and imagination, provide an effective testing ground for experimenting with AI-based digital workflows. The research outlines a streamlined operational procedure that integrates image-to-image transformations with the generation of three-dimensional models, starting from historical iconographic sources. AI is employed not to produce automatic or verified reconstructions, but as a mediating computational tool aimed at regulating the representational process and managing the uncertainty inherent in visual data. The procedure is applied to different categories of urban and architectural subjects, including monumental views, archaeological artifacts, and imaginary spaces. This comparative application enables an analysis of how generative models respond to varying degrees of spatial and informational ambiguity, revealing phenomena such as geometric simplification, selective loss of detail, and hypothetical completion of non-explicit elements. The results highlight the potential of integrating archaeology and computation as a critical framework for interpreting, enhancing, and communicating archaeological representations.

This contribution presents a virtual reality application developed for the enhancement of the Roman Walls of Fano, combining digital surveying, 3D modeling, and immersive storytelling. The project involved the integration of data acquired through laser scanning, aerial photogrammetry, and high-resolution photography to generate a high-density digital twin, used as the foundation for interactive experiences. The VR application, designed for standalone devices, guides the user through a structured narrative composed of activatable sequences, featuring synchronized audiovisual content, symbolic interactions, and explorable 1:1 scale environments. The user evaluation, conducted on a sample of university students, revealed a high level of satisfaction in terms of immersion and interactivity, while also highlighting the need to improve accessibility due to episodes of cybersickness. Future developments include the extension of the survey to the entire circuit of the Roman walls, historically grounded virtual reconstructions, integration of the model into GIS systems, and the creation of a distributed museum based on digital content adaptable to different audiences. The proposed experience represents an example of a scientifically grounded application of immersive technologies to the dissemination of archaeological heritage.

Considering the potential demonstrated by virtual museums, in particular as a tool to combat conflicts and as a driver of cultural awareness beyond ethnic and social barriers, the article describes the opportunity of creating a virtual museum for the cultural heritage of the Seglamen area, in the Tigrai region, Ethiopia. The project, whose actual implementation is under discussion, has so far been developed in an alpha ‘spot’ version, and uses the most recent technological approaches (in terms of tridimensional representation, Generative AI and User Experience analysis) in order to promote the social recomposition of an area devastated by war.

This paper provides an overview of the main initiatives carried out by the Rome and Milan research units of CNR-ISPC within the H2IOSC project, highlighting how the work has continued beyond its official completion while contributing to the promotion of Open Science practices in the field of Cultural Heritage/Heritage Science. It outlines the evolution of the digital platforms developed by the Rome unit (DHeLO, BiDiAr, and ArchaeoHub), focusing on the methodological choices underpinning interoperability, Linked Open Data, and FAIR principles, as well as on the role of scientific dissemination in fostering dialogue with the research community. In parallel, it presents the work carried out by the Milan unit on semantic modelling for Heritage Science and digital epigraphy through initiatives aimed at developing shared ontologies, advancing interoperability, and implementing open resources such as H-SeTIS, H/RADIOSA, REMEDIA, and EpiHub. The final section explores the application of Artificial Intelligence and terminological analysis to the project’s scientific output, showing how text mining and distant reading approaches can be used to identify and structure the core concepts emerging from H2IOSC research.

This paper presents recent developments of ArchaeoHub, the Open Digital Archaeology Hub developed within the PNRR IR H2IOSC project. The work focuses on two main lines of automation. The first concerns a semi-automated pipeline for toponym recognition and disambiguation applied to the «Archeologia e Calcolatori» corpus. The second concerns the adaptation of ArchaeoHub to ingest Omeka S sources via JSON-LD. Finally, the paper outlines future developments related to integration with BiDiAr (another platform developed within the PNRR IR H2IOSC project), opening the way to dynamically generated citation networks via D3.js.

The boundaries of epigraphy have long remained the subject of implicit assumptions rather than explicit methodological reflection. While the discipline is traditionally associated with the study of inscriptions, the range of objects, media, practices, and analytical approaches encompassed by epigraphic research has expanded considerably over time, raising questions about the field’s conceptual limits and internal coherence. This article investigates how methodological literature has contributed to defining and negotiating the scope of epigraphy. Drawing on citation network analysis, the study examines a corpus of methodological contents that have shaped discussions on the nature, aims, and objects of epigraphic inquiry. By reconstructing patterns of citation and intellectual influence, the article identifies major clusters of scholarship, highlights key reference works, and explores the relationships among different methodological traditions. Rather than treating disciplinary boundaries as fixed or self-evident, the network perspective reveals them as the product of ongoing scholarly interactions and debates. The results suggest that epigraphy is characterized by a plurality of methodological orientations that converge around a shared concern for inscribed texts.

The proliferation of ontologies in the Heritage and digital humanities domain has accelerated significantly over the past two decades, driven by the growth of semantic web technologies, increasing demands for data interoperability, and the prevalence of project-based research funding, which tends to support the creation of new semantic models but provides little provision for their long-term maintenance and community uptake. The gap between ontology publication and ontology implementation has remained largely unexamined: many semantic models are proposed, described in academic papers, and then quietly abandoned, never reaching a machine-readable encoding, a stable namespace, or an active user community. No systematic evidence of the scale or pattern of this abandonment exists. This paper presents a preliminary assessment this phenomenon, drawing on the Heritage - Semantic Tools and Interoperability Survey (H-SeTIS), a curated registry of ontologies, metadata standards, and semantic tools developed for the cultural heritage domain. Based on a prototyped monitoring tool, it aims at quantifying the scale of ontology abandonment and identify the characteristic lifecycle patterns through which models fail or stall reaching operational use.

This paper presents the H2IOSC Observatory, the platform conceived for the long-term monitoring of the digital research ecosystem federated within the Humanities and Heritage Italian Open Science Cloud (H2IOSC) project, which brings together the Italian nodes of four ESFRI Research Infrastructures in the Social Sciences and Humanities domain: CLARIN, DARIAH, E-RIHS, and OPERAS. Originating from the landscaping activity carried out to map resources, tools, and communities across the national landscape, the Observatory turns its outcomes into a permanent and participatory function of the infrastructure, grounded in a mixed-methods strategy that integrates questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and targeted discovery activities. The paper describes its information architecture, organized into seven thematic areas, and its complementary relationship with the H2IOSC Marketplace, of which the Observatory constitutes the analytical counterpart. It also presents preliminary results from the first data collection, concerning awareness of the infrastructures, community expectations, and training needs. Finally, the Observatory is presented as an open, replicable, and adaptive tool, capable of supporting the strategic governance of H2IOSC and offering a model for future research-infrastructure observatories in the humanities and cultural heritage domains.