Abstract
Between 2013 and 2015, Arcadia University in partnership with the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology and the University of Catania undertook new excavation campaigns in the Catacombs of St. Lucy at Siracusa. The research focuses on some very problematic parts of Region C of the complex, including Oratory C, the so-called Pagan Shrine and Crypt VI. These areas document most effectively the long life of this Christian hypogeum, which incorporated previous structures and artefacts related to the Greek period and continued to be used until the Middle Ages. During the excavation an array of 3D digital techniques (3D scanning, 3d Modelling, Image-based 3D modelling) was used for the daily recording of the archaeological units, but also to create high-resolution virtual replicas of certain districts of the catacombs. Furthermore, the same techniques were applied to support the study of certain classes of materials, such as frescoes and marble architectural elements that could otherwise only be studied in the dark environment of the catacombs, making the visual analysis of such complex artifacts difficult and sometimes misleading, not to mention that the frequent use of strong sources of light for study can also endanger them. The virtual archaeology research undertaken at the Catacombs of St. Lucy represents the first systematic application of 3D digital technologies to the study of such a special archaeological context in Sicily.
Highlights
The growing popularity of virtual archaeology has substantially changed the perspective of archaeologists towards the object of their study, conditioning their field strategies and directing their research perspectives (Stanco and Tanasi 2011; Hugget 2013; Economou 2015)
The application of certain 3D imaging solutions turned out to be extremely helpful for the analysis of peculiar archaeological contexts, such as the Christian catacombs, characterized by a multi-faceted architectural history and by dark restricted environments (Zimmermann 2008)
In the framework of the excavation project undertaken by the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, Arcadia University and the University of Catania at the Catacombs of St
Summary
The growing popularity of virtual archaeology has substantially changed the perspective of archaeologists towards the object of their study, conditioning their field strategies and directing their research perspectives (Stanco and Tanasi 2011; Hugget 2013; Economou 2015). In the framework of the excavation project undertaken by the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, Arcadia University and the University of Catania at the Catacombs of St. Lucy at Siracusa (Fig. 1), one of the most important Late Roman cultural complexes of Sicily (Sgarlata and Salvo 2006; Sgarlata 2007), an array of different 3D Digital Imaging techniques were used to record excavation data. The scientific exercises were carried out by American undergraduate students previously trained in the use of open-source software for data-processing and low-cost 3D scanning devices such as Microsoft Kinect and Occipital Structure. With regards to the areas of intervention, as well as the areas of Oratory C and Crypt VI, a successful research exercise was carried out in the ‘Pagan Shrine’
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