Dario Alessandro Calderone | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (original) (raw)

Papers by Dario Alessandro Calderone

Archaeological Prospection, 2024

Airborne laser scanning (ALS), commonly known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a remote... more Airborne laser scanning (ALS), commonly known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), is a remote sensing technique that enables transformative archaeological research by providing high-density 3D representations of landscapes and sites covered by vegetation whose analysis reveals hidden features and structures. ALS can detect targets under trees and grasslands, making it an ideal archaeological survey and mapping tool. ALS instruments are usually mounted on piloted aircraft. However, since the mid-2010s, smaller laser scanners can be mounted on uncrewed aerial vehicles or drones. In this article, we examined the viability of drone-based ALS for archaeological applications by utilizing a RIEGL VUX-UAV 22 sensor to capture point clouds with high spatial resolution at the archaeological site of Heloros in Southeastern Sicily, founded by the Greeks in the late eighth century bce. Using this laser scanner, we surveyed over 1.6 km 2 of the archaeological landscape, producing datasets that outperformed noncommercial airborne ALS data for the region made available by the Italian government. We produced derivative imagery free of vegetation, which we visualized in GIS using a modified Local Relief Model technique to aid our archaeological analyses. Our findings demonstrate that drone-based ALS can penetrate the dense Mediterranean canopy of coastal Sicily with sufficient point density to enable more efficient mapping of underlying archaeological features such as stone quarries, cart tracks, defensive towers and fortification walls. Our study proved that drone-based ALS sensors can be easily transported to remote locations and that in-house lab staff can safely operate them, which enables multiple on-demand surveys and opportunistic collections to be conducted on the fly when environmental conditions are ideal. We conclude that these capabilities further increase the benefits of utilizing ALS for surveying the archaeological landscape under the Mediterranean canopy.

Journal of Applied Geophysics 227, 2024

This paper presents the integration of advanced 3D digitization and visualization technologies in... more This paper presents the integration of advanced 3D digitization and visualization technologies in the study and
preservation of prehistoric megalithic heritage sites in the Mediterranean. We focus on the digital documentation
and analysis of the Bor˙ g in-Nadur megalithic complex and other notable sites, employing a combination of
terrestrial laser scanning, aerial and terrestrial digital photogrammetry. The research highlights how digital tools
not only enhance the precision of archaeological documentation but also promote virtual accessibility and offer
new insights into the archeoastronomical significance of these structures. We discuss the production of highresolution
digital replicas, their utility in virtual reconstructions, and the role of digital platforms in public
engagement and scholarly study. The findings underscore the potential of digital technologies to revolutionize
heritage conservation and research, providing a comprehensive digital approach to the safeguarding and understanding
of our ancient heritage.

SDH, 7, 2, 2024

This research attempts to locate the pathways used during the Sicilian Bronze Age in the territor... more This research attempts to locate the pathways used during the Sicilian Bronze Age in the territory of the municipality of Milena (Caltanissetta, Italy), in a central area of the island. The study begins by analyzing settlement's superimposition from the Neolithic period through the Middle Ages. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it was possible to identify and hypothesize prehistoric routeways by combining UAV technology, remote sensing, and GIS applications. Thus, studying the ancient movement areas without new material evidence of their existence is possible. This methodological approach is a solution for identifying specific prehistoric pathways across the interior of Sicily. The settlement logic of the hinterland and mountainous areas on the island can sometimes be replicated in other parts of the island. The good results obtained allow us to use this case study as an example of best practices in identifying specific prehistoric routeways through the analysis of topographic features with combined technological methods to study other similar contexts.

Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage , 2024

Heloros lies on a low hill situated along Sicily's Ionian shore. Archaeologists believe this city... more Heloros lies on a low hill situated along Sicily's Ionian shore. Archaeologists believe this city was the first subcolony of Syracuse. Despite its long history and prowess, Heloros is and therefore less known. This article answers crucial questions regarding the site's chronology, architecture, and topography. This involves digitizing and verifying legacy data and fusing them in a Geographic Information System with newly acquired 3D and geospatial documentation that we collected using global positioning, digital photogrammetry, drones, terrestrial and airborne Light Detection and Ranging, and ground penetrating radar. Our results present new insights into Heloros' history, including information about its pre-Greek occupation and revisions to the interpretation of important buildings and fortifications. Our research demonstrated that the Archaeology of Archaeology investigation we carried out at Heloros, when enhanced by our 'digital excavation' approach can generate new knowledge on archaeological sites without requiring new excavations.

