Reconstruction Of Cultural Heritage Research Articles

A new and ‘riveting’ method: Micro-CT scanning for the documentation, conservation, and reconstruction of the Gjellestad ship

The cultural heritage sector has increasingly explored the use of micro-CT (µCT) across numerous projects seeking to better understand past cultures and the materials they have left behind. As such, the role of micro-CT (µCT) is still being developed and projects continue to show novel ways that the technology can be adapted to. The Gjellestad ship, located in Halden (Østfold in Viken), Norway, is dated to the Viking Age and was found in a poor state of preservation. Both organic and metallic materials were deteriorated to the degree that standard excavation methods would have resulted in further damage to, or even the destruction of, these elements. A new approach was needed, and this presented an opportunity to explore the use for µCT as a documentative tool for field archaeology and conservation. As the remaining rivets were too fragile to handle directly, they were removed together with the surrounding matrix as soil blocks. To retain important stratigraphic and position information, a georeferencing system was developed that would be visible to µCT and included within each soil block. This enabled the spatial (re)positioning of the soil blocks by use of 3D GIS and in alongside with other spatial documentation gathered at the time of excavation. The quantity of soil blocks will give us a large dataset to work with and, although we continue to document the soil blocks with µCT, we now can discuss our preliminary results pertaining to the positive impact that µCT has for the documentation, conservation, and reconstruction of cultural heritage.

Research on the Development Path of Cultural Heritage Information Visualization from the Perspective of Digital Humanities

Art and humanities fields can all benefit from the wide range of digital materials, methodologies, and tools available to researchers. It is the merging of conventional humanities fields like archaeology and history with computer-based tools and techniques as well as other conventional fields like linguistics and literature. Increase in digital cultural heritage data from museums, libraries, and so on requires new modes of analysis rather than standard representations of data. Though the field of online humanities was traditionally seen as a text-based one, researchers in fields like cultural heritage are increasingly using digital representations and visual analysis approaches to study their subjects. A country's cultural heritage (CH) preservation and management are important in preserving and enabling history analysis. There is a growing use of digital and visualization technologies in the documentation and preservation of cultural heritage sites. In this paper, we examine the importance of digital humanities methods, such as 3D reconstruction of cultural heritage and using analysis of variance to develop interactive educational platforms. With the help of the digital framework, CH has been examined and an interactive, open-access network for promoting education, heritage preservation, cultural management, and social responsibilities has been established.

AN OBJECT-ORIENTED UAV 3D PATH PLANNING METHOD APPLIED IN CULTURAL HERITAGE DOCUMENTATION

Abstract. Since image-based 3D model reconstruction can faithfully recover the real texture of cultural heritage with high accuracy, it is widely used in cultural heritage documentation. Given the complexity of manual image acquisition at present, we propose an object-oriented unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) path planning method to obtain close-up and high-resolution images for the 3D reconstruction of cultural heritage. Four basic geometric classes are defined and can be automatically divided or interactively defined on the surface of an initial coarse model. We propose the concept of aerial strip unit in conventional photogrammetry to generate multiple regular strip units for photography. The optimal flight path connecting each unit is generated considering the obstacle avoidance and the shortest distance. Based on the self-developed 3D engine, we take the Ancient City of Ping Yao and Yellow Crane Tower in China as two cases to design the UAV 3D path planning. Experimental results show that, compared with general planning methods, our method can improve the flight efficiency of UAV and the visual fineness of the reconstruction results.

Editorial for the Special Issue: “3D Virtual Reconstruction for Cultural Heritage”

The use of 3D modelling, computer-aided design (CAD), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for the acquisition and virtual reconstruction of Cultural Heritage is of great importance in the analysis, study, documentation and dissemination of the past [...]

Seismic behaviour and 3D reconstruction of Cultural Heritage: the Column of the Hera Lacinia Temple in Capo Colonna (Calabria, Southern Italy)

Abstract The study aims to characterize the seismic behaviour of the Doric Column, last remaining of the Hera Lacinia Temple, located on the promontory of Capo Colonna near Crotone (Calabria, Southern Italy). Recordings of ambient vibration has been acquired both at the base and on the top of the column, simultaneously, in order to detect the predominant frequencies of the element. In addition, a high-resolution 3D model of the column has been reconstructed through laser scanning to support the analysis of the current state of the heritage element. The fundamental frequencies of the column and those associated to the site have been compared to verify potential resonance phenomena at the occurrence of an earthquake. In addition, a significant inclination of the column was detected by analysing the 3D model.

