Valentina Vassallo | The Cyprus Institute (original) (raw)

Papers by Valentina Vassallo

Internet Archaeology, 2023

This article focuses on the aggregation of Cypriot archaeological datasets, digitally archived in... more This article focuses on the aggregation of Cypriot archaeological datasets, digitally archived in local repositories, into the ARIADNE portal. It considers, in particular, the development of an application profile for inscriptions and presents the integration of two collections, consisting of ancient coins and inscriptions carved on stones. It highlights the tools and ontologies developed for the aggregation and management of these digital resources, as well as the related pipeline and activities. The issues encountered are also presented, plus the solutions adopted and the successful results in the data aggregation of these collections into the infrastructure. Currently, thanks to the pipeline, and the semantic tools developed and used in ARIADNE, a collection of Cypriot medieval coins and a corpus of Ancient Greek inscriptions are now more widely accessible to the archaeological community.

Digital Strategies for Endangered Cultural Heritage, 2023

The rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage at risk needs integrated processes of managing and planni... more The rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage at risk needs integrated processes of managing and planning intervention. The following project proposes to establish an integrated methodology for the recovery of the Convent of Saint Anthony of Padua and the surrounding area, Garrovillas de Alconétar (Extremadura, Spain). The current proposal is conceived and developed as a possible future regeneration project for the ancient architecture, subject to abandonment, and its circumjacent area. A multidisciplinary methodology, combining several fields of studies such as archaeology, history and architecture, digital analysis, visualization tools, and economic strategies, is at the basis of the project. In the methodological pipeline, helpful support in the rehabilitation and restoration of the asset and its area is provided by the employment of 3D digital technologies, which can be valuable tools for diagnostic investigation and provide a transparent approach to the analysis of the architectures. Moreover, digital tools can be used for visualisations and reconstructions aimed at the valorisation of cultural assets.

Egypt and the Levant, 31, 2021

In autumn 2020, the 11th season of excavations at the Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke t... more In autumn 2020, the 11th season of excavations at the Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke took place in extramural Area A, where, based on indications provided by magnetometer surveys, tombs, possible ritual pits, and numerous wells were found, but no architectural remains. Tomb RR, which had been partly exposed in 2018 and 2019, was further excavated. It revealed a preliminary minimum total of 54 individuals (MNI) and numerous artefacts including, inter alia, complete ceramic vessels, figurines, jewellery, ivory objects, a scarab and a cylinder seal. The life span of the tomb can, on the evidence to date, be assigned from the LC IIA1 to LC IIC1 period, i.e., roughly from the last quarter of the 15th to the end of the 14th or the beginning of the 13th century BCE. Just to the south of Tomb RR another magnetic anomaly, Tomb SS, was investigated. Only the uppermost burial layer was reached, which was covered by two large deposits of several hundred intact or fully restorable ceramic vessels. These include various types of Cypriot tableware, as well as imports from the Aegean, Anatolia and the Levant. The preliminary date of these contexts is LC IIA˗B, i.e., roughly the last quarter of the 15th to the last quarter of the 14th century BCE. Since neither tomb has been completely exposed, excavations in the protected area will continue in spring 2021.
This report describes the methodology and preliminary results of 3D documentation and physicochemical analyses of two terracotta figurines of Base-ring ware uncovered in 2020, as well as the 3D documentation of Tomb RR at its last stages of excavation, aimed at analysing the spatial distribution of human remains and associated material culture. The 3D models of one figurine were further used to print a 3D replica of the original, in order to test various hypotheses on how it was made and handled.

Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, 2022

In 2020 and 2021, the eleventh and twelfth seasons of excavations at the Late Bronze Age city of ... more In 2020 and 2021, the eleventh and twelfth seasons of excavations at the Late Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke were carried out in the cemetery of Area A. Based on indications provided by a large-scale magnetometer survey, two tombs exposed by intensive farming were located, Tombs RR and SS. The excavation of Tomb RR, which had started in 2018, was concluded. The total minimum number (MNI) of skeletons in this tomb, of which most were incomplete and disarticulated, is estimated at 137. In addition to clay figurines, seals and scarabs, objects of ivory, as well as jewellery of gold, silver, bronze, faience and carnelian, the inhumations are associated with more than 100 intact or complete ceramic vessels, many of them imported from the Mycenaean, Minoan, Hittite and Levantine spheres of culture. The pottery indicates a LC II(A/)B–C1 date of the inhumations, i.e., covering the 14th and the beginning of the 13th centuries BC. The excavations of the adjacent Tomb SS began in 2020 an...

International Journal on Digital Libraries, 2020

In this paper, we will explore the theme of the documentation of 3D cultural heritage assets, not... more In this paper, we will explore the theme of the documentation of 3D cultural heritage assets, not only as entire artefacts but also including the interesting features of the object from an archaeological perspective. Indeed, the goal is supporting archaeological research and curation, providing a different approach to enrich the documentation of digital resources and their components with corresponding measurements, combining semantic and geometric techniques. A documentation scheme based on CIDOC, where measurements on digital data have been included extending CIDOC CRMdig, is discussed. To annotate accurately the components and features of the artefacts, a controlled vocabulary named Cultural Heritage Artefact Partonomy (CHAP) has been defined and integrated into the scheme as a SKOS taxonomy to showcase the proposed methodology. CHAP concerns Coroplastic, which is the study of ancient terracotta figurines and in particular the Cypriot production. Two case studies have been considered: the terracotta statues from the port of Salamis and the small clay statuettes from the Ayia Irini sanctuary. Focussing both on the artefacts and their digital counterparts, the proposed methodology supports effectively typical operations within digital libraries and repositories (e.g. search, part-based annotation), and more specific objectives such as the archaeological interpretation and digitally assisted classification, as proved in a real archaeological scenario. The proposed approach is general and applies to different contexts, since it is able to support any archaeological research where the goal is an extensive digital documentation of tangible findings including quantitative attributes.

International Journal on Digital Libraries, 2020

Different scientific communities produce different kinds of datasets that rely on different data ... more Different scientific communities produce different kinds of datasets that rely on different data descriptions, approaches, and logical organisations. In such an environment, it is essential to establish a knowledge communication framework that can guarantee some fundamentals, such as an inclusive description and documentation of the interdisciplinary digital resources, their long-term preservation, access, use, and reuse. The establishment of semantic knowledge integration aims at overcoming such inhomogeneity between data produced by different research communities. Specifically, we refer to those communities aggregated within the e-Infrastructure developed by the European project VI-SEEM: Life Science, Climate Science, and Digital Cultural Heritage. The current research proposes a framework based on CIDOC CRM and its extensions, in particular the CRMsci and CRMdig, and tested on examples identified as interdisciplinary respect to the different and various research areas of the project. Moreover, the semantic solution aims at fulfilling the FAIR principles.

Mieko Matsumoto and Espen Uleberg (eds) 2018. CAA2016: Oceans of Data Proceedings of the 44th Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2018

Archaeological multidisciplinary research relies on heterogeneous data types (measurements, spect... more Archaeological multidisciplinary research relies on heterogeneous data types (measurements, spectra, etc.), while what is commonly published is the integrated interpretation of such data. A major task is to create a virtual environment where primary, processed and interpreted data are archived and available for interrogation. Such a task must rely on a knowledge management system that captures how data was acquired and produced (the scientific process of measurements, data acquisition, mathematical operations, etc.) along with its derived interpretation and reasoning process, ending with conclusions. This is essential for any scientific process where data transparency is the only mechanism for the verification of results, conclusions and duplication of experiments. The paper presents the first results of an ongoing research partially funded by the EU projects ARIADNE and GRAVITATE, based on the integration of archaeological, geometrical and chemical data collected during the analysis of terracotta statues fragments from the Salamis–Toumba archaeological site in Cyprus.

