Reconnecting a Fragmented Monument through Digital Mapping: The City Walls of Athens

The fortifications of Athens have been a recurrent theme of archaeological investigation. In the past two centuries, parts of the walls have been located during rescue interventions at numerous sites in the urban fabric. At present, the visibility of the entire monument remains rather low as the tra...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Markos Katsianis, Stamatina Lampraki, Anna-Maria Theocharaki, Maria Pigaki, Leda Costaki, Evantia Papaefthimiou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Indiana University Office of Scholarly Publishing 2019-04-01
Series:Studies in Digital Heritage
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/sdh/article/view/24440
Description
Summary:The fortifications of Athens have been a recurrent theme of archaeological investigation. In the past two centuries, parts of the walls have been located during rescue interventions at numerous sites in the urban fabric. At present, the visibility of the entire monument remains rather low as the traces of the walls are hidden beneath the modern city, marginalized within larger archaeological sites or preserved entirely by record. Despite the high level of scholarly work devoted to synthesize the available material, the volume of information accumulated over the years requires a novel approach that would systematize different types of evidence using digital media. In this respect, we attempt to revisit the city walls of Athens through the use of geospatial technologies. We target the informed development of an efficient GIS platform to record, store, integrate, explore and eventually disseminate resources on the Athenian fortifications. Our research employs published and archival sources (e.g. excavation drawings) in combination with historical maps (e.g. early cadastral maps, first maps of modern Athens) and complementary historical evidence (e.g. writings, illustrations, photography) to locate, document and integrate in space and time available data on lost and surviving fortification remains.
ISSN:2574-1748