Experimenting hybrid reality in cultural heritage reconstruction. The Peasant Civilisation Park and the ‘Vicinato a Pozzo’ museum of Matera (Italy)

ABSTRACT Hybrid reality (HR) in cultural heritage is mainly conceptual, and its exploitation in cultural heritage and museums remains an under-investigated topic. This research aims to shed light on the experimenting role of HR as an alternative soft-technological approach in cultural heritage virtual reconstruction, which enhance visitors’ experience and satisfaction. A quantitative survey methodology was employed to analyse the ‘Peasant Civilization Park’, a project based on HR invisible projections installed in the Vicinato a Pozzo Museum, in the thousand-year-old city Matera (Italy) – European Capital of Culture 2019. Findings and conclusions open up innovative scenarios on the HR in cultural heritage, driving the identification of alternative museum business models and new museum immersive experiences. Managerial implications suggest how HR improves heritage exhibition management, rethinking experiential value proposition and visitors’ satisfaction.

Fear and Loathing in the Hellenistic Agora: Antenor’s Tyrannicides Return

Using new interactive digital reconstructions, we propose that a recently discussed statue base in the Athenian Agora could have accommodated both pairs of Tyrannicides after Alexander returned Antenor's from Persia in 323 b.c.; that it would have revived a famous Athenian commemorative tactic after the Persian withdrawal in 479; that the monument's potency as an icon of Athenian fear and loathing of tyranny evolved but did not necessarily shrink under the Successors; and that any other candidate for its Hellenistic and later appearance should echo, more or less, this base's dimensions, form, and construction. We also urge that for such visualizations, guidelines formulated by specialists in cultural heritage reconstruction have much to recommend them.

The Economics of Looting and Destruction of Cultural Heritage Sites and Objects1

ABSTRACT This study discusses a topic that is relatively understudied in economics: looting and destruction of cultural heritage sites and objects during epochs of violence. While economic literature on culture, cultural practices, and cultural institutions is long-standing, overlooked are the economic motivations for heritage (a material expression of culture) destruction, the economic consequences of the destruction, and potential policies for prevention from future destruction. Heritage objects during peace times turn into blood antiquities during violent conflicts. Illicit excavations in one country garnish museums in another. Covering a bird’s-eye view of these topics, the study also highlights prospects for future economic research and reiterates a unique opportunity cultural heritage reconstruction may provide for reconciliation in post-conflict countries.

PRINCIPLES OF PROTECTION AND USE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES IN TERMS OF ECOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS

The article investigates the principles of protection and use of cultural heritage sites in terms of ecological optimization of residential areas. The concept of cultural heritage object is defined and the order of definition of protection zones of cultural heritage objects in the conditions of ecological optimization of settlement territories is established. The principles of formation of the status of a cultural heritage object are revealed and the legislative basis is described. The concept of "territory of cultural purpose" is separated. Describes the problems of protection of cultural heritage sites, the main of which include the complexity of the content of objects, the search for the necessary funds for restoration, to solve which it is necessary to attract external sources of funding other than the state. The generally accepted ways of solving the outlined problems are given and the principles of their realization are substantiated, namely the necessity of complex application is emphasized. The classification of the process of reconstruction of cultural heritage is presented, the main directions of which include: restoration, regeneration, revitalization, revaluation, improvement and new construction. Each of these classes is described according to the method of implementation on site. It is emphasized that the protection zones of cultural heritage sites are areas adjacent to the included in the register of monuments and ensembles, and within which, in order to ensure the preservation of cultural heritage sites and compositional and species links, the construction of capital construction projects and their reconstruction related to changes in height, number of floors, area, except for construction and reconstruction of linear objects. The boundaries of the protection zone of the cultural heritage object are structured according to the zones of location of the latter. The directions of the relation of the state supervision in the field of protection of objects of cultural heritage to the principles of realization of the state support are defined. The list of possible measures of influence of citizens and legal entities in the field of protection of cultural heritage objects in the conditions of ecological optimization of settlement territories is offered.

