NTUA Univers ityAthe ns

CNR - InstituteofChemical

Methodol ogies

leAssoc iation

Invest ingin Culture

s" International Congress on

"Science and Technology for the Safeguard ofCultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Basin"

PROCEEDINGSVOL. III - Sessions D/ E/ F

Museums; Cultural identity; Sustainable development

CONGRESS CULTURALHERITAGE SckHiçe

&8Chhelo

Athens, Greece

22 - 25 October 2013

© Editore VALMAR - RomaPrinted by Centro Copie l'I stantan ea, Roma, 20 14

ISBN 978-88-97987-05-5

Publish ing coordination, revision and realization: Ange lo Ferrari - CNR, Inst. of Chem ical

Methodologies, Italy;

Digitai Edit ing and Data Processing: Stefano Tardiola and Gia nni Pingue - CN R, Inst. of

Chemica l Methodologies, Italy;

Sec retariat: Enza Sirugo - CNR, Inst. of Chemical Methodologies, Italy; Manu ela Manfredi ,A.I.e. Secretar iat, Italy.

SESSION E - Cultura l I leri tage Identi ty

'SIRACUSA 3D REBORN'.AN ANCIENT GREEK CITY BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

Gabellone Francesco', Tanasi DavideZ, Ferrari lvan'

I Ist ituto per i Bcni Archeo logici c Monurnent a li (C NR), Lecce, ltaly,r.gabcllonc@ ibam.cnr.it, itlab.rcrrar i@ ibam.cnr.it; 2Arcadia Univcrsity, Th c Co llege 01"Global Stud ies, Sirac usa, ltaly, tanasid @arcadia.cd u

Keywords: virtua l archacology; archaco logical 3D modcIi ng; rcconstructivc ana lysis;Greek arc hitccturc.

AbstractThis papc r c lucidatcs a virtual archacology project, undcrtakcn by a tca m orscholars or thc IBA M-CN R and Thc Arcadia Univcrsity - TCGS, aimcd to thcdigitai reco nst ruct ion o r Ortigia, thc core d istric t or thc Grcck Syracusc . Thc mai ngoal or this cxcrcisc has bcc n thc prod uct ion or thc 3D documcntary 'Sirac usa 3Dreborn ' . that rcprcscnts an origi nai adva ncc in thc know lcdgc or thc Grcckbackgrou nd or thc city. In this pcrspcctive, wc havc choscn to prod uce ' passive 'tools cmbcd dcd with commu nicat ional and cmotiona l componcnts did not aflcctedthc scic ntific accuracy with which thc rcconstruct ivc proccss has bccn carricd ouLThcrcforc, thc visi tor can Icarn thosc pcc ulia r architcctural and urban featurcs orthc Grcck city, without d isrcgarding thosc charactcrs who playcd 'kcy rolcs' in thcdilTusion or Grcck culture in thc Medi terrancan. Main monumcnt s or Ortigia arcdcscri bcd and analyzcd in thc contcxt or a full 3D stc rcoscopic rep resent at ioncmploying techniques 01" modcrn cine ma industry l'or exp laining its historical andarchaco log ica l characteristics. Emphasis is a lso givcn to reconstruction or warmach incs and some uniquc invcntions concc ivcd by Arc hirncdcs , the most brilliantmind or Greek era . The rcconstructivc wor kflow fol lowcd a mcticulousmet hodo logical pian, bascd on thc publishcd data and aimcd to dc finc a prcviouslyunavai lab lc topographic profil o 01" thc city , portraycd in two main chronolog ica lphascs, Archaic and Late Classical. Alter this init ial momcnt 01" rcscarch andhistor ical intcrprctation or thc ancicnt con tcxt, a story board wi th an intcn tionaldidactic narrative has been arranged l'or rcprcscnti ng thc diac hro nic developmcnt orurban transform ations togethcr with mai n cvcnts that markcd the history or the city .Thc stc rcoscopic production has a llowc d us to dcvc lop an clficicnt system for thctracking o r thc scenes along xyz axes, thc com positing or ncstcd sccncs and pos t­cffects which prov idcs color gradi ng, and part iclc cffccts,

