https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3QNSN1T1AiwUGM1MmV5dzdad1k/view?usp=sharing
"Abstract
In ancient times the town of Adulis, Eritrea, was one of the most important harbours on the Red Sea and a fundamental gateway within the network of cultural and trade exchange between Mediterranean and Oriental civilizations. Ancient literary sources frequently refer to Adulis, which was destroyed and abandoned during the 8th century and rediscovered at the beginning of 19th century. Excavations led by various researches were carried out intermittently since 1867 up to the 1960s; in particular extensive excavations were conducted by Paribeni in 1906. In 2011 the archaeological and research activities started again, directed by Ce.R.D.O., in cooperation with the Eritrean Government, the National Museum of Asmara, The Regional Museum of Massawa, the Catholic University of Milan, the Politecnico of Milan, the “L’Orientale” University of Naples, the Museum of Rovereto. The research, also funded by the Italian Foreign Ministry, aimed at the valorisation of the ancient town, including the creation of an archaeological park. This paper outlines how the choice of the appropriate technologies in the fi elds of survey, documentation and analysis, can support various aspects and task of the project. The case study of Adulis has been a rich opportunity to test methodologies and practices about collection and management of data and knowledge related to various aspects and for different users, producing clear and easy-to-use information for complex archaeological sites. As in many other cases, the management of this site, besides facing logistical issues, has to deal with the involvement of experts from differing branches, each of which normally adopts its own strategies and tools in managing information. In order to maximize the richness of the data collected and its interpretation, the main benefi t of this approach is to provide the entire team with a clear exhaustive framework and knowledge receptacle in a familiar environment. " p. 10
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2.2. Needs and tasks
As previously explained archaeological activities on Sector 2 have to deal with the excavations led by Roberto Paribeni in 1906, excavations that were no longer visible in 2011, at the moment of the first investigations of the present research team: the monumental building was completely hidden by sand and dirt. At the present time the only source of information is Paribeni’s publication, and its contents are fundamental: it consists in a very accurate description of what came to light during excavations, supported by a detailed map of the structures. In this map each setting is named with a letter of the alphabet, used by Paribeni in the text to “locate” his observations and descriptions. However this publication is not a systematic report: a specifi c theme may be debated suddenly switching from one setting to another, or stratigraphic descriptions may be incomplete. Beside these description, considerations and hypothesis are found, whose nonobjective nature is not declared. Since the very beginning it was necessary to organize all this information, to make it available to the present research and to integrate it in the full process. The proper instrument to fulfi ll this need is a 3D topographic database, focusing on a quite narrow area, with a specifi c “philological” nature, which could be then integrated in the Geographic Information System of the area and of the whole archaeological site, which, it is important to remark, includes other excavation sectors, as well as excavations left open and visible by other teams until the sixties of 20th century
2.3. The reasons for choosing GIS
GIS environment has been chosen to set up the previously mentioned “philological” database. In fact GIS technology provides solutions to needs which became more and more important along with the analyses activity: fi rst of all to understand and correctly organize and normalize the contents of Paribeni’s publication; detect all the gaps and the incoherence in order to better orientate part of the excavation activities; to make available these contents and to include them in the actual Geographical Information System. Along with the studies on Adulis many different operators with different skills and competences are involved, such as archaeologist, of course, topographers, architects, experts in Cultural Heritage Preservation, experts in traditional building materials and techniques. As GIS is a very versatile instrument, now used in many fi elds, it is familiar to all the experts involved in the excavations, thus enabling a real fruition of these data, their exchange and a deeply integrated and complex lecture of the site. At the same building up a GIS compels the normalization of data and the control on the information acquired. In the case of this “philological” topographic database, normalize, organize and geolocating each piece of information in their three coordinates, has been the main activity and soon a real guide in the process of reading Paribeni’s publication, and on the other side this process gave a new value to data by means of 3D visualizat
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