Combining 3D Surveying with Archaeological Uncertainty: The Metopes of the Athenian Treasury at Delphi

Abstract

At the archaeological site of Delphi, significant monuments inherently communicate uncertainty regarding the reconstruction of their initial form. An innovative, preliminary, theoretical formulation of a 3D visualization system is proposed, combining 3D surveying based on terrestrial laser scanning and archaeological uncertainty which, unlike past work, will offer multiple hypotheses to be visualized. The system, when implemented, will take as input the archaeologists’ assessment regarding various evidence and offers probabilistic reasoning in relation to the monuments’ past form, which is finally reconstructed and visualized in 3D. The positioning of the metopes of the Athenian Treasury at Delphi is presented as a case study.