The request for funding is conditioned by two factors: a- from 2020 the new excavation permit starts: this has been confirmed thanks to the negotiation of greater attention to the enhancement of the site, both with restorations (which can be carried out this year with the use of Mersin Museum staff) and with the diffusion and dissemination of the results for the visibility of the archaeological site and the setting up of the Mersin Museum; b- the pandemic has made it necessary to reschedule the planned program overall, foreseeing a reduced presence of only Turkish scientific staff in order to carry out the sanitation of the mission structures and study the ceramic materials:
1- complete revision of the website; Elaiussa's website (in Turkish, English and Italian) will be the mirror of the valorization and study project developed for the next excavation permit period: photos, videos, and all scientific and popular contents will be accessible through the website (with a password for unpublished publications);
2- a survey of the necropolis with LIDAR by drone;
3- reconstruction of a 3D model for the basilica, of some areas of the city, in order to cover later the whole archaeological site, as an instrument of scientific knowledge (topography) and for the valorization. A 3D reconstruction will allow us to work on an interactive model for the comprehension of the topography of the city, above all for its marine and terrestrial communication ways; then we will have also the possibility of printing the model. The Turkish Ministry insists on close cooperation with the Mersin Museum, therefore we will make available video material and 3D reconstructions for the setting up of the museum.
- reorganization of the archives (including plans, drawings, historical photographs taken since 1995) according to unique standards, digitization of all the material so that it can be standardized and made available on a platform that can be easily shared with the current equipment.
INNOVATION OF THE RESEARCH AND PROGRESS: GENERAL PROJECT
For the first time, a reconstructive model of a city of Rough Cilicia will be realized.
The project to create a reconstructive model of the city of Elaiussa has a double aim.
The first is to "virtually" systematize the archaeological site into a morphologically accurate 3D model with the aim of creating a study and analysis tool.
In order to achieve this result, all the data available from the archaeological surveys carried out so far will be exploited ("classic" metric survey, a survey with total station, survey with a laser scanner, prospecting with geo-radar and orthophotogrammetry performed from below or by drone -Lidar).
The morphological data thus obtained will be "assembled" within the 3D Blender development environment, chosen because it is a high performing open-source.
The workflow pipeline will follow a "circular" procedure in which the basic scientific data are provided by the excavation team, subsequently processed by the company Katatexilux and then verified by the same team of archaeologists. Using this survey-modeling-revision methodology, the 3D model assumes a useful role as a tool for investigating the spatial and dimensional relationships of the architectural emergencies of the archaeological site, which today appear isolated and disconnected.
The computer-based reconstruction will be a data-driven tool, more than an imposed and potentially misleading reconstruction, thought to visualize hypotheses and to enhance the scholar debate.
The second aim regards the dissemination of the achieved information to a broader audience. The 3d model realized, could constitute a scientific basis for the development of a 3d reconstruction of a historical phase (or more) of the Roman city (then for the Byzantine period). Using these reconstructive models, a video (Italian, English, Turkish) will be made that can explain to a non-expert audience not only how the city was in Roman times, but also what the work carried out by the archaeologists in that area consists of.
This project will finally make it possible to work for the first time with an overall view of the site, trying to understand the relationship between the Hellenistic foundation, the urbanization of the Roman era, and the reuse of the site in the late antiquity.
SPECIFIC PROJECT
Within the general project, my aim is to dedicate specific attention to the complex of necropoleis. This project argues that funerary landscapes had a significant role in creating a dialogue between alive and dead, through language composed by a combination of three elements: landscape usage, tomb architecture, and material culture.
A fixed point in a landscape transformation, necropoleis act like a live narration, in which space and its content cooperate in delivering a message to the living public. Approaching the reconstruction of such a complicated scenario requires a heterogeneous amount of data and analysis (i.e. from architectural comparisons to other-botanical remains ). In archaeological contexts, it¿s unrealistic to expect to find the complete set of data required for this purpose. The lack of ¿uncontaminated¿ graves goods from the Elaiussa¿s N-E necropolis have interfered with a wider socio-economic reconstruction. This research attempts to create a framework to overcome such limits. All the data related to the case will be exploited: epigraphical sources, material finds, architectural studies, bibliographical research, and comparisons in the region and abroad. The verified possibility to investigate new areas of necropolis during the future campaign will give the chance to excavate uncontaminated contexts too, and possibly add new sources of information from relevant findings. A LIDAR investigation will serve as a base for documentation and landscape reconstruction. Then a 3D reconstruction of the landscape and of the funerary monuments will be realized through the open-source software Blender 3D and the Extended Matrix Tool. Such a tool allows users to visualize hypotheses and data behind the reconstruction. A very first step towards combining semantic and 3D models.
The GIS analysis and 3D reconstruction will then be used in CityEngine, a software that allows a 3D GIS visualization and simulations related to urban planning and building distribution. This software will be used to produce one (or more) hypotheses on visibility, monuments distribution, landscape topography and semantic, monuments relationships, and any kind of possible pattern.
The final output will be a 3D reconstruction which renders all the heterogeneous sources represented according to the London Charter principles. It¿s well known how cultural heritage perception is strictly related to how viewers could experience it. This research will end analysing how such process of ¿democratization of culture¿ and shared knowledge will affect local inhabitants¿ perception, possibly leading to sensibilization and deep understanding.