The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences

THIASOS, 2024

L’analisi archeologica dei territori siciliani compresi tra la costa ionica e le pendici centro-o... more L’analisi archeologica dei territori siciliani compresi tra la costa ionica e le pendici centro-orientali dell’Etna ha storicamente rappresentato una sfida per gli archeologi. Per molto tempo si è ritenuto che l’interpretazione dei dati archeologici fosse completamente compromessa dalla natura paludosa delle aree costiere, dall’intensa attività umana nel tempo e dall’impatto di numerose colate laviche, soprattutto nelle aree più elevate come il comune di Mascali (CT), insediamento distrutto dall’eruzione del 1928. Questo studio affronta queste sfide, combinando le evidenze archeologiche esistenti con lo studio della geomorfologia e della geologia dell’area, in particolare la sovrapposizione dei vari insediamenti nella regione dalla preistoria alla tarda antichità, per far luce su come le diverse comunità umane abbiano abitato la zona nei secoli. La combinazione di informazioni provenienti da contesti archeologici noti con lo studio geomorfologico del paesaggio permette di comprendere più a fondo il rapporto tra l’uomo e il suo ambiente. La presenza di siti archeologici in corrispondenza di specifiche formazioni geologiche, come i depositi essenziali di argille blu, chiarisce la relazione tra risorse naturali, insediamenti, viabilità e porti. Questo, a sua volta, permette di formulare nuove ipotesi sullo sfruttamento del territorio, con particolare riferimento al periodo romano e bizantino, evidenziando i forti legami tra quest’area della Sicilia e quelle più a Nord, in corrispondenza del porto di Naxos (moderna Giardini-Naxos, ME).

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2023

As 3D tools become increasingly used in archaeology and cultural heritage management, best practi... more As 3D tools become increasingly used in archaeology and cultural heritage management, best practices are continuously developing to mediate their adoption. As part of an effort to revalorize the archaeological site of Heloros in southeastern Sicily, the authors have applied the concept of datafication to heuristically plan the approaches and objectives for its digitization. The process of datafication, i.e. the creation of new data through layered collection of natively digital and digitized legacy data, guided the collection of digital data aimed to consolidate archaeological and landscape data for the purposes of virtual reconstruction and planning of future interventions. The process of datafication, used here for the first time in a Mediterranean context led to the discovery of unpublished information about the previously excavated site of Heloros. Three-dimensional data were captured using terrestrial laser scanning, aerial and handheld photogrammetry, and integrated into a Geographic Information System to investigate and record the ancient Greek city of Heloros and individual elements of the site. Digitized legacy data were compared with the natively digital data of the site collected in 2021 and used to create a Digital Terrain Model. Bespoke GIS visualizations techniques were applied to identify as series of anomalies that were compared with legacy data. The preliminary results of this research led to the verification of hypotheses about the fortification system, previous excavation trenches, and the identification of possible further fortifications and unpublished use-phases of the site.

Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2023

Multidisciplinary remote sensing surveying techniques were employed at the site of the Abbatija t... more Multidisciplinary remote sensing surveying techniques were employed at the site of the Abbatija tad-Dejr Catacombs in Rabat (Malta) as part of a collaborative research project of the University of South Florida's Institute for Digital Exploration (IDEx) and Heritage Malta aimed to map the complex for interpretation and conservation purposes and to assess the eventual presence of further hypogea in the areas surrounding the site. In this study, terrestrial laser scanning and hand-held digital photogrammetry were employed to map the entire complex in 3D and digitize specific architectural and artistic features found within Hypogea I and IV. In particular, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) were used to verify the presence of hypogeal structures and tombs and the results have showed how the prospection has identified anomalies of possible relevant archaeological interest.

Proceedings of the 2022 IMEKO TC4 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 2023

Storie interrotte Riconoscere e valorizzare il patrimonio dimenticato, 2022

The article presents a project dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the archaeological... more The article presents a project dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the archaeological and architectural heritage in Riposto and Mascali (Catania), two cities in eastern Sicily located between the Ionian Sea and the Etna volcano. In particular we studied the Modò Tower in Riposto, and the water mill located in Nunziata di Mascali. To study and enhance these two buildings we used the laser scanner and the drone, which were used to create 3D reconstructions. The 3D models allowed us to start a detailed structural investigation, and to plan activities dedicated to the enhancement of the buildings. The study of these artifacts helped the authors to develop a strategic program of regeneration of the cultural heritage of this part of the Sicilian landscape. The aim is to provide organizations and public administrations with projects to renovate and promote the ancient structures that represent a cultural resource, but also an economic-tourist one, for the whole territory.