The Byzantine Museum of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation in Nicosia (Cyprus) hosts numerous... more The Byzantine Museum of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation in Nicosia (Cyprus) hosts numerous artefacts, dating from the 6th to the 20th centuries A.D. Some were looted from the Turkish-occupied areas of the island and have recently been repatriated. A webGIS tool under development, stores information regarding these artefacts and their spatial and temporal characteristics. The user can navigate through the history of the artefacts and have different views of the area. The GIS structure is based on micro geographical scale and it will be expanded to macro. In the micro scale the artefacts originally located within the city walls of Nicosia have been mapped. The macro scale project will cover Cyprus and other countries, where the artworks were initially located and to which they “travelled”. The aim is to visualize the spatial and temporal movement of the artefacts and retrieve some statistical data regarding their original provenance and the places where they were located after being illegally exported.
The users can visualize information through the artefacts metadata documentation.

How does our landscape looks like in the past? How was the original aspect of that monument or ar... more How does our landscape looks like in the past? How was the original aspect of that monument or archaeological site, that today appears so ruined and also so immersed in our crowded built cities? How was its original relation with the surrounding natural environment and also with other sites? How was monument function and how was it used by ancient men?

Shape Modeling International 2018

We present the design and preliminary results of a joint research effort involving two PhD studen... more We present the design and preliminary results of a joint research effort involving two PhD students under the umbrella of the EU GRAVITATE project . GRAVITATE develops an innovative approach to the study of heritage artefacts, providing a platform for the search and analysis of 3D models, digital twins of real archaeological finds, as a support to archaeological research. Shape Analysis (SA) on the digital counterpart allow for non-invasive examination and measurement; monitoring changes over time can support the evaluation of the conservation status and the definition of an appropriate conservation plan. The comparison between digital artefacts may highlight stylistic and technical similarities allowing the association between pieces which can be part of different collections and the identification of common production patterns. In this poster, we will present the application of geometric modeling methods to the Ayia Irini archaeological collection case study, as a support for archaeologists to respond to specific research questions. The whole Ayia Irini collection consists of almost 2000 votive clay statues and statuettes of different size, shape and style found in a sanctuary by a Swedish archaeological expedition in the 20th century . A peculiarity of this collection is that the artefacts have been divided between five museums into two countries, Sweden and Cyprus. For the present study we focus our research only on the so called “small, human idols”, mostly attributed to the Cypro-Archaic period (700-500 BC), which include 103 statuettes that have been chosen and digitised both through laser scanning and photogrammetric technique. These sampled small statuettes represent male standing figures, sometimes holding arms, animals, or music instruments, and presenting similar features that might be significant for their further interpretation and dating. The main archaeological questions concerning this case study regard: 1) the evidence of rules in the production; 2) the identification of elements indicating the workshop or even the artisans’ hands; 3) the drafting of new association hypotheses through automatic classification of statuettes. In this context, the geometry and topology of the digital model (e.g., the size, the thickness regularity of the material, the shape and posture of the figurine) are some important parameters to support the interpretation of stylistic and technological production. In the poster, we will detail the computational methods adopted so far to evaluate these dimensions on the digital shape and our preliminary results in the interpretation of the Ayia Irini collection.

S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, & M. Cirillo (Eds.), CAA2015: Keep The Revolution Going. Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Vol. 229, pp. 227-232). Oxford: Archaeopress., 2016

This paper focuses on the ongoing doctoral research of the writer. Specifically, the topic of thi... more This paper focuses on the ongoing doctoral research of the writer. Specifically, the topic of this article is on the methodology, the theoretical approach and the first steps of the research. The general aim is the contribution of 3D documentation and the 3D digital approach to the stylistic and typological study of archaeological collections. The study is applied to the collection of the Ayia Irini archaeological excavation (Cyprus). The site was excavated and studied at the beginning of the 20th century by a Swedish archaeological mission and the collection was divided between Cyprus and Sweden. The scope, through the integration of digital technologies, is the three-dimensional documentation of the archaeological material for its (re)interpretation and its metric analysis and comparison. Particularly, the paper will focus on the pipeline and methodology developed for the choice of the sample, its digital acquisition and the analysis of the statues.

