ANALYSIS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPATIAL STRUCTURES IN ARCHAEOASTRONOMY: 3D MODEL OF THE ROCK-CUT MONUMENT “BELINTASH“, BULGARIA

Abstract

The report presents the visualization and analysis of threedimensional spatial data taken with a drone photograph of the rock-cut monument