Virtual Reconstruction of the Temple on the Acropolis of Kymissala in Rhodes

Abstract

In recent years, the rapid development of technology has offered scientists new powerful tools. Especially in the field of cultural heritage documentation, modern digital media are an integral part, contributing significantly to the process of recording, managing, and displaying architectural monuments, archaeological sites, and art objects in a fast and accurate way. Digital technologies have made it possible to produce accurate digital copies of heritage sites and contribute to their salvation and conservation. At the top of the hill of Agios Fokas, acropolis of the ancient Demos of Kymissaleis, are the remains of a small Hellenistic temple of the 3rd–2nd century BC. This article proposes a virtual reconstruction of the temple on the acropolis of Kymissala. The geometric documentation of the temple and the creation of a three-dimensional model with its virtual reconstruction are analyzed. Modern photogrammetric methods are applied by taking digital images in the context of the experimental application of a relatively simple and semi-automatic method that does not require highly specialized knowledge and therefore can be used by non-specialists. With the use of modeling software, a three-dimensional model of the temple is created with the main goal of its virtual reconstruction.