The Virtual 3D Reconstruction of the East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia – Presentation of an Interactive CD-ROM

Abstract

The paper gives an overview of a two-years project concerning a major monument of ancient Greek art and presents the interactive, bilingual (English/Hungarian) CD-ROM, which is intended to summarize and visualize its final results. The presented project approaches a century-old controversy in a new way by producing a virtual 3D reconstruction of a monumental marble group. Digital models of the statues were produced by scanning the original fragments and by reconstructing them virtually. The virtual model of the pediment surrounding the sculptures was prepared on the basis of the latest architectural studies and afterwards the reconstructed models were inserted in this frame, in order to test the technical feasibility and aesthetic effects the four possible arrangements. The resulting models enable easy and very instructive experimentation, which would be otherwise impossible with the originals and/or very expensive and not very practicable with traditional tools (e.g. real-size plaster models). The complete model can effectively be used to verify the results of earlier or more recent reconstructions presented only in simple drawings. In addition, the 3D models of the individual fragments can be used for further research and for visualization. The documentary CD-ROM presenting the full background, the methods and the conclusions of the project contains beside a comprehensive text various kinds of supporting documents (images, 3D models, papers, broadcasts, audiovisual material). It is addressed to a mixed audience: a picture gallery, a short documentary movie some other attachments including a selected bibliography is intended for the general public, but scholarly publications, presentations on related problems are also included for specialists interested in certain details.

Keywords

• Archaeology, ancient Greek marble sculpture, 3D scanning, virtual modeling