Maria Teresa GIANNOTTA | Francesco GABELLONE
(CNR- IBAM, Lecce, Italy)
Abstract:
Otranto is located on the Adriatic coast of Salento, in Southern Italy. It was the site of ancient Hydruntum, a town whose importance, for economy and trade as well as for politics, has been confirmed by the results of recent studies and archaeological excavations. There is abundant evidence about the presence of archaeological and monumental remains on the ancient site. The most important among them is the Medieval Cathedral. In the Eighties of the Twentieth Century, the restoration of the mosaic floor of the 12th Century allowed to discover traces of more ancient phases. The archaeological excavations brought to light structures dating from the IV-III Cent. B.C. Among those structures, there was a beautiful polychrome mosaic of the IV-V Cent A.D. that streched over a rectangular area of about 130 square meters. In Aprsl 1989, the tessellatum was sectioned in 25 fragments and torn out, only seven of which have been restored. The building with this mosaic floor lived until the IX Cent. A.D. and the construction of the first Norman cathedral, with its floor from slabs of ‘pietra leccese’. On the tessellatum floor many ancient restorations were brought to light, that we have aimed to document in this work through 3D virtual restitution.
Keywords: Late Roman Mosaic, 3D Restitution