Ancient Cyprus, an unexpected journey. Communities in Continuity and Transition (Edited by Luca Bombardieri, Marialucia Amadio and Francesca Dolcetti), 2017

Valentina Vassallo’s chapter focuses on the development of a 3D digital approach to the study, an... more Valentina Vassallo’s chapter focuses on the development of a 3D digital approach to the study, analysis and interpretation of archaeological collections, in particular a group of small terracotta figurines from Ayia Irini. Vassallo presents the preliminary results of her research aimed to deepen the understanding of stylistic, typological and technological aspects of the Ayia Irini collection.

Supporting a discovery, use, and navigation of digital collections is a fundamental part of provi... more Supporting a discovery, use, and navigation of digital collections is a fundamental part of providing access and encouraging inquiry, interpretation, and knowledge. In this paper we present our efforts to store and explore multimedia collections of archaeological data. Particularly, the case study of the Archaia Kypriaki Grammateia epigraphic collection is presented. Our work can be seen twofold. One aspect of our work is to provide a place where the data coming from various sources can be stored and accessed. Another aspect is to provide users with means to explore this data. We argue that currently digital libraries are constrained by their webpage-based paradigm, thus not providing the means for utilizing the full potential of the heritage data.

CAA2015. Keep The Revolution Going. Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology edited by Stefano Campana, Roberto Scopigno, Gabriella Carpentiero and Marianna Cirillo, 2016

The paper focuses on a multidisciplinary study carried out on an inscription from Soli (Cyprus) w... more The paper focuses on a multidisciplinary study carried out on an inscription from Soli (Cyprus) within the framework of the on-going EAGLE and AKGDC projects, aimed at developing a research pipeline for the 3D digital study and digital long-term
preservation of ancient inscriptions. The pipeline includes the definition of most suitable 3D data acquisition methodology (technique, level of detail, lightening, etc.), description of a comprehensive metadata structure for digital archiving and information retrieval and visual analysis using selected filters and views. Particularly, this paper focuses on the 3D visual and geometrical approach applied to epigraphic studies. The chosen case-study is a highly and fragmented inscription and scholars debate on its interpretation. Our analysis, performed on the 3D model acquired and based on computer vision methods wants to help scholars to analyse, interpret and reconstruct damaged inscriptions, where the letters’ interpretation cannot be firmly based solely on the geometry of the carved surface, as well as investigate through 3D methodology the production of the inscriptions.

