INTEGRATION OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND PORTABLE MOBILE MAPPING TECHNOLOGY FOR 3D MODELING OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES: THE CASE STUDY OF THE BZIZA TEMPLE

Abstract. In this paper, we present a multi-sensor approach employed to obtain the 3D model of the Roman temple of Bziza (Lebanon) and its surroundings, a work carried out as part of the archaeological Northern Lebanon Project (NoLeP). The integration of photogrammetry and portable mobile mapping technology was tested to overcome the weaknesses of each individual surveying method, with the aim of producing a complete and realistic 3D reconstruction of the whole site, as well as capturing at high-resolution the architectural features of the main structure. Moreover, this case study serves to further investigate the accuracy that can be reached with mobile laser scanners, highlighting benefits and limitations of this rapid and efficient mapping technique also in the field of Cultural Heritage documentation

MULTISPECTRAL AND HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES AS SOURCES FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS. NEW DATA FROM IRAQI KURDISTAN

The paper presents the results of a two-year archaeological survey carried out in the Iraqi Kurdistan, namely within the Navkur plain that has been extensively explored by the University of Udine since 2012. The surveys were planned in advance using Remote Sensing products available online and processed with Google Earth Engine, a large-scale cloud computing service specifically designed to process geospatial big data and especially satellite imagery. Images from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2 platforms were selected, processed and assessed. After two years, an overall number of 46 new and previously unknown sites have been localized and surveyed, contributing to the knowledge of the past history of this portion of the Kurdistan region and testing the use of Remote Sensing cloud-computing applications in the context of Near Eastern archaeological research

\u201cDeconstructing\u201d the Northern Levantine Palace: Genesis and Development of a Public Building

Palaces, in many respects, represent the main outcome of the great socio-economic transformation that characterised the outgrowth of urban societies during the first half of the second millennium BC. In the Levant, the type of building that appeared was characterised by traits that make it quite different from similar and contemporaneous buildings located in Mesopotamia. This fact suggests the existence of an independent local tradition in the Levant which has thus usually been analysed in distinct chronological segments, with separate discussions of the relevant Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and Late Bronze Age (LBA) evidence to hand. This work uses two case studies of palace architecture dating to the MBA and LBA from Qatna to propose an analysis that highlights the existence of several shared traits. Via comparisons with contemporary examples, in particular Alalakh, a common genesis that developed along a unique and continuous path is suggested for both MBA and LBA palaces. The social role of northern Levantine palaces is thus seen as an expression of new local leaderships and as the vehicle of a common language whose origin might be traced back to the emergence of the so-called Amorite Koin\ue9