From Survey to Digital Reconstruction. Study of a Roman Fragment of an Ionic Volute

Today, the analysis of cultural heritage benefits from the use of digital technologies and tools. These offer the possibility of obtaining three-dimensional models with a high level of detail and geometric correspondence to real artefacts, which are suitable for use in cognitive processes and specific studies, promoting the development of critical and interpretative analyses directly in the digital environment. The research illustrated here analyses the potential of digital models in the study of archaeological heritage, assuming as a case study a stone fragment from the Roman era found during excavation activities at the archaeological site of Amiternum (AQ). The study moves from the structured light laser scanner survey of the artefact to its digital reconstruction. This is the result of the modelling process derived from the metrological analysis and the traces identified on the digital replica obtained from the scanning, as well as from the comparison with the theoretical rules for the construction of classical ionic volutes reported in architectural treatises. The results achieved underline the effectiveness of 3D digital surveying and the advantages of using digital models and reconstructions in the context of documentation for the knowledge and analysis of the archaeological heritage.