… Symposium on Virtual …, 2008

Virtual Rome Project, founded by Seat Yellow Pages and the Chamber of Commerce, has developed a V... more Virtual Rome Project, founded by Seat Yellow Pages and the Chamber of Commerce, has developed a VR webGIS
application, with front-end and back-end on line solutions, for the interpretation, reconstruction and 3d exploration of
archaeological and potential past landscapes of Rome. The purpose is the creation of a three-dimensional open source 3d
environment, available on line, embedded into a eb-browser, where final users can interact dynamically in the 3d reconstructed space and activate different behaviours in order to enhance their understanding of the territory. The back-end
version, in progress, is developed as to involve different researchers in the complex activity of landscape reconstruction. What is already available on line is the reconstruction of the archaeological and ancient landscape of Rome (resolution 10-100 Mt), with a more detailed reconstruction of some areas in the north, south and center of the city (via Flaminia, via Appia and Imperial Fora, at resolution of 20 cm). Sites, monuments and archaeological areas are connected with their context and are reconstructed in accordance with real and hypothetical topography both for the actual and for the past. The presentation will be focused on two main aspects: contents and software development. The methodological approach to ancient landscape reconstruction will also be analysed: from natural environment to the creation of virtual ecosystems
based on different aspects (human, architectural, natural, etc.). In fact, through the convergence of several disciplines, such as palaeobotany, archaeology, architecture, geology, pedology, allows to design a landscape, whose exact aspect is
impossible to know, it is possible to reconstruct general, and in some case also specific, features. In order to let users, simply through their browsers, to explore dynamically these reconstructions and multimedia contents connected to them, a web plug-in has been developed. With this cross-platform and cross-browser plug-in, OSG4WEB, based on OpenSceneGraph library, it is possible to explore interactively the entire archaeological territory of Rome, as it appears today, and to switch to the 2nd century AD potential landscape. The 3d navigation allows a continuous exploration: from an holistic view of the territory (fly) to a detailed investigation of the archaeological sites (walk).
The paper discusses also some problematic aspects that “Virtual Rome” on line application had to face, both from
archaeological and ICT points of view: reliability of reconstructed past landscape; reconstruction as open and scientific process; large territory dataset on line management (32 GB of high resolution aerial images); different coordinate systems and data resolutions integration; 3d models complexity and dimension (texture and geometry) integration and efficient exploration; vegetation integration; continuous interaction for inter and intra-site browsing; plug-in integration in most diffused browser. Proposed solutions and final results will be analysed and presented. Virtual Rome web-lab, in the next future, is planning to further develop the back-end VR webGIS builder, in order to allow a continuous modification of the landscape and the integration of different 3d project, as a 3d cooperative environment and a reference point for virtual communities.
Furthermore, thanks to the use of technology will not only be possible to guarantee the conservation of the past, but also to
bring back to life, through virtual reality systems, the magnificence of Imperial Rome, on line.

Free, libre and open source software e open format nei processi di ricerca archeologica: VIII Edizione Catania 2013 edited by Filippo Stanco e Giovanni Gallo., 2016

In questo articolo saranno presentate le attività di ricerca condotte al Science and Technology i... more In questo articolo saranno presentate le attività di ricerca condotte al Science and Technology in Archaeology Research Centre - STARC (Centro di ricerca in Scienza e Tecnologia per l’Archeologia) del Cyprus Institute di Cipro, sottolineando con particolare enfasi l’adozione di procedure open nella creazione, gestione, condivisione e pubblicazione di dati digitali.
Tale linea di ricerca presenta un approccio multidisciplinare finalizzato all’accrescimento della conoscenza, nell’ambito dei Beni Culturali, attraverso l’utilizzo delle tecnologie dell’informazione (ICT) basate sulla documentazione digitale e la semantica, la visualizzazione scientifica di oggetti digitali e la realtà virtuale.

This paper presents the experience of the Science and Technologies for Archaeological Research Ce... more This paper presents the experience of the Science and Technologies for Archaeological Research Center (STARC) of the Cyprus Institute in the online publication of cultural heritage content in European Digital Libraries projects, and their re-use for different purposes. Apart from the research's aims related to this activity, the re-use of the data takes into consideration the educational aspect, as well as the importance of the content for tourism and leisure. This is done through digitization and publication within the Digital Libraries projects and providing Europeana with metadata information of Cypriot cultural collections. In particular, this paper focuses on the case study of the collection from the Byzantine Museum of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation in Nicosia (Cyprus). For this collection a GIS application that fosters digital inclusion in the field of education, tourism, and edutainment has been planned and is currently under development.

