Building cultural heritage in the 21st century: from theory to practice

Between 2019 and 2021, Global Digital Heritage (GDH), in collaboration with the University of Sarajevo and the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, carried out the 3D digitization of an important set of stecci preserved both in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as in some medieval cemeteries near the city of Sarajevo and eastern Bosnia. The medieval cemeteries of stecci constitute a valuable archaeological asset of great historical interest. Yet, stecci are not very known internationally, despite the fact that some have been declared World Heritage in 2016. Since this heritage element is fully exposed to both climate and human activity, these monuments may be considered endangered heritage, subject to continuous degradation. Thus, systematic 3D documentation work is critical to their preservation and study. This paper explores the methodology used and the results obtained by GDH, including the problems and the challenges that must be addressed in order to undertake the systematic 3D digitization of a large number of medieval stecci cemeteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Annual Sharjah Archaelogy. Issue 19.

By the end of 2021, which coincides with the expected date of the issuance of the new issue of the Annual Sharjah Archaeology Magazine, we would like to underscore the fact that this year was a continuation of the case that prevailed in the past year due to the critical juncture caused by the large scale epidemic. This situation has, naturally, led to a reduction in the range of activities related to Archaeological Survey and excavation by foreign excavation missions operating on the lands of Sharjah.

Digitalisation and virtual reality projects in archaeological heritage. The case of the Motilla del Azuer site in Daimiel (Ciudad Real).

This article presents the virtualization project of the Motilla del Azuer archaeological site in Daimiel (Ciudad Real, Spain). This project is using new and unique tools for the research, documentation, interpretation and dissemination carried out in this important prehistoric site. The incorporation of digital documentation and Virtual Reality (VR), advanced technological tools in the archaeological and cultural heritage fields, open new ways for managing cultural legacies.

XXV Conference on Cultural Heritage. Region of Murcia.

Throughout 2018 the non-profit entity Global Digital Heritage (GDH) worked on the three-dimensional digitization of 12 sites and monuments of special relevance in the Murcia region located in the municipalities of Alhama de Murcia (the castle, the Paleras, the Murtal, the machine gun nest of the Civil War and the Roman baths), Mula (Castle of Los Vélez.), Cieza (Siyasa, Serreta Cave and Archaeological Museum), Águilas (Torre de Cope) and Murcia (Islamic remains of San Juan de Dios and Archaeological Site of Larache). To this end, the most modern digitization and heritage documentation technologies were used, including the reent generation FARO laser scanners, drones, professional spherical cameras, high resolution digital SLR cameras, GPS, and other technologies.

International Congress “Cultural heritage and catastrophes: Lorca as a reference”

The 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage noted “that the cultural and natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction, not only by the traditional causes of deterioration but also by social and economic developments which aggravate them with even more dreadful phenomena of alteration or destruction”. More than 45 years after the drafting and adoption of this text, the current situation confirms the validity of the Convention.

Methodologies for the study and conservation of landscape heritage

We present the three-dimensional digitization project carried out since 2017 by the American foundation Global Digital Heritage (GDH), whose main objective is to digitally document, monitor, preserve and disseminate heritage, preferably cultural, but also natural, on a global scale. The common thread of the project is the democratization of science and culture: to make cultural heritage freely and openly accessible to everyone. The aim is to contribute to the digital preservation and dissemination of the cultural heritage of any part of the planet. GDH is currently working on two main lines of action: the three-dimensional digitization of monuments and archaeological sites on the one hand, and museum collections on the other. So far, heritage digitization campaigns have been carried out in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, United States of America, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Uzbekistan.

Bulletin of the National Archaeological Museum

During 2020 the Global Digital Heritage (GDH) team, in collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the Ciudad Real Museum, and the Castilla-La Mancha Community Board, carried out 3D digitization of a large portion of the archaeological collection from the Alarcos archaeological site now curated in the Ciudad Real Museum. The collection from the late Bronze and Iron Age is diverse and representative in terms of materials and state of preservation. Here we describe the methods and results used in the digital acquisition, as well as the problems encountered and our methods for solving them. The methods and techniques developed during this project have widespread use at multiple levels.

Valorization of the archaeological site of Motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real) through new technologies

The application of new technologies in the field of archaeological heritage is generating a suite of new dialogues regarding its presentation. This is occurring because these technologies collect data that can be interpreted or read at many different levels, offering novel and unique formulas for conducting comprehensive valuations. Taking this approach, a detailed description of the developments and results carried out within the creation of the “Virtual Motilla” is reviewed in this paper. The project developed from a set of projects that begin with the 3D digitization of the entire site, and then progress to the design of a visit through Virtual Reality, thermography and geophysical studies of the entire complex, and ultimately, virtual reconstructions of the settlement during the Bronze Age. The chosen methods, resources used, and results are presented in detail, describing all the methods and technologies used in this project. These tools have made it possible to advance the research, documentation, conservation and valorisation of this important and unique prehistoric monument.

