Hunting friezes of the Piazza d’Oro at the Hadrian’s Villa: new hypothesis for a virtual reconstruction inside an integrated research strategy

Benedetta ADEMBRI¹ / Francisco JUAN VIDAL² / Isabel MARTÍNEZ ESPEJO²
(¹Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Lazio, Roma, Italy / ²Instituto de Restauración del Patrimonio (IRP), Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain)

Outline: The aim of this project is to revise the anastylosis of the figurative hunting friezes belonging to the Piazza d’Oro of the Villa Adriana (Tivoli, Rome, Italy) made during the 70’s. This anastylosis was done without the needed accuracy, and so it was shortly decided its disassembly. With this background, it was decided to develop, using new technologies, a more reliable solution.

Abstract: This line of research is the result of the collaboration between “Soprintendenza Archeologica per il Lazio” and “Instituto Universitario de Restauración del Patrimonio” de la Universitat Politècnica de València, and is aimed at integrate other researches on this huge and richly decorated building. It is proposed to use new technologies to conduct a review of the anastylosis already done in the 70s by using the 3D laser scanner and the photogrammetric survey for designing a more accurate virtual reconstruction.

It is intended to apply the same methodology to the hunting friezes that is already being used in the same Piazza d’Oro and the Teatro Marittimo (Adembri, Di Tondo, Fantini “Architecture with concave and convex rhythms and its decoration in Hadrian age: the south pavilion of Piazza d’Oro in Hadrian’s Villa” Vienna 2010): two types of different scanning laser surveys (architectural and detailed) are going to be used, but also solutions to share the partial results in a common database for several universities. Moreover, the typical methodological contribution by archaeologist has been carried out (archival research, stylistic comparison between the pieces, etc.).

The expected outcome is clarifying some issues “still open” about the two halls with hunting friezes of the Piazza d’Oro inside a common research frame.  Through standardized and optimized 3D models it will be possible to interact with other researchers with the aim to virtual reconstruct the complex southern pavilion of this part of the Villa.

Keywords: 3D Laser Scanner, Hadrian’s Villa, Piazza d’Oro, Teatro Marittimo