Abstracts of the 1st Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Glasgow 2015, 2015

3D printing is considered the new revolution in the field of cultural heritage and archaeology, c... more 3D printing is considered the new revolution in the field of cultural heritage and archaeology, contributing to the definition of new horizons in the conservation and communication sector. 3D physical replicas can replace original objects that are inaccessible or not available due to their conservation state, their fragility or that cannot be moved because too valuable. Furthermore, a 3D replica can be a valid substitute of lost museum artifacts. This paper presents the case study of the physical replica of the so called Kazafani boat. The 13th century artifact is made of pottery and it is permanently exhibited at the Cyprus Museum. It was found within a tomb at the Kazafani village (Cyprus) in 1963. Recently it was chosen to be part of a travelling exhibition to the Smithsonian Museum (USA), but due to its fragility could not be moved. For this reason a campaign of 3D data acquisition was planned to create an accurate digital replica of the artwork with the aim of making a physical replica to substitute the real object. Size, shape, colours, surface markings, even evidence of past damage and previous episodes of restoration, were all recorded. An exact physical replica of the boat was created with a powder 3D printer. A further implication of this approach enabled conservators to interact and analyze the replicated boat in detail preventing any damage to the original.

Internet Archaeology, 2023

Digital Strategies for Endangered Cultural Heritage, 2023

Egypt and the Levant, 31, 2021

Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, 2022

International Journal on Digital Libraries, 2020

Mieko Matsumoto and Espen Uleberg (eds) 2018. CAA2016: Oceans of Data Proceedings of the 44th Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2018

Shape Modeling International 2018

Ancient Cyprus, an unexpected journey. Communities in Continuity and Transition (Edited by Luca Bombardieri, Marialucia Amadio and Francesca Dolcetti), 2017

… Symposium on Virtual …, 2008

Free, libre and open source software e open format nei processi di ricerca archeologica: VIII Edizione Catania 2013 edited by Filippo Stanco e Giovanni Gallo., 2016

Abstracts of the 1st Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Glasgow 2015, 2015

Archaeology is becoming increasingly ‘digital’. The use of 3D laser scanners, computer vision and... more Archaeology is becoming increasingly ‘digital’. The use of 3D laser scanners, computer vision and photogrammetric methods is well established in the archaeological field now, since these techniques allow to digitally preserving the information through time. Three-dimensional metric replicas of the archaeological record are powerful tools for the analysis, understanding and interpretation of tangible heritage, since they give the opportunity to virtually revisit the archaeological information by multiple experts, without the limitations of space and time. Today digital archives and the web allow preservation, sharing and accessibility of 3D data, favoring an unprecedented dissemination of information. Thanks to the advancement of technologies, 3D digital objects can now also be recreated using 3D printers. This gives researchers and the public the ability to not only see objects, but also engage and interact with their reproductions. Three-dimensional printing affords the use of tactile information not typically utilized when simply viewing static 2D photographs or looking at objects displayed in a museum. What is the value of 3D digital and physical replicas of ancient material culture? How should we consider these digital and virtual reproductions? Are they authentic representations of our cultural heritage or just virtual and physical ‘fakes’? We welcome papers that discuss how 3D digital and printed replicas challenge and reconsider the notion of authenticity in archaeology and heritage studies. We would like potential papers to explore the concept of authenticity in relation to:-Three-dimensional digital replicas of ancient artefacts.-Three-dimensional printed replicas of ancient artefacts.-Three-dimensional virtual replicas of the archaeological excavation process. -Cultural diversity. How different cultures cope with replicas.-Museum experiences.

This volume represents the first attempt to collate an organic collection of contributions on aut... more This volume represents the first attempt to collate an organic collection of contributions on authenticity and the digital realm in heritage and archaeology. It analyses the concept of authenticity from different perspectives and with different multidisciplinary contributions, together with theoretical debate. The collection of papers explores the concept of authenticity in a comprehensive way, engaging with theories relating to the commodification of ancient material culture, heritage-making processes, scholarly views and community engagement. These papers also take into account current digital practices for the study of past material culture and how their use affects and redefines interpretation processes in archaeology. This will provide a key reference text for archaeologists, museum and heritage specialists, and other readers interested in authenticity, cultural heritage and 3D reproductions.