INTRODUCTIONThe ignorance or the mis-knowledge of the archaeo log ical background of amodern city can negatively affec t its economy and cultural growth, limitingattrac tiv ity and spreading erroneo us or distorted messages ove r media.The case of Syrac use can be considered the prototype of a city with a splendidancient Greek background , largely neglected by current internati onal tourists andthoroughly known j ust to few specia lists ofGreek archaeo logy and history.Founded by the Cor inthians in 733 BC and conquered by the Romans in 212 BC,ove r centuries it became one of the most beautiful, influentia l and wea lthy amo ngthe Gree k cit ies of the Mediterranean basin I . Several prominent poets andphilosophers who greatly contributed to the fortun e of Gree k culture abroad asSappho, Simonides, Bacchyl ides, Pindar, Aeschylus and Plato visited Syracuse

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SESSION E - Cultural Hcritagc Idcntity

and lived there part s 01' their lives. The city itsel f was the birthplace 01' manythinkers as Epicha rrnus, Sophron, Philistus, Theocritus and - above ali ­Archimedes the work 01' which is a cornerstone 01' Gree k thou ght [I ]. The majesty01' temples, the magn ificence 01' public and spectacle buildin gs, the robustness 01'forti fications, the tech nica l level 01' naval eng inee ring and the masterp ieces 01'sculpture, architect ure and pa inting produced in the wo rkshops were once thetangible signs of the supre macy 01' Greek Syrac use [2].Nonetheless, rega rdless the historical backgrou nd and the impo sing visibleremains 01' the Gree k co lony emerging everywhere in the act ual urban area,Syracuse whose historical city center, Ort igia, has been UNESCO World Heritagesite since 2005 [3] has never played the role 01' quin tessential arche type 01' Greekcity in the mainstream.Back to the case 01' Syracuse, reasons 01' th is bias come l'rom the fact that themajority 01' monuments 01' Greek city were uncovered betw een the end 01' 19thand the beginn ing 01' 20th century, due to the work 01' Paolo Orsi, a foundingfigure 01' Sici lian archaeo logy, and publ ished in Italian language accord ing to thenarrativ e sty le and concept of the past of that period [4]. Or they were discoveredin the last few decades during rescu e excavatio ns the result s 01' wh ich were j ustpreliminary announced [5], publ ished in scie nt itic reports oriented to spec ialists[6] il' not totally unpubli shed. The lack 01' prop er inform at ive panels andinstallations by the monuments and the abse nce 01' a main web portai l'or thecultura l herit age 01' Sirac usa, that leaves the field open to a mult itude 01' d is­inform ati ve websi tes , co ntributes to neglec t the role 01' Greek Siracusa in themainstream. Furtherrnore, the Greek heri tage see ms to be underest imatedsomehow eve n among the local com munity .On the othe r side, the absence in recent times 01' intern at ional sc ienti fic eve ntsaimed to prom ote the Greek art and arc haeo logy of the city diverts several foreignscho lars who keep thinking that everything have been already discovered, studiedand published many decades ago.This apparent wea k appea l over the local comm unity together with the part ial andinsu fficient communication 01' the res ults and dissem ination 01' knowledge haveblocked both furthe r touristic policies and new sc ientific researches. It emergesc1early l'rom this frame that the communication methods 01' Syracuse 's past hasconditioned the impact on the public eye 01' the splendid Greek heritage 01' thecity, consequently lim iting eve ntua l and potenti al eco nomie developments.

RESULTSAga inst this sce nar io a proper action 01' revisionism over a li the medi a should beundertake l'or restorin g and improving the communication ofthis neglected part 01'Syracuse's in orde r to restitute to th is once splend id archety pe 01' Greek culturethe deserved ro le in the intem at ional mainstream .A solution to this long standing issue has been provided by the recent advances inthe field ofvirtua l archaeology, a discipline aimed to ' bring back the past' throughthe met icul ous and sc ient ific 3D reconstruction 01' ancie nt env ironments breakin glanguage barri ers and cultura l limits via visua l messages.A virtua l archaeo logy proj ect about Greek Syracuse, has been undertaken by ateam 01' scho lars 01' the Inform ation Techno logy Laboratory 01' the Istituto per iBen i Archeo log ici e Monumentali - Co nsig lio Naz ionale de lle Ricerche [7] andThe Arcadia Un ivers ity - The Co llege 01' Globa l Studies (Siracusa campus) [8].Its aim has been the overall digitai reco nstruction 01' Ort igia, the core district 01'the Greek Syracuse, l'or the produ ct ion 01' the 3D docum entary ' Siracusa 3Drebom' that since May 20 13 is regul arly on screen in a 3 D theater located in the