Community-based participatory approach in cultural heritage reconstruction: A case study of Kasthamandap

Kasthamandap, a 7th -century structure, a traditional public rest house with social, cultural, and religious significance, completely collapsed during the Gorkha earthquake of 25th April 2015. The initial reconstruction plans of Kasthamandap were not satisfactory, as they contradicted the traditional construction system. Therefore, the public protested against the proposals and insisted on using traditional methods and materials with community involvement for maintaining its value and originality. This paper focuses on challenges and discusses the learning of a community initiative in rebuilding Kasthamandap. The paper presents an exemplary participatory heritage rebuilding process, a learning to heritage reconstructions for the future.

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE RECOGNITION IN HISTORICAL FILM FOOTAGE USING NEURAL NETWORKS

Abstract. Researching historical archives for material suitable for photogrammetry is essential for the documentation and 3D reconstruction of Cultural Heritage, especially when this heritage has been lost or transformed over time. This research presents an innovative workflow which combines the photogrammetric procedure with Machine Learning for the processing of historical film footage. A Neural Network is trained to automatically detect frames in which architectural heritage appears. These frames are subsequently processed using photogrammetry and finally the resulting model is assessed for metric quality. This paper proposes best practises in training and validation on a Cultural Heritage asset. The algorithm was tested through a case study of the Tour Saint Jacques in Paris for which an entirely new dataset was created. The findings are encouraging both in terms of saving human effort and of improvement of the photogrammetric survey pipeline. This new tool can help researchers to better manage and organize historical information.

Combination of nadiral and oblique UAV photogrammetry and HBIM for the virtual reconstruction of cultural heritage. Case study of Cortijo del Fraile in Níjar, Almería (Spain)

ABSTRACTHistoric Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is the most effective method of rebuilding virtual 3D models of heritage buildings, and constitutes a new information management system in the field of cultural heritage interventions. In this study, photogrammetry based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV photogrammetry) was applied as an alternative to Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) for the development of HBIM for historical buildings in a ruinous state, analysing as a case study the Cortijo del Fraile, in Níjar, Almería (Spain). Based on the analysis of the historical information of the building, a photogrammetric survey was carried out with UAV by means of a combination of nadiral and oblique photographs. In this way, a precise characterization of the object was obtained, avoiding the grey areas that are characteristic of TLS. The generated 3D point cloud served as the basis for the virtual reconstruction of an HBIM model focused on both the exterior and interior. In order to ensure reasonable agreement between the parametric model and the ground truth, a validation procedure has been established that restricts the deviations between the two. Finally, a texturizing process is applied to the HBIM model to achieve a photorealistic finish for purposes of visualization, archiving, and recording.

Cultural Heritage Reconstruction after Armed Conflict: Continuity, Change, and Sustainability

ABSTRACTPost-conflict reconstruction is caught in a web of challenges, dilemmas, and opportunities. It can re-establish the thread of continuity with a pre-conflict time and change people’s conditions for the better in line with twenty-first century roadmaps. Notable among these are the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Aligning reconstruction plans with principles of Build Back Better (BBB) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can help define a strategy for recovery, address underlying vulnerabilities, build resilience, regenerate livelihoods, and improve well-being. This article explores the nexus between continuity, change, and sustainability within the framework of cultural heritage reconstruction at city level. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing international efforts, such as those of United Nations agencies and the World Bank, which aim at returning people and cities devastated by armed conflict, for example in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, to a new, sustainable, state of normalcy. Key practical lessons are drawn from this research to inform the elaboration of guidelines on the reconstruction of cultural heritage, including World Heritage. Guidelines are needed to clarify what is, and is not, acceptable in line with contemporary views because classical views are becoming obsolete.