established by: Mauro …, Jan 1, 2009

Eurographics Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage, 2019

In recent years, quantitative approaches based on mathematical theories and ICT tools, known unde... more In recent years, quantitative approaches based on mathematical theories and ICT tools, known under the terms of digital, computational, and virtual archaeology, are more and more involved in the traditional archaeological research. In this paper, we apply shape analysis techniques to 3D digital replicas of archaeological findings to support their interpretation. In particular, our study focuses on a collection of small terracotta figurines from the ancient sanctuary of Ayia Irini, Cyprus, and it aims at re-analysing the material utilising a quantitative approach. We experiment state of the art techniques (meshSIFT and DBSCAN) to cluster statuettes according to the similarity of their heads, to investigate their production process.

Shape Modelling International, 2018

The GRAVITATE project addresses the world of Cultural Heritage and related science. The innovativ... more The GRAVITATE project addresses the world of Cultural Heritage and related science. The innovative aspect of the project is to create a digital platform that allows Re-Unification, Re-Association and Re-Assembly of heritage ar-tifacts, based on 3D geometry, shape analysis, colour features, semantic metadata and natural language processing. The integration of these approaches into a single decision support platform, with a full suite of visualisa-tion tools provides a unique resource for the cultural heritage research community. The aim of the project is to support scientists to ReAssemble fragmented and broken heritage artifacts, identify and Re-Unify parts that were separated across collections and to recognise and Re-Associate cultural heritage arti-facts that have common features, allowing new knowledge and understanding of past societies to be inferred. Among all the collections which are being studied in the context of GRAVITATE, we are focusing on the Ayia-Irini collection. The Ayia Irini collection consists of almost 2000 votive clay statues and stat-uettes of different size, shape and style found in a Cypriot sanctuary by a Swedish expedition in the 20th century [1]. After the excavation, the artefacts were divided between Sweden and Cyprus and they are currently conserved in five different museums. 103 statuettes, from the different hosting institutions and belonging to the so called 'small, human idols' (max. 27 cm height), have been chosen and digitized both through laser scanning and photogrammetric technique in order to produce 3D replicas to be quantitatively analyzed by the means of geometric and topological tools. The items sampled belong to 3 typological groups created by the archaeologists according to a qualitative stylistic archaeological classification. According to the archaeologists who excavated and studied the site, the statuettes sampled for this research can be classified into three typological groups: Type 5, 6 and 7. The Type 5 and 6 are characterized by handmade statuettes sharing similar characteristics which make difficult a definite attribution to a class respect to another. Moreover, some items present shared features and similarities that make us hypothesize the presence of production patterns that could be meaningful for the identification of workshops or even different artisans' hands. The statuettes attributed to Type 7 are made by three integrated techniques (hand-made, wheel-made and moulded) and share more defined characteristics. The archaeologists state that for these statuettes different kind of moulds were used to produce their heads. The 3D analysis aims at quantitatively test this information and to detect other characteristics that can help us to identify further production patterns and possibly a chronological sequence [2] [3]. Thickness Transversal slices We slice the base and compute the average distance between the inner and outer boundary. Eccentricity Transversal slices The minimum bounding rectangle of the slice is extracted (following the approach described in [4]) and then the eccentricity is computed as the ratio between the maximal and minimal axis of the rectangle. Circularity Roundness Transversal slices The roundness of a slice measures how much its shape resembles the one of a perfect circle. We obtain such a measure fitting a circle [5] to the slice and extracting the distances between each point of the slice and the circle. Distance from the principal axis Multiple transversal slices We extract slices at different heights and compute the average of their barycenter and then, for each one, we compute the distance between its barycenter and the average one. The average of this distances is a good approximation of the distance from the principal axis. Shape of the head Multiple transversal slices The shape of the head is well approximated by the shape of some of its transversal slices. So, we extract them and compare them, qualitatively by now. Size of the statue Volume An approximation of the volume of the statue can be given by its oriented bounding box. So, we