Dario Calderone , 2022

Il presente lavoro costituisce una sintesi delle attività di scavo e ricerca archeologica condott... more Il presente lavoro costituisce una sintesi delle attività di scavo e ricerca archeologica condotte sulla Patela di Priniàs (Creta) dal team di ricerca dell’Università di Catania (Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione) coordinato da chi scrive in seno alla missione Archeologica Italiana a Prinias. Vengono presentati i risultati degli scavi di due importanti complessi alto-arcaici: il vano VD, appartenente all’edificio monumentale VA/VD indagato a partire dal 2003, e l’edificio B, a sud del noto tempio A, indagato solo parzialmente da Luigi Pernier nel 1908.

La Sicilia preistorica: dinamiche interne e relazioni esterne : atti del Convegno internazionale di studi : Catania-Siracusa 7-9 ottobre 2021, 2021

RIASSUNTO - Le ricerche condotte negli ultimi anni nel territorio di Bronte (Catania) hanno rilev... more RIASSUNTO - Le ricerche condotte negli ultimi anni nel territorio di Bronte (Catania) hanno rilevato, nelle località di Cunta-rati e Balze Soprane, l’esistenza di resti assai ben conservati di strutture megalitiche, costruite su terrazzi in posizione emi-nente su corsi d’acqua (rispettivamente il fiume Simeto e il torrente Saracena). Si tratta di costruzioni, probabilmente ad uso funerario, che per tipologia e funzione si datano tra la fine dell’età del Rame e l’inizio dell’età del Bronzo e si collegano a di-versi siti coevi della Sicilia sud-orientale e centro-meridionale e, fuori dall’isola, dell’Italia meridionale (Puglia soprattutto), di Malta (le aree dolmeniche della facies di Tarxien Cemetery), e dell’Africa nord-occidentale (Marocco, Algeria, Tunisia). La po-sizione dei due siti, elevata, ben visibile e lungo corsi d’acqua, suggerisce la loro importanza come luogo simbolico per riu-nioni comunitarie dei gruppi che abitavano questo territorio.
SUMMARY - MEGALITHISM IN THE ETNA REGION AND ITS RELATIONS WITH THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN AND EUROPE - Archaeological research carried out in recent years in the Bronte area (Catania), has revealed the existence of well-preserved remains of megalithic structures in the Cuntarati and Balze Soprane localities, built on terraces in a prominent po-sition on watercourses (the Simeto river and the Saracena stream respectively). These constructions, which probably had a funerary use, are dated, on the basis of typological characteristics, between the end of the Copper Age and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age and are linked to various contemporary sites in south-eastern and central-southern Sicily and, outside the island, in southern Italy (especially Apulia), Malta (the dolmen areas of the Tarxien Cemetery facies), and north-western Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). The position of the two sites, which are elevated, clearly visible and along watercourses, suggests their important function as symbolic places for community gatherings of the groups living in the area.

La Sicilia Preistorica. Dinamiche interne e relazioni esterne, 2022

Archaeological research carried out in recent years in the Bronte area (Catania), has revealed th... more Archaeological research carried out in recent years in the Bronte area (Catania), has revealed the existence of well-preserved remains of megalithic structures in the Cuntarati and Balze Soprane localities, built on terraces in a prominent po-sition on watercourses (the Simeto river and the Saracena stream respectively). These constructions, which probably had a funerary use, are dated, on the basis of typological characteristics, between the end of the Copper Age and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age and are linked to various contemporary sites in south-eastern and central-southern Sicily and, outside the island, in southern Italy (especially Apulia), Malta (the dolmen areas of the Tarxien Cemetery facies), and north-western Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). The position of the two sites, which are elevated, clearly visible and along watercourses, suggests their important function as symbolic places for community gatherings of the groups living in the area.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022

This article aims to improve the study of archaeological sites in the territory of Milena, a town... more This article aims to improve the study of archaeological sites in the territory of Milena, a town located in Sicily (Italy). Between the 80 s and 90 s different excavation campaigns had documented numerous prehistoric sites. However, most of the ancient settlements have yet to be discovered and studied. The search operations are made difficult by the large size of the territory and its geomophorological characteristics. In fact, many settlements stand on chalky hills that are rapidly crumbling, risking damage to the archaeological remains. To intervene as soon as possible, we have relied on the use of modern approaches, capable of speeding up the work of researchers. Here we propose a new approach based on remote sensing and the GIS technology to detect archaeological sites. In particular, we used multispectral remote sensing data in a GIS environmental both for predictive and post-dictive analyses. We were able to locate areas where there are ceramics and elements that can be recoded to human settlements. The quality of the results depends on the choice of the remotely sensed images, which can have different spectral characteristics, on the acquisition period, but also on the preprocessing algorithms adopted for the classification in the GIS environment.