22 1

SESSION E - Cultural l Icritagc ldcn tity

historical center of Syrac use that is the only visual informative source about theGreek city both l'or tourists and scho lars.In this pape r the entire project pipel ine will not be presented and thoro ughlydiscussed due to page limits. Instead it has been preferred to emphas ize thepotential use that can be done or the docum entary l'or increasing the awarenessamong local people, enhancing touristic attrac tion policies and supportingscho lars in the test of their hypotheses or historical and archaeo logica lreconstructions. Theoretical approaches, reconstruct ive cr itica lities and techn icalaspects wi ll be stressed elsewhere.Since an ove rall work about archaeo logy or Greek Ort igia did not exis t, the firststep of th is project consisted or the data collection or ali the publication abouts ingle monuments or excavations carried out since the end or the 19th century.Old and new data were reinterpreted and compared with the avai lable hypothesesabo ut the urban development, s iding the more reaso nable interpretat ion and tryingto go beyond academic disputes. At the same time a mult itude of gra phic data,plans, top views, sect ion views, elevation views and architect ura l reconstructivestudies, mainly present in the older scientific production, were retrieved andcorrected with the recent adva nces in the field or researc h on Greek architectureand sculpture.Following the recommendations and the statements or the Princip les of Sev illeand the London Cha rter, this reconstructive process proceeds by means of asys tematic study whic h is as ' transparenr' and intelligible as possible. Inpart icular, this charter declares that methods or ana lysis, surveyi ng techn iques andinterpretat ions must ali be c1ear, com prehensible and reusab le. Only analyses ofthe prelim inary data can validate outcomes or a reconstructive study and ensurethat new generations are ab le to revise results without necessarily starting l'romscratch. Scientific transparency is thus the main indispensable premise that' meas ures' quality and scientific rigor or each application and study based onvirtual archaeo logy.

Fil:. l , Digitai rccnactrncnt of a daily life in thc rnarkct by thc acropolis.

Meticulous histor ical researches and direct analys is Or ancient sources providedthe historical sce nario l'or sett ing the story board of a multi -Ianguage documentary.Being this project a pioneering too l l'or communicating the ancient Greek heritageor Ort igia to local people and foreign visitors, narrative criteria have been crucial.Acco rding to cultura l touri sm tendencies in Europe, people accessing key culturalattractions - as UNESCO world heritage sites - are genera lly in the higher levelsof scho larization [9] . Furthermore, interne t, TV, cinema and even videogameshave contributed to accustom the public to a very technica l languages for

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SESSION E - Cultural Ileritage Identity

historical contents. In this perspective, it has been decided to avoid simplificationsand to keep a certain high technicallanguage entrusting the power ofvisualizationfor contextualizing historical events and monuments.

Fig. 2. 3D isometric cross-section ofthe tempie ofApollo (6,hcentury He"').

A 2,500 words text has been arranged covering the history of the core part of theGreek colon y of Syracuse, Ortigia, from the foundation in 733 BC to the timewhen Archimedes defended the city during the Roman siege, in 231-212 Be. Thenarrative has been divided in two blocks representing the two main archaeologicalphases in the urban and monumental development of Ortigia , 7th-5th centuries BCand 4th-3rd centuries [IO]. First , the monumental development of Ortigia isiIlustrated through its main steps: the design of road network and block s ofhouses, the con struction of earliest cult buildings temples and public areas (Fig. I)as the tempi e of Apollo (Fig. 2), and the temples or Artemis and Athena on theacropolis (Fig. 3), ali chronologically relat ed to Archaic and early Classicalperiodo

Fig.3. Acrial view of the acropolis ofOrtig ia in the Slh ccntury BC, with Dorie tempie 01'Athcna (lcfì)and the lonie tempie or Artcrnis (righI).

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SESS ION E - Cultural Ileritage ldcntity

Then, the drastic transforrnation of the city, during the Classical and Hellenisticphases is elucidated, showing the progressive destruction of entire blocks and theconstruction of fortification walls, gates, barracks, dockyards and mil itaryinstallations.

