This contribution presents an integrated methodological pipeline for digital documentation and virtual reconstruction of large-scale urban archaeological excavations, developed through the Amba Aradam case study (Metro C line, Rome). The excavation revealed a 2nd-century A.D. military complex extending over 4770 m2 at depths reaching 20 m, documented through multiple photogrammetric campaigns (2016–2018) as structures were progressively excavated and removed. We established an empirically validated texture density standard (1.26 mm2/texel) for photorealistic digital replicas suitable for immersive HMD and desktop exploration, with an explicit texture density calculation formula ensuring reproducibility. The temporal integration workflow merged 3D snapshots acquired across three excavation campaigns while maintaining geometric and chromatic consistency. Semantic documentation, through the extended matrix framework, recorded Virtual Stratigraphic Units linking archaeological evidence, comparative sources, and interpretative reasoning (paradata) for transparent virtual reconstruction. The complete pipeline, implemented through open-source 3DSC 1.4 and EMtools add-ons for Blender and Metashape v0.9 (available on GitHub), addresses specific challenges of documenting complex stratigraphic contexts within active construction environments where in situ preservation is not feasible. The spatial integration of the digital replica with previous archaeological data illuminated the urban evolution of Rome’s military topography during the 2nd–3rd centuries A.D., demonstrating the essential role of advanced digital documentation in contemporary urban archaeology.

This volume investigates the reconstruction of past works of art as a philologically grounded endeavor. Exploring the passage from fragment to form, it moves from partial traces to a perspective that sheds light on earlier artistic practices — the aim is not totality, but a careful understanding of cultural heritage, though marked by gaps and transformations. Contributions from diverse disciplines resonate with one another, revealing shared challenges and methodological affinities. Far from nostalgia, the essays show how reconstruction illuminates both past and present, fostering a meaningful dialogue with History.

The following contribution aims at presenting a new free and open source software, EM Manager, created to assist archaeologists at approaching virtual reconstruction projects with the Extended Matrix (method developed at the Digital Heritage Innovation Lab-DHILab-of the CNR-ISPC of Rome). EM Manager is a free and open source standalone software, already available on GitHub, that allows to convert a table into an Extended Matrix. The software represents a remarkable update of the Extended Matrix Framework and, due to its features, it will expand the user base, since it helps EM users to cover one, or more, of the '7 key roles' considered by the Extended Matrix method. In addition, the fact that EM Manager is Python based ensures the possibility for future implementation with other platforms (such as QGIS and Blender) based on the same language.

This study explores the interpretation of degradation and alteration phenomena as stratigraphic units, showing the preliminary results of ongoing research concerning new investigative methods and tools useful to formalize transformative processes on built heritage, in a chronological perspective. Merging conservation sciences with archaeology, the study introduces a new section of the Extended Matrix (EM) method: the Transformation Stratigraphic Unit (TSU). The aim of this work is to assess a new method for documenting and investigating cultural heritage, by generating scientifically reliable reconstructive hypotheses, and by analysing and comparing the mutual interaction of different degenerative phenomena and their relationship. The current workflow, still tentative, utilizes open- source tools and is designed to be replicable and it has been applied to the case study of the architectural complex of S. Pietro in Segni (RM).

Photogrammetry is a widely used survey technique for creating digital replicas, but its application requires some expertise in survey planning and execution that sometimes can represent a challenge, especially for non-expert users.This paper presents GP-NEP, a prototype tool designed to address this task.GP-NEP aims to guide non-expert users through the intricacies of photogrammetric surveying, helping to understand the key factors that influence the quality of the final digital replica by employing an interactive questionnaire-based approach and general tips.GP-NEP assists users in selecting suitable equipment and optimizing the survey process based on the complexity of the object being captured.Through a comparative case study, concerning the 3D survey of two marble artifacts from the Roman river port of Seripola, the effectiveness of GP-NEP was tested.