extract it from the model using MathGeoLib library [6] (which uses the approach described in [7]) and then compute the volume of the obtained parallelepiped (area of the base times the height). Future works Features position Surface We are planning to exploit surface information (e.g., the curvature) to find the position of certain features (e.g., arms) Distance from the principal axis Multiple transversal slices The principal axis can be defined in different ways: 1. Rotational simmetry axis; 2. The line passing through the centers of the bases of the best fitting cylinder. We will try this possibilities and take the best one. Shape of the head Multiple transversal slices We are planning to define a skeleton based description of some well-defined slices, which enclose the principal characteristics of the head (e.g. the transversal slice through the tip of the nose). Size of the statue Volume We will translate the triangular meshes to tethraedral ones and compute a better approximation of the volume. The GRAVITATE platform is divided into a web-client and a desktop-client, which are connected to each other. The web client allows users to perform semantic and geometric queries. The desktop-client supports analysis and documentation of the retrieved objects and provides five different views: Inspection, Fragment, ReAssembly, History and Groups, with tools specific for each view. The Fragment view allows analysis and annotation of fragments. In particular, it is possible to visualise geometric properties such as the mean curvature, and detect features such as eyes and mouths in a statue or 2D and 3D patterns. The part-based annotation of 3D models takes also place in this view, where a controlled vocabulary, the Cultural Heritage Artifact Partonomy (CHAP), has been defined to annotate the interesting parts of the fragment under investigation. Archaeological questions 1. Is that possible to identify different levels of expertise according to the uniformity of the statuettes' clay width and other dimensions ? 2. Is the presence of fixed measurements, ratios between the parts and geometric similarities expression of a 'serial' production to be attributed to specific workshops or artisans' hands? 3. How many moulds can be identified in our sample? How many artefacts come from the same mould? Is it possible to identify a 'chronological sequence' through the comparison of the heads which seem to come from the same mould? 4. Can quantitative analysis produce data useful for the automatic classification of archaeological material? To help the reply to the defined archaeological questions, we identified several measures. 1. The expertise of the artisan can be quantified analyzing: a. The variance of thickness of the material in the tubular part of a statuette; b. A measure of how much the tubular part is circular (circularity); c. A straightness measure for the tubular part (distance from the principal axis). These measures are more meaningful for specific type of statues (e.g., straightness is not very meaningful for wheel-made objects-the result is almost always pretty straight, because it is done with an external tool-while it express very well the artisan ability for handmade ones, while the opposite holds for the variance of thickness). 2. Fixed measures that can be analyzed to find similarities are: a. Total size; b. Position and length of the arms; c. Ratio between the body parts measures; d. Clay amount (volume). 3. Defined some descriptors for the shape of the heads, it is possible to cluster them. Then we can count the number of clusters and the number of artefacts produced with a specific cluster. We can even further analyze heads produced with the same mould (same cluster) to see if the total volume is different (higher volume can suggest deterioration of the mould) or if some parts of the head had changed in shape (e.g., a smoother surface or a crooked nose can suggest that the corresponding part of the mould had changed) and this could suggest a chronological sequence; 4. Different experiments can be performed to search for meaningful descriptors for allowing a clustering of the statuettes.

EUROGRAPHICS Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage, 2018

The typical approach for archaeological analysis is mainly qualitative and, as such, rather chara... more The typical approach for archaeological analysis is mainly qualitative and, as such, rather characterized by subjective reasoning and evaluations. Even when some measures are reported in the documentation of artefacts, they are often approximate or ambiguous: different archaeologists may measure very differently, and have no way to specify the exact procedure in their tex-tual description. Conversely, the quantitative approach is based on objective metrics to produce replicable results and, coupled with digital tools, can assist the qualitative analysis in archaological research with no risk of damage. In this paper, we present a geometric-quantitative approach for the analysis of archaeological finds and the preliminary results of an ongoing joint research project of two doctoral students within the frame of the EU GRAVITATE project.