Fi~. 4:Detail or thc virt ual modcl or the revolving doors or the temp ie or Athena according to thedescription or ane ient sourccs .

Particular emphasis has been given to the recreation of ancient artifacts knownj ust from descriptions provided by ancient sources, as the splendid revo lvingdoors of the tempie of Athena (Fig. 4), and to the animation of digitai charactersas the Corinthian colonists who sailed towa rds Ortigia for founding Syracuse (Fig.5). An emphasis was also given to the recreation of siege machines and devicesdesigned by Archim edes and above ali to the reconstruction of the 'Syrakosia ' ,the co lossa l wars hip he designed and produced for the king I-lieron Il ,represe nting a unique masterpiece in ancie nt nava l engineering [ I Il. A large useof ancient sources helped to increase the dramat ic effect of the narrative.Once the 2D set of data related to each monument has been prepared and thestory board has been completed the 3D modeling and production phase started out.Although the primary goa l of this project was to bridge a communication gapabo ut the Greek background of Syracuse, and the expectations of thecommissioning company were mainly oriented toward the production of a' touristic attraction', the meticulousness in the archaeo logical and historicalanalys is made the final product significantly helpful for the scholars.The short production time of this easy learning documentary, dramatic andengaging at the same time, blendin g history and archaeo logy with moderncomputer animation techniques, deep ly conditioned the productive pipeline. It infact caused the simplification of many necessary processes during the designphase and the e limination of severaI others. No animatic for the contro l ofcomplex movements nor detailed storyboard for scene deve lopment were used.The entire production has been estab lished on a simple narrative based onillustrat ive texts and it is aimed to visually clarify through images andreconstructions those historical and archaeo logical contexts relevant for theunderstandin g of features of the Greek city. Obviously, this approa ch brought to amore educationa l than narrative movie. However, the choice of providing' pass ive' cognitive tools with a remarkable illustrative component has notdiminished the emotiona l and communicational aspects expected by thecom missioning company.

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SESSION E - Cullural Ilcritagc Idcntity

Main monuments of Ortigia are described and analyzed in the context of a full 3Dstereoscopic representation employing techniques of modem cinema industry forelucidating and explaining its historical and archaeological characteristics.

Fig. S. Digitai rccnactmcnt or thc arrivai or Corinthian colonists at Ortigia, for thc loundation orSyracusc.

Therefore, the visitor can leam those peculiar architectural and urban features ofthe Greek city, without disregarding those characters who played 'key roles' inthe diffusion of Greek culture in the Mediterranean. Emphasis is also given toreconstructions of war machines and unique inventions designed by Archimedes,thc most brilliant mind of Greek era. The reconstructive workflow followed amcticulous methodological pIan based on the published data and aimed to define apreviously unavailable topographic profile of the city, portrayed in two mainchronological phases , Archaic and Late Classical. After this initial moment ofresearch and historical interpretation of the ancient context, a storyboard with anintentional didactic narrative has been arranged for representing the diachronicdevelopment of urban transformations together with main events that marked thehistory ofthe city.3D models have bcen produced and elaborated in Maxon and Cinema4Denvironments and rcndered on a 64 core Render Farm. Ali the scenes have beenprocessed in post-production with Adobc After Effects, where motion blur, colorgrading and compositing of comp lex particles l'or sea foam, smoke and fire effectshavc been added .

CONCLUSIONSWhat does it make a visit to a heritage site an unforgettable experience for atourist? What does it make an approach to a heritage site a fully satisfyingmoment of scientific analysis for a scholar? Thc answer to both quest ions is thesame, a physical experience, the only exercise that leaves a vivid memory in thevisitor' s mind. The physical experience is the comerstone of many key heritagesites where the good conditions of the ancient monuments allow the observer tocatch a glimpse of the ancient life. In the case of limited accessibility toarchaeological sites and poor preservation conditions, virtual archaeology comesinto play. The digitai recreation of ancient environments can integrate a traditionalvisit or autoptic study providing a full immersive sensorial experience thatenhances thc process of leaming.Furtherrnore, the development of such projects bring to the achievement of newcognitive tools usable by the archaeologists l'or benchmarking their hypotheses

