3D visibility analysis as a tool to validate ancient theatre reconstructions: the case of the large Roman theatre of Gortyn

Abstract

<p>With the diffusion of Virtual Archaeology, many projects in the field of Cultural Heritage attempt to virtually reconstruct historical buildings of different types. Unfortunately, some of these 3D reconstructions still have as principal aim to impress the external users, while the correct interpretation of the buildings modeled is much more important in the domain of archaeological research. Still more critical is the situation when we have to encounter a reconstruction of a monument which is not visible anymore, or which consists only of few architectural remains. The main purpose of this paper is to introduce an innovative methodology to verify hypothetical scenarios of 3D architectural reconstructions, specifically for ancient theatres. In very recent time 3D visibility analysis applied to archaeological context using ArcGIS has been developed, in particular about social-urban studies. In this paper, visibility analysis in 3D contexts is used as an additional instrument to correctly reconstruct architectural elements of the large Roman theatre of Gortyn, in Crete. The results indicate that the level of visibility of the stage, and consequently of the presumed actors, from some of the more representative sectors of the cavea, is of crucial importance for leading to a right reconstruction model of the theatre.</p>

Towards a Digital Approach to the Listening to Ancient Places

“…Given that sound has always been an omnipresent component of human experience, recent trends in archaeological inquiry have analysed the importance of acoustics, instruments, and what was heard in the past, taking into consideration that it is possible to ascribe cultural meanings to sonic experiences and that sounds have played important functions in quotidian life. Moreover, current research approaches to archaeoacoustics, soundscapes, and archaeomusicology have highlighted how new sonic hypotheses could be explored thanks especially to the use of technology in these research fields, as has emerged from the first case study in Cristina Manzetti's work [13]. Her research is a study dedicated to the Roman theatre southwest of the sanctuary of Apollo Pizio in Gortyna, a building able to accommodate up to 2000 spectators, which was constructed in the 2nd c. BCE in an area probably already devoted to performances and theatrical activities in the Greek age.…”

“…Heritage 2021, 4 FOR PEER REVIEW 3 in these research fields, as has emerged from the first case study in Cristina Manzetti's work [13]. Her research is a study dedicated to the Roman theatre southwest of the sanctuary of Apollo Pizio in Gortyna, a building able to accommodate up to 2000 spectators, which was constructed in the 2nd c. BCE in an area probably already devoted to performances and theatrical activities in the Greek age.…”

“…Therefore, it was necessary to build a 3D model of the monument (Figure 1) [14] using software suitable to calculate the acoustic features and to evaluate the behaviour of sound in a virtual environment. For this phase of her work-on which the reliability of the data depended-, she used Odeon Room Acoustics, a software package widely used in the field of architecture and acoustic engineering, which proved useful both in this research and in other research projects devoted to ancient theatres [13,14]. In this regard, it is worth remembering that until a few years ago, the acoustic analysis of ancient theatres was limited to measuring and evaluating the physical qualities of sound and its propagation in theatrical spaces.…”

“…This qualitative leap in research was possible thanks to the use of software in the field of cultural heritage which, like Odeon Room Acoustics, allows us to consider a series of parameters and also to calculate variations due to weather conditions, the ancient landscape, materials, and the presence (or absence) of an audience. For this phase of her work-on which the reliability of the data depended-, she used Odeon Room Acoustics, a software package widely used in the field of architecture and acoustic engineering, which proved useful both in this research and in other research projects devoted to ancient theatres [13,14]. In this regard, it is worth remembering that until a few years ago, the acoustic analysis of ancient theatres was limited to measuring and evaluating the physical qualities of sound and its propagation in theatrical spaces.…”

An interdisciplinary approach for the study and the valorization of the roman theatres of Crete

“…First of all, raster containing Z values of the 3D models have been produced; these have been used together with the grids in order to obtain frequency of visibility maps. Through these maps, along with their colour scale, it is possible to visualize the number of observer points who see the stage, or part of it [88].…”