Cultural heritage and memory after ethnic cleansing in post-conflict Bosnia-Herzegovina

AbstractThis article draws on my book Bosnia and the Destruction of Cultural Heritage,1 which incorporates ground-breaking fieldwork in Bosnia-Herzegovina and extensive research, and on my subsequent research and fieldwork in the post-conflict country. In the article, I explore the meaning that restoration and reconstruction of cultural heritage intentionally destroyed during conflict can have, particularly to the forcibly displaced. With the protection of cultural heritage increasingly being treated as an important human right and with the impact that forcible displacement during armed conflict has on cultural identity now in the spotlight, the importance of cultural heritage for those ethnically cleansed in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1992–95 war (both those who returned and those who did not) has relevance for considerations of contemporary post-conflict populations.

Exploring RGB-D Cameras for 3D Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage

RGB-D cameras have a great potential to solve several problems arising during the digitization of objects, such as cultural heritage. Three-dimensional (3D) digital preservation is usually performed with the use of high-end 3D scanners, as the 3D points generated by this type of equipment are in average millimeter up to sub-millimeter accurate. The downside of 3D scanners, in addition to the high cost, is the infrastructure requirements. It requires its own source of energy, a large workspace with tripods, special training to calibrate and operate the equipment, and high acquisition time, potentially taking several minutes for capturing a single image. An alternative is the use of low-cost depth cameras that are easy to operate and only require connection to a laptop and a source of energy. There are several recent studies showing the potential of RGB-D sensors. However, they often exhibit errors when applied to a full 360 degrees 3D reconstruction setup, known as the loop closure problem. This kind of error accumulation is intensified by the lower accuracy and large volume of data generated by RGB-D cameras. This article proposes a complete methodology for 3D reconstruction based on RGB-D sensors. To mitigate the loop closure effect, a pairwise alignment method was developed. The proposed approach expands the connectivity graph connections in a pairwise alignment system, by automatically discovering new pairs of meshes with overlapping regions. Then the alignment is more evenly distributed over the aligned pairs, avoiding the loop closure problem of full 3D reconstructions. The experiments were performed on a collection of 30 artworks made by the Baroque artist Antonio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho, as part of the Aleijadinho Digital project conducted in partnership with IPHAN (Brazilian National Institute for Cultural and Artistic Heritage) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Experimental results show 3D models that are favorably compared to state-of-the-art methods available in the literature using RGD-D sensors. The main contributions of this work are: a new method for 3D alignment dedicated to attenuate the RGB-D camera loop closure problem; the development and disclosure of a complete, practical solution for 3D reconstruction of artworks; and the construction of 3D digital models of an important and challenging collection of Brazilian cultural heritage, made accessible by a virtual museum.

SPHERICAL IMAGES FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE: SURVEY AND DOCUMENTATION WITH THE NIKON KM360

Abstract. The work presented here focuses on the analysis of the potential of spherical images acquired with specific cameras for documentation and three-dimensional reconstruction of Cultural Heritage. Nowadays, thanks to the introduction of cameras able to generate panoramic images automatically, without the requirement of a stitching software to join together different photos, spherical images allow the documentation of spaces in an extremely fast and efficient way. In this particular case, the Nikon Key Mission 360 spherical camera was tested on the Tolentini’s cloister, which used to be part of the convent of the close church and now location of the Iuav University of Venice. The aim of the research is based on testing the acquisition of spherical images with the KM360 and comparing the obtained photogrammetric models with data acquired from a laser scanning survey in order to test the metric accuracy and the level of detail achievable with this particular camera. This work is part of a wider research project that the Photogrammetry Laboratory of the Iuav University of Venice has been dealing with in the last few months; the final aim of this research project will be not only the comparison between 3D models obtained from spherical images and laser scanning survey’s techniques, but also the examination of their reliability and accuracy with respect to the previous methods of generating spherical panoramas. At the end of the research work, we would like to obtain an operational procedure for spherical cameras applied to metric survey and documentation of Cultural Heritage.

