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VIRTUALISATION OF AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
E.S. Malinverni, G. Gagliardini, G. Fangi,
FIMET — Universita di Ancona, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona Italy
fangi(@unian. it
Commission V, WG V/4
KEY WORDS: 3D modelling, DEM, DSM, Virtual Reality, Multimedia Interaction, Cultural Heritage, Archaeology
ABSTRACT:
Virtual reality is a promising technique for archaeologists. Its suitability is shown by the virtual reconstruction, after a geodetic and
photogrammetric survey, of an archaeological site in Oman. The traditional computer graphics methods and the new computer vision
techniques are applied in combination to realize realistic 3D scenes from different viewpoints. Not only the wire-frame of the model
of the site is visible, but , thanks to the texture technique, almost every details also is illustrated. However the mains problems arise
for the generation of the whole site, by means of CAD or 3D modelling systems, that has to be done almost always manually.
Moreover it is time consuming and critical to obtain a realistic surface texture with complex shape and it requires a lot of human
interaction. The result has not only an high degree of realism but it is also important for any possible related study. This model can be
used for a realistic walk through the archaeological site. Furthermore the 3D model can offer and test historical hypothesis for the
monuments, buildings, routes, to enable future preservation and restoration projects. The difficult concept of “reconstruction” is also
discussed, especially questions about how to “complete” fragmented archaeological data. General solutions to rendering, texturing
and illumination the CAD model give some clues to the concept of “realism” and why we need “realistic” models. A final
presentation of interactivity and the basis of “augmented” reality are showed. By means of a virtual format, it can be gained to visit
here and now, “on site”, ancient sites open to the virtual tourism to a global public.
1. KHOR RORI: AN ANCIENT SITE IN THE SOUTH
OF ARABIA
The South-Arabic harbour of Khor Rori is a small fortified city
situated on a rocky hill that dominates the Eastern side of a
large lagoon fed by Darbat wadi (Figure 1).
The inscriptions on the city gate prove that the city, whose
ancient South-Arabic name was Sumhuram, was founded by the
king of Hadramawt, linked to the development of sea-trade
(Figure 2).
Figure 2. The natural port of Khor Rori
Sumhuram was the connecting point between the caravan route
that moved upwards in the direction of the semidesertic region
of Nejd (where incense was and is still produced) and the sea
trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and India. The
Sumhuram of the monumental phase was a small, walled,
strongly fortified city about 1 ha in area, with a tripartite city
gate, a monumental building (a palace or a temple), two-storey
private dwellings and large storehouses. The city was founded
in the late first century BC and its flourishing can be placed
between the late first century BC and the beginning of the
fourth century AD.
The architectonic complex of the city gate, which juts
northward from the walls of Sumhuram, is probably the most
interesting feature of the settlement (Figure 3).
Figure 1. The geographical localization
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