42th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF REPRESENTATION DISCIPLINES TEACHERS. CONGRESS OF UNIONE ITALIANA PER IL DISEGNO. PROCEEDINGS 2020. LINGUAGGI, DISTANZE, TECNOLOGIE

42° Convegno Internazionale dei Docenti delle Discipline della Rappresentazione Congresso della Unione Italiana per il Disegno, 2021

The texst presents a research and a design for the ‘regeneration of the cultural heritage’ of a s... more The texst presents a research and a design for the ‘regeneration of the cultural heritage’ of a specific geographical area, corresponding to the stretch of coastline that faces the Ionian Sea and is rooted at the bottom of Etna, in Sicily. This “terracqueus landscape” has in the past been punctually marked by vertical architectures, the coastal watchtowers, which can be found all over the Mediterranean. Artifacts hat, like “time machines”, still allow us to travel motionless to contemplate that horizon made of sky and sea, which we contemporaries are all too familiar with by now, but where that elsewhere still reigns, reaching out towards a desire that unites the present, memory and the near future. Among hese, the Archirafi and Laviefuille Towers are two military architectures that no longer exist, ‘invisible’, which stood on the coast of Riposto in the province of Catania, belonging to a much larger fortified system defending the Contea of Mascali. The study of these artefacts, the analysis, examination of texts, historical cartographies, maps, drawings of the past, their critical analogical drawing, restitution and 3D modelling, have led the authors to develop a strategic programme of regeneration of the ‘invisible cultural heritage’ of this portion of the terracqueous landscape. Developing new scenarios and itineraries between the real and the virtual, analogue and digital representation, with the aim of providing institutions and administrators who manage local heritage with pilot projects to bring to the surface and re-connect the distracted contemporary resident with those latent and invisible places that populate, albeit unconsciously, his memory.

Ipotesi di Preistoria vol. 13, 2020

The paper deals with the study of routes developed, starting from the Middle Neolithic, through t... more The paper deals with the study of routes developed, starting from the Middle Neolithic, through the Sicani mountains, a fundamental passage of lines of communication that connected the Palermo coast to the Agrigento coast. The study of the location of the settlements and the morphology of the territory made it possible, with the help of the GIS, to reconstruct the development of the road network during historical and prehistoric periods.

Books by Dario Alessandro Calderone

Arbor Sapientiae Editore, 2024

This study presents the findings of research conducted in central-southern Sicily, focusing on th... more This study presents the findings of research conducted in central-southern Sicily, focusing on the role of archaeological heritage in a region's economic and cultural development. The project centers explicitly around the municipality of Milena (CL), a village situated amid the Sicani mountains. The project's main objective is to utilize and preserve its prehistoric archaeological heritage to foster sustainable tourism and facilitate the area's development. The nearby Magna Via Francigena could facilitate this project. Thousands of pilgrims travel on foot from Palermo to Agrigento annually, passing directly through the territory of Milena.Leveraging modern digitalization techniques, such as drones and laser scanners, the project aims to connect prehistoric archaeological sites with pilgrims, tourists, enthusiasts, and industry professionals, all while ensuring the safety and preservation of these delicate assets. The project also draws on tourism and cultural heritage economic studies to create comprehensive and responsible strategies. Key focus areas include redirecting tourist traffic, promoting sustainable tourism, and upholding environmental conservation. These efforts have led to developing inclusive visit itineraries and innovative ways to experience the prehistoric archaeological heritage.

Archaeopress Access Archaeology, 2024

On the Paths of Prehistory presents research on the settlements of area of Milena in central-sout... more On the Paths of Prehistory presents research on the settlements of area of Milena in central-southern Sicily (Italy), home to settlements dating from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages. The author’s archaeological investigations employ integrated remote sensing methodologies to correlate settlement strategies within the particular geomorphology of the landscape. Using various research methods and sources, including satellite imagery, 3D models of the landscape, field and aerial surveys, the author identifies natural pathways that were likely used in throughout prehistory to reach the coasts from this inland region that continued to be used in more recent historical periods, including the Roman period and the Middle Ages.
Building upon prior scholarship, this work utilizes new visualizations and evidence to reevaluate central southern Sicily’s relationships with its neighboring regions and the Aegean, revealing the interconnections of the sea, coastal areas, and the Sicilian hinterland. By examining the archaeological heritage of the area in the longue durée, this work demonstrates that the route-ways used in later periods were also used in prehistory. The work concludes with a full topographical catalogue of
archaeological sites in this part of Sicily, updating the state of knowledge in the region for the first time in a quarter century.