After more than two decades of debate, nowadays, scientific research in the field of archaeology involves not only the application of the natural sciences but also the support of the latest information technology. As a result, archaeological excavations and virtual archaeology have become part of a unified methodological and cultural process, enabling the production of numerous digital outputs, thus providing a clear understanding of the data obtained from excavation campaigns. Focusing on the topic of archaeological representation, the contemporary scientific debate is currently addressing the development of an accurate methodological protocol regarding the implementation of digital visual simulation of antique contexts. The critical issues related to the digital representation of archaeological contexts are heightened in the case of "invisible landscapes", that are no longer accessible or no longer exist and whose documentation took place in recent times carried out through analogue tools and under emergency conditions. Digital models, used as valuable cognitive tools, complemented with the latest immersive virtual reality technologies, provide the opportunity to recreate and explore an archaeological excavation whose placement within its original landscape is no more visible, as it belongs to a dynamic environment that changes over time. The greatest challenge lies in understanding these transformations and in the digitally graphic translation of the archive material, which is not always spatially and temporally relocatable within the original scenery. The activity of graphically synthesising information is aimed at defining new communication strategies for the narration of inaccessible sites through the development of virtual applications whereby drawings and textual content become interactive. As a result of the operational workflow, the digital product is not just a mere representation in a virtual world but becomes a valuable tool for further research, as well as for promoting awareness and reconnection with the past by imbuing the space with new meanings.
Revealing the invisible: digital simulacra and virtual use of lost archaeological heritage
francesca galasso
2023-01-01
Abstract
After more than two decades of debate, nowadays, scientific research in the field of archaeology involves not only the application of the natural sciences but also the support of the latest information technology. As a result, archaeological excavations and virtual archaeology have become part of a unified methodological and cultural process, enabling the production of numerous digital outputs, thus providing a clear understanding of the data obtained from excavation campaigns. Focusing on the topic of archaeological representation, the contemporary scientific debate is currently addressing the development of an accurate methodological protocol regarding the implementation of digital visual simulation of antique contexts. The critical issues related to the digital representation of archaeological contexts are heightened in the case of "invisible landscapes", that are no longer accessible or no longer exist and whose documentation took place in recent times carried out through analogue tools and under emergency conditions. Digital models, used as valuable cognitive tools, complemented with the latest immersive virtual reality technologies, provide the opportunity to recreate and explore an archaeological excavation whose placement within its original landscape is no more visible, as it belongs to a dynamic environment that changes over time. The greatest challenge lies in understanding these transformations and in the digitally graphic translation of the archive material, which is not always spatially and temporally relocatable within the original scenery. The activity of graphically synthesising information is aimed at defining new communication strategies for the narration of inaccessible sites through the development of virtual applications whereby drawings and textual content become interactive. As a result of the operational workflow, the digital product is not just a mere representation in a virtual world but becomes a valuable tool for further research, as well as for promoting awareness and reconnection with the past by imbuing the space with new meanings.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
