3D DIGITALIZATION AND VISUALIZATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS WITH THE USE OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND VIRTUAL REALITY SYSTEM

Abstract. Digital technologies are increasingly being used in the field of archaeology to provide three-dimensional metric information to scholars and help them in the process of understanding and interpreting the site under investigation. Among different surveying methods certainly photogrammetry has many advantages being a low cost, reliable and fast technique, but most importantly it allows the creation of realistic and interactive 3D models that can be viewed and interpreted by a wider audience. This certainly makes the enjoyment of sites easier and makes data accessible from anywhere. This study shows three particularly significant case studies in the archaeological field where photogrammetry has served as support. These case studies are representative of specific situations in which archaeology requires digitization of artefacts. The first one concerns the Temple of Apollo in Gortyn (Crete, Greece), the second one is the ancient city of Nora (Sardinia, Italy) and the third one is the Museo Civico of Eremitani in Padua (Italy). The paper explains how 3D metric surveying has served for the representation and analysis of stratigraphic sections of buildings in the case of the Gortyn site, for the creation of virtual tours of archaeological sites in the case of Nora, and for the documentation and visualization of small artifacts in the case of the Museo Civico of Eremitani by highlighting potentials and criticalities of the method.