World Heritage policy on reconstruction: from exceptional case to conservation treatment

International heritage doctrine and the Operational Guidelines (OG) for the Implementation of the World Heritage (WH) Convention discourage the reconstruction of cultural heritage. Only ‘exceptional circumstances’ justify this practice, namely armed conflicts and natural disasters. The UNESCO WH Committee recently expressed its support for the reconstruction of damaged WH properties in view of such circumstances and requested the development of new guidance to address this timely issue (Decisions: 39 COM 7 and 40 COM 7). Guidelines will be prepared and provided to the Committee accordingly (Decision: 41 COM 7). We can therefore foresee revisions and additions to Paragraph 86, which is currently the only guideline in the OG, deemed ‘inadequate’ by the Committee. This research paper brings into focus the status of reconstruction in WH policy formulation and takes a normative position. Drawing on document analysis and the most up-to-date studies, I argue that its status should formally shift from exceptional case ruled out a priori to conservation treatment ruled in. I encourage a fruitful international exchange of ideas among a broad interdisciplinary readership to contribute to policy-making. Readers who dispute my position, no less than those who support it, may come to see reconstruction in a different light.

An Ethnic House Form at the Western Margins of Southeast Asia: The Elusive South Asian Stilt Architecture of the Chittagong Hill Tracts

Descriptive and somewhat elusive, sketchy historical notes exist for possible cultural links between ethnic people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, South Asia, and ethnic people across the national borders in Southeast Asia. Yet, there is a curious lack of research that uses vernacular architecture or ethnic architectural building typology as a key tool to establish, or reiterate, the common proposition that CHT is the western fringe of a Southeast Asian cultural sphere. Historically, language has been a standard tool used by both colonial British rulers and a few anthropologists to consider the topic of reconstruction of cultural heritage in this geographically complex region, while architecture has played an incidental part. In this article, we examine the stilt or platform typology of vernacular architecture of the CHT as a tool to reflect on the inter-ethnic cultural position of the CHT. The chosen analytical framework hinges on the notion that architecture is constructive, in parallel to language, in establishing a heritage position. The concluding findings of the article establish CHT as a historic region with shared Southeast Asian building-cultural features, notwithstanding the possibility of correspondence to early Austronesian building heritage.

Proposal for the improvement and modification in the scale of evidence for virtual reconstruction of the cultural heritage: A first approach in the mosque-cathedral and the fluvial landscape of Cordoba

Abstract This article intends to improve and modify the scale of evidence in the virtual reconstructions created by Tayfun Oner for the Byzantium 1200 project team. In the article the scale has been analysed, reducing its number of levels and modifying its chromatic gradation to improve its perception. For this purpose, the original scale and the modified scale have been compared in three different three-dimensional models, the minaret of ‘Abd al-Rahman III’, Cordoba, Spain. A sector of the mosque of ‘Abd al-Rahman I’, Cordoba, Spain, and the Roman Port of Colonia Patricia, Cordoba, Spain. The modified scale complies with the London Charter and the Seville Principles for the Virtual Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage and it is aimed at been established as a common scale within the scientific community.

Reconstrucción virtual y visualización 3d del yacimiento arqueológico Castellet de Bernabé (Lliria, España)

3D virtual reconstruction of cultural heritage is a useful tool to reach many goals: the accurate documentation of our tangible cultural legacy, the determination of mechanical alteration on the assets, or the mere shape acquisition prior to restoration and/or reconstruction works, etc. Among these goals, when planning and managing tourism enhancement of heritage sites, it demands setting up specific instruments and tools to guarantee both, the site conservation and the visitors’ satisfaction. Archaeological sites are physical witnesses of the past and an open window to research works and scientific discoveries, but usually, the major structures do no exist nowadays, and the general public takes long time and many efforts to elaborate a mental reconstruction of the volumetry and appearance from these remains. This mental reconstruction is essential to build up a storyline that communicates efficiently the archaeological and historic knowledge and awares the public about its conservation. To develop this process of awareness about conservation, heritage interpretation starts with the mental inmersion of the visitors in the archaeological site, what 3D reconstruction definitely helps to achieve. Different technologies exist nowadays for the3D reconstruction of assets, but when dealing with archaeological sites, the data acquisition requires alternative approaches to be used, as most part of the assets do not exist nowadays. In this work, we will deal with the virtual reconstruction and visualisation of the archaeological site Castellet de Bernabé by following a mixed approach (surveying techniques and archaeological research). We further give a methodology to process and merge the real and virtual data in order to create augmented views of the site.