Bernhard Fritsch

The appearance and magnificent design of Roman seaside villas, the villae maritimae, is-apart from the extant architectonic remains-at least partly known to us on the basis of Roman wall paintings. Although it is doubtful that the paintings allow immediate conclusions concerning really existing villas, nevertheless, the perspective on the maritime villas in paintings and ancient texts focuses on the real life experience of somebody approaching a maritime villa in the appropriate manner, i.e. from aboard a ship sailing along the coast. The ideal "villascape" is formed basically by a luxuriously designed villa, lavishly constructed moles and gardens bordering the shore. Underwater archaeological research on the Roman villa at the Cape of Sorrento resulted in clear evidence of such a villa with two representative harbours, which served both the supply of the villa and the reception of high dignitaries. First, the villa and the rock on which it is built were documented photographically by a drone and terrestrial photographs, and a three-dimensional model of the building was created. By using "structure-from-motion" (SfM) under water as well, the two harbours of the villa were also documented and considered with regard to the interpretation of the whole complex for the first time. The resulting three-dimensional model of the entire complex provides information about the architectural design of the villa as well as the effort that was spent on the construction. All data generated during the excavation campaigns are available in an online repository at Edition Topoi 1 according to the principles of open access. Thus, the research data on the villa are published, secured in the long term and citable. In addition, the open structure of the repository allows other researchers to freely use the data and metadata. Furthermore, the data can be easily integrated into other software packages for further analysis via an interface.

Online publishing of almost every type of 3D data has become a quasi-standard routine. Nevertheless, the integration in a web page of a single 3D model, or of a predefined restricted set of models, raises different issues compared to an efficient and effective integration of thousands of them in an online repository. In this case it is mandatory to have an automatized pipeline to prepare and homogenize the dataset. The pipeline should be able to automatically wrap 3D data in all conditions, and display every single model with the best scene setup without any (or with a minimal) interaction by the database maintainers. This paper, retracing the steps of a recent real application case, aims at showing all the faced issues (and the adopted solutions) to publish a large and heterogeneous three-dimensional dataset in a web specialized repository. We want to introduce a valid and reusable strategy, starting from the description of the pipeline adopted for data pre-processing and moving to the choices made in the 3D viewer implementation. The paper concludes with a discussion on the actual state of the integration of 3D data with the other multimedia informative layers.

Accompanying excavation activities in the area of the Roman luxury villa of Capo di Sorrento, 3D models of the landscape and relevant features have been created using mostly Structure-from-Motion (SfM) since 2015. With this method, it was possible to create a digital surface model of the excavation site combining terrestrial, aerial, and underwater photography. From this 3D model and other, more detailed sub-models of specific objects or areas, various new data were created that greatly enhance excavation documentation and the assessment of features. While some of these data, such as orthophotos generated from SfM models, are now standard practice on excavations, other products require more effort. The research project on the villa of Capo di Sorrento went beyond the results that were obtained from 3D models, and are usually presented as 2D pictures, to expand on the 3D data collected in the field in later work. In particular, the reconstruction of a grotto triclinium based on SfM models is combined with manual and tacheometric documentation to yield far-reaching insights into the architecture, furnishings, and orientation of the rooms on the north side of the pars maritima. Renderings of 3D data are used to simulate the views from certain points. This reconstruction is thus based on both the archaeological features and the specifications of the surface models and as such combines different methods of 3D processing, and fuses digital data with analog research results. Over the course of several excavation campaigns, a corpus of 3D products has grown within the research project. The respective methods of data acquisition, processing and analysis are primarily due to the landscape conditions of the study area. The detailed representation of the rocky subsoil-i.e. the heavily manipulated limestone plateau at the northern end of the cape-above and below water played a central role.

A traveler passing by ship in front of the peninsula during the 1st c. A.D. would have marveled at a continuous chain of private villas lining the coast (figs. 1-2). Although evidence of these villas survives to the present day, our knowledge is mostly fragmentary due to the fact that many are buried beneath modern estates or have been swallowed by the sea. Between the village of Aequa (near Vico Equense) and the far side of the Sorrentine peninsula with its adjoining islets a total of 24 ruins have been identified as structures related to villae maritimae, commonly dated on the basis of their building techniques to between the Late Republican period and the start of the 2nd c. A.D. Key architectural features of these villas include different porticoes, panoramic exedras, artificial and natural grottos, galleries, nymphaea and piscinae. What all these elements have in common is that they are situated at the very point of contact with the sea and use the bedrock as the ground for con...

Digital 3D models can be generated in many different ways and to different degrees
of quality. But eventually, every 3D model should meet certain requirements to be
classified publishable in an academic sense. These requirements pertain to visual
quality as well as technical properties, including long-term archivability. In current
practice, checking 3D models in regards to their quality before depositing and publishing
in online repositories or databases is performed only rarely and manually.
The
use of free software allows to analyze 3D models automatically prior to publication,
in order to meet minimal standards. In the following, an easy editing workflow that
ensures the quality of a 3D model is presented.

This paper discusses the results of the ongoing interdisciplinary research of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin of the villa maritima at Capo di Sorrento (Naples) during the years 2014 to 2018. The aim of the re-investigation of this well-known site is to contribute new archaeological and geo-archaeological data of the pars maritima with its harbor system and the buildings on the slopes above. For this it is important to consider the geological characteristics of the calcareous promontory, on which the villa is built. With the aid of geo-electrical prospecting we are digitally recreating a 3D model of the promontory’s original shape before it was altered by the huge Roman terraces that still dominate the appearance of the Cape of Sorrento today. A new plan has been created in order to correct and complement the original by Mingazzini/Pfister from 1946 and it is developing continuously with every new excavation campaign. New results concerning the villa’s water supply system are presented as well as new indications regarding the architectural and decorative design of the villa. Furthermore, first systematic underwater surveys have shed light on the lavish harbour of the villa, traces of which have been found in several spots along the shore. The preliminary results also permit a safer chronology of the villa based on the discovery of a second or early first century BC previous period to the final destruction of the late first century BC / early first century AD pars maritima and its harbour following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Entlang der kampanischen Küste Süditaliens reihten sich zu römischer Zeit die luxuriösen
Anwesen der Elite Roms. Ein besonders prachtvolles Beispiel für das Repräsentationsbedürfnis ihrer reichen Besitzer und für die baulichen Herausforderungen, die für die Errichtung bewältigt werden mussten, bietet die über dem Golf von Neapel thronende Meeresvilla von Capo di Sorrento.

Nur wenige römische Meeresvillen entlang der Küste
Kampaniens sind heute noch gut erhalten. Vielfach
wurden sie modern überbaut oder sind der zerstörerischen
Kraft von Wind und Wellen zum Opfer gefallen.
Eine Ausnahme bildet die römische Villa am Kap von
Sorrent, die bei Einheimischen und Touristen auch unter
dem Namen Bagno della Regina Giovanna bekannt und bei
Wanderern und Badegästen sehr beliebt ist.