The request for funds is based on the following factors: A- from 2020 the new excavation permit has been confirmed thanks to the negotiation of greater attention to the valorisation of the site, both with restorations (carried out with the help of Mersin archaeological Museum staff trained by our restorers) 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 Italian team will continue the excavation at the -lighthouse-, close the old excavations, restore the buildings (anastilosis), organise the archives, and collect all the information gathered in previous years for the 3D reconstruction of the site; C- we will do a complete revision of the official Elaiussa's website (in Turkish, English and Italian), which will be the mirror of the valorization and study project developed for the next four years: photos, videos, and all scientific and popular contents will be accessible through the website; D- a survey of the necropolis with LIDAR by drone; E- 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 and urban structure of the city, above all for its marine and terrestrial communication ways. At the Turkish Ministry`s request insists we will make available video material and 3D reconstructions for the setting up of the Mersin museum. - reorganization of the archives (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. For the first time we will dedicate a specific attention to the byzantine architecture.
In committing to carry out further research on Elaiussa, my position is to consider the excavation as a cultural resource according to the particular context in which we are operating; this means setting aside any pre-established scheme and taking into account only the strategies of intervention, on and off the ground, that appear to be functional to the new objectives.
With what purpose do we begin a project, at what cost, in what way? The objectives stated in the management plan include an optimal degree of conservation of the site, not yet excavated or to be excavated in due time, bearing in mind research pressures and other social values. Research and management are actually two aspects of the same strategic plan, each contributing to the other.
For the first time, a reconstructive model of one 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 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. 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 ). All the data related to the case will be exploited: epigraphical sources, material finds, architectural studies, and comparisons in the region and abroad. 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. 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 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. It is 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.