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SESSION E - Cultural IIcritagc ldcntit y

about topograph y of ancient cities and the relationship between man, artifact andlandscape [12].The Siracusa 3D Rebom project and the related movie on screen in the Ortigia 3Dtheater represents the initial attempt to put under revision the concept of Greekheritage ofthe city, first among the local people and then among foreign visitors.In fact, as above mentioned, the development of such virtual archaeology projectsrisk to tum out pointless if not inserted into a wider planning scheme in whichlocal govemment and citizen community have to play the main roles.The product achieved has not to be considered as a simple scientific exercisecarried out by an interdisciplinary team of scholars aimed to create a touristicattraction, but it represents at the same time a seminai advance in the knowledgeof the Greek background of the city, a pivotal planning experience that couldactivate more local actors in a joined effort of further improving the current imageofthe city on the public eye.Besides further potent ial researches on the digitai reconstruction of other districtsof the Greek city or on the exportation of 3D multimedia on mobile devicesinserted in a network of augmented reality view spots, that are both options to beexplored in the next future by the authors, a relevant point in the research agendais about the proper use of Siracusa 3D Rebom in a generai pian of heritageindustry.Nowadays, archaeologists play an important role in the relationship betweenarchaeology, tourism and heritage, and yet until recently they only rarely chose toactively engage these fields. By uncovering evidenc e of past societies, theyprovide significant resources that modem people use in defining their identitiesthrough the exploration of their heritage. By providing the material remains ofcultural heritage , they also provide the material s for an expanding heritagetourism industry [13]. In this perspective , the modem role of archaeologists, asintellectual , beyond the borders of specialist studies and academic isolation entailsserious obligations and responsib ilities [14] that cannot be centered just onpreservation of monuments but also on their public interpretation [15].

REFERENCES[I] B. Daix Weseoat, "Sy racusc. The faircst Greek city", Roma 1989.[2] S.A. Paipetis, M. Ceecarelli, "The Genius or Archimedes. 23 Centuries or lnfluence on

Mathematics, Science and Engineering", New York: Springer, 2010.[3] http://whe.unesco.org/en/list/I 200, accessed 27th December 2013.[4] R. Leighton, " Paolo Orsi (1859-1935) and the prehistory or Sicily", in Antiquity, voI.

60, 1986, pp. 15-20.[51G. Voza, "Siracusa 1999: Lo scavo archeologico di Piazza Duomo", Palermo, 1999.[6] B. Basile, S. Mirabella, " La costa nord-occidentale di Ortigia (Siracusa) : nuovi dati

dagli scavi urbani", in G.M. Bacci, M. C. Martinelli, "Studi Classici in onore di LuigiBemab ò Brca", Messina, 2003, pp. 269-343.

[71 www.itlab.ibam.cnr. it[8] www.arcadia.edu/abroad/mcas[9J J. Van der Borg, A.P. Russo, " Rcgcncration and Tourism Development. Evidence frorn

Three European Cities", in Working Papers or the Department or Econornics or Ca'Foscari University or Venice, voI. 21, 2008, p. 12.

[101 R. Evans, "Syracusc in Antiquity: History and Topography'' , Pretoria: Unisa Press,2009.

[III E.F., Castagnino Berlinghieri, Archimede alla corte di Hierone Il: dall 'idea al progettodella più grande nave dci mondo antico, la Syrakosia, in L. Bracccsi, F. Raviolo. G.Sassa telli (eds.), ll esperia, 26. Studi sulla grecità di Occ idente. L' Erma diBretschneider: Roma, 20 IO, pp. 169- 188.

[12] S. Moser, Arehaeological Representation. Thc Virtual Conventions for ConstructingKnowledge about the Past, in l. Hoddcr (ed.), Archaeological Theory Today, PolityPress: Malden 2005.

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[131 D. Pacifico, M. Vogc l, 20 12, op. cit.11 41 Y. Hamilakis, " La trahison des archeologucs? Archaeological practice as intellect ual

act ivity in postrnodcrnity", in Joumal or Mediterranean Archaeo logy, vol. 12, 1999, pp.60-79,

115) G. Binks, "T hc Interpretation or Historic Monuments: Some Current lssues", in M.l lughcs, L. Rowlcy, "Thc Management and l' resentation or Field Monurncnts", Ox ford,1986, pp. 39-46.

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