A Digital Future for Cultural Heritage. The virtual restoration on the Temple at the Praetorium’archaeological site of Gortys

The knowledge of an ancient monument relies, inter alia, on the accuracy of the pertinent architectural surveys, to be integrated by a solid understanding of its cultural context and of the society which built it. In order to ensure the perseveration of the cultural heritage, besides the development of specific methodologies to protect it (reversibility of the interventions, usage of compatible materials for the restoration etc.), procedures aimed at spreading the system of knowledges have to be set up, also with the help of the new available technologies applicable to surveys. In fact, in the last decade, digital systems for cataloguing the cultural heritage, that fostered and fastened the acquisition of data and their graphic rendering, have been developed. For example, the use of 3D laser scanner technologies and the evolution of two-dimensional photogrammetry, allowing the creation of 3D models that can be reused in vectorial restitution programs, have given rise to new opportunities for virtual restoration and, consistently, for the promotion and enjoyment of archaeological contexts that are often difficult to interpret and access. At the time being, 3D modeling technologies are having a strong application impact and increased diffusion, also in Virtual Restoration. Other advantages of using 3D models have been identified in the possibility of making cultural heritage more accessible and enjoyable. Let us not forget that a 3D model, created by searching for all surviving original fragments, always has the purpose of disseminating research results. This contribution aims to address the issue of scientific dissemination of cultural heritage through the integrated 3D survey, carried out by Unitelma Sapienza University of Rome in cooperation with Sapienza University of Rome and the Polytechnic of Bari, for a proposal the virtual restoration on the Temple at Praetorium