From Disciplinary Controls to Security Controls. Proceedings of the II International Congress on the History of Prison and Punitive Institutions.

During the Middle and Modern Ages, many people were deprived of their liberty, being confined in provisional or permanent jails. While subjected to limited or no communication with the outside world, this did not prevent them from being able to generate a timeless form of communication that in many cases has survived to the present day: graffiti. In this form, the walls of the jails of the Ancien Régime are replete with engravings in the form of symbols, words, dates or even complete texts. But with time, these jail graffiti are disappearing and we are losing a valuable source of material and historical information on the mindsets of these prisoners. Fortunately, in the province of Ciudad Real, as in other parts of Spain, there are still some examples of undeniable historical value. In the present study a new methodology of digital documentation of this singular heritage type is proposed. Moreover, the study and analysis of jail graffiti conserved in the medieval dungeon of Calatrava La Vieja (Carrión de Calatrava), and in the old jails of the villas of Picón and Villarrubia de los Ojos, are all unstudied to the extent that, to date, they have not been subject to any specific publication

The work of Global Digital Heritage for the massive digitization of fortifications in Spain

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At the intersection of art, architecture and archeology: 3D virtualization and contemporary heritage.

The documentation of archaeological sites, historic buildings, museums, museum collections, works of art, and other cultural heritage resources using 3D acquisition techniques is now mainstream practice in most areas of the world. The growing prevalence of on-line resources and inexpensive software have allowed students, amateurs, and many professionals the ability to collect data and create 3D models of a wide range of subjects, places, and landscapes. Photogrammetry in particular, has democratized the participation in 3D model development, and nearly every student of digital heritage, every laboratory and university with an interest in heritage, and every local, regional, and national government is now participating. With a complete photogrammetric kit, including DSLR camera, UAV, computer and software, now available for less than $5000, indeed, the basic acquisition of 3D data through photogrammetry has been truly democratized.

The past that does not pass: the Spanish Civil War eighty years after its end.

3D Model Animation at Serreta Cave, Spain

Global Digital Heritage Documentation of the Château de La Roche-Guyon

3D Documentation by GDH in Uzbekistan (June 2021)

3D Printing Time Lapse of the Goddess of Morgantina (Sicily)

Global Digital Heritage – From the Air 2019

3D Animation of Torre de Cope, Murcia, Spain

3D Model Animation of the Roman and Medieval ruins of São Cucufate

Tomb of Amud Virtual Reconstruction

Gallery of Paleontology, NMNH, Paris

Ancient Mhleiha Fort Virtual Reconstruction

3D Mapping the Hellenistic Theatre in the Agora of Morgantina, Sicily

3D Point Cloud Animation of a 16th Century Windmill, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

3D Documenting the Catacombs of San Gennaro

The Convent of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de la Hoz

3D Animation – Frescos of The Chapel of Santa Lucia of Stiacciaie

Allée couverte du Bois-Couturier Megalithic Tomb

Calatrava La Vieja 3D Model Animation

3D mapping Agadir Id Issa, Morocco

GDH 3D Documentation of Artifacts at the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, UAE

3D Mapping the Roman Temple of Evora, Portugal

3D Mapping Ancient Roman Mosaics: Villa Romana Del Casale, Sicily

3D Model Animation of Antonine Nymphaeum, Sagalassos, Turkey

Virtual Reconstruction of Khor Fakkan

Medieval Archaeology in 3D: Seven Years with GDH on Iberian Peninsula

Château de La Roche-Guyon – France

Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle

Sharjah Archaeological Sites UAE

Sharjah Archaeology Authority Collection 2019

Castles of Spain – Castillos de España

Churches of Spain – Iglesias de España

Calatrava la Vieja, Castilla-La Mancha

Anta Grande do Zambujeiro, Portugal

Museu de São Domingos, Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal

Gruta do Escoural – Montemor-o-Novo

Roman Villa Museu Vila de São Cucufate – Portugal

National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Sarajevo Museum – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Catacombs of San Gennaro – Italy

Arcidosso – Grosseto – Tuscany

Tarragona Archaeological Museum – Spain

Sharjah – Mleiha Archaeological Center

Sharjah Archaeology Authority 2020

Alaska Archaeology Sanak Islands

Alaska Archaeology Hot Springs Village