È stato eseguito il rilievo fotogrammetrico di una lastra marmorea, proveniente dal porto fluviale di Seripola (VT), attualmente conservata nel Museo Civico Archeologico di Orte. La lastra presenta un bassorilievo di una figura maschile su un'imbarcazione a remi di modeste dimensioni. Il reperto è diviso in due frammenti, ricongiunti, di dimensioni 49x44x9 cm, e costituisce l'angolo inferiore sinistro della lastra. Il dataset è uno strumento utile allo studio, alla progettazione degli interventi di restauro e alla valorizzazione. Il dataset è stato acquisito attraverso una campagna di fotogrammetria con sensori passivi (reflex full frame) e i dati sono stati elaborati con il software Structure from Motion (SfM). Le immagini acquisite sono state calibrate e salvate in formato jpg 8 bit al massimo della qualità, utilizzate per l'elaborazione con software SfM. I dati sono conservati in formati aperti: immagini in formato jpg, soluzione fotogrammetrica in xml, nuvola di punti in ply, mesh poligonale con texture in formato obj. Il gruppo di lavoro è composto da Bianca Magliocchetti, Emanuel Demetrescu, Simone Berto ed Eleonora Scopinaro.

The present research proposes the beta version of a workflow which aims at linking HBIM and Extended Matrix using Open-Source coding and visualisation tools.The developed workflow was tested on a significant case study, the Roman Theatre of Terracina, whose excavation works started in 2019 and were initially documented through an integrated Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) digital survey.In 2021 and 2022 the excavation data were updated, also using Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology, thus the proposed approach focuses on the systematisation of the analysis and processing of the data regarding the consecutively surveyed excavation phases.

In this work, we will describe the application of the Extended Matrix Framework (EMF) to the 3D reconstruction of the temple on the Roman forum of Nora. EMF represents a specific section of the Extended Matrix (EM) method, developed by the VHLab of the CNR ISPC (Rome), dedicated to the development of software solutions for 3D data management in the field of virtual reconstruction. The combination of EM and EMF allows to: map the reconstructive process, validate the entire workflow (from data ingestion to 3D modelling), manage 3D data, and share outcomes online.

The web and its recent advancements represent a great opportunity to build universal, rich, multi-user and immersive Web3D/WebXR applications targeting Cultural Heritage field-including 3D presenters, inspection tools, applied VR games, collaborative teaching tools and much more. Such opportunity although, introduces additional challenges besides common issues and limitations typically encountered in this context. The "ideal " Web3D application should be able to reach every device, automatically adapting its interface, rendering and interaction models-resulting in a single, liquid product that can be consumed on mobile devices, PCs, Museum kiosks and immersive AR/VR devices, without any installation required for final users. The open-source ATON framework is the result of research and development activities carried out during the last 5 years through national and international projects: it is designed around modern and robust web standards, open specifications and large open-source ecosystems. This paper describes the framework architecture and its components, assessed and validated through different case studies. ATON offers institutions, researchers, professionals a scalable, flexible and modular solution to craft and deploy liquid web-applications, providing novel and advanced features targeting Cultural Heritage field in terms of 3D presentation, annotation, immersive interaction and real-time collaboration.

The hypogea of the Punic necropolis of Nora represented a testing ground for the use of photogrammetry as an archaeological survey tool in a highly critical context, both from the point of view of the survey itself and from the point of view of the understanding and dissemination of the underground evidence. The study describes the acquisition techniques and the tools used to share the 3D models, both among the research team and with external users, with a specific focus on web-based tools (Potree).

The microphotogrammetric survey of the roman emperor Maximianus Herculeus’ medallion, described in this report, demonstrated that, despite the use of an “old” and, nowadays, “low cost” camera sensor it is still possible to obtain a detailed 3D textured model useful for different scientific purposes and virtual enhancement. Here are presented the photogrammetric results reached with the selection of the best solutions in terms of number of images, in order to speed up the entire photogrammetric workflow and pursue the goals previously explained. This medallion is one of the most important examples of roman medallions which belongs to the numismatic collection stored at the Correr Museum in Venice. Its 3D survey was developed as a parallel step of a main project which aims to acquire in three-dimensions, with a structured light scanner, the complete roman collection of medallions. This digitization project proposes to record the volumetric information of these small archaeological remains and to realize an online virtual gallery in the web site of the museum (using 3DHOP, an open source web viewer developed by the Visual Computing Lab of the CNR-ISTI of Pisa). At the end of the microphotogrammetric workflow, a distance analysis was computed to highlight the differences between the meshes obtained with a photogrammetric approach and a structured light scanner.