Geometrical study of Middle Kingdom funerary complexes in Qubbet el-Hawa (Aswan, Egypt) based on 3D models

Abstract

Highlights: A new methodology is presented to develop geometrical analysis of burial structures based on 3D models. The methodology has been applied to three contiguous burial structures (hypogea), allowing the researchers to analyse some constructive aspects such as dimensions, proportions, orientations, flatness and inclinations. Results have demonstrated the advanced skills achieved by ancient Egyptians in construction techniques. Abstract: This study describes the methodology developed and the main results obtained when analysing the geometrical behavior of three adjacent burial structures located in southern Egypt. The rock-cut tombs are composed of complex geometries such as halls, corridors, chambers and vertical shafts. Among other determining aspects, this complexity greatly conditioned the data acquisition and processing work. In this context, the main objective of this study was to develop a new methodology for obtaining geomatic products that support a complete geometrical analysis of the tombs. The researchers have used photogrammetric and laser scanning surveys to obtain accurate 3D models on a common reference system. The procedure used included obtaining several secondary products, such as several geometries (planes and cylinders) fitted from point clouds or plans and sections obtained from the 3D models. The geometric analysis has included several aspects: dimensions, proportions, orientations, wall flatness, inclinations, etc., and it is based on these products. The results obtained suggest and confirm several hypotheses about the constructive aspects of these hypogea based on a large amount of data, including the determination of a proportional canon used by the ancient Egyptians to plan and perform the excavation works of each funerary structure. The application of this methodology has demonstrated that this type of analysis is viable to unveil some important aspects of these structures and the constructive procedures carried out almost four millennia ago.

Analysis of Walls and Pillars of the Hypostyle Hall at the Qh31 Tomb (Aswan, Egypt) Based on 3d Models

“…The methodology followed in this study supposes an extension of that developed by Mozas-Calvache et al (2023) to analyse the geometry of several tombs in Qubbet el-Hawa. The previously developed study analysed general geometric aspects, such as dimensions, proportions, orientations, etc., of the main spaces of several structures (e.g.…”

“…However, we can take advantage of the possibility of using the 3D documentation obtained using the current geomatic techniques due to multiple advantages, such as the high level of accuracy achieved by applying these techniques, their efficiency, the availability of products such as 3D models to be consulted everywhere and at any time, etc. In this sense, several studies have used 3D models to analyse the geometric aspects of Egyptian tombs based on basic primitives (Mozas-Calvache et al, 2023). In this context, Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) (Murphy et al, 2009) supposes an interesting information system to support this type of geometric studies among other purposes (documentation, virtual reconstruction, structural analysis, etc.).…”

Multi-Sensor Geomatic Techniques for the 3D Documentation and Virtual Repositioning of Elements of the Church of S. Miguel (Jaén, Spain)

“…The procedure was based on several well-defined common geometries in both models. These basic plane-defined geometries were fitted from a selection of vertexes extracted from the 3D models, in both cases following the procedure described by Mozas-Calvache et al [65]. Therefore, we obtained two planes defining the façade wall in both the church and the museum.…”

Diagnostic Process of an Ancient Colonnade Using 3D High-Resolution Models with Non-Invasive Multi Techniques

“…This digital documentation provides the basis for the management and maintenance of monumental structures over time and provides information that is suitable for reaching different targets, as well as providing useful data for the different branches of applied research [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In particular, CRP and TLS are very useful for the analysis of shallow parts of stone building materials, as they allow the inspection of large surfaces without any contact or damage [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. However, during a diagnostic process on the conservation state of stone building materials, even when these technologies are applied in synergy, they need to be complemented by the parallel application of other diagnostic techniques, such as ultrasonic techniques that inspect the materials inside based on an analysis of the propagation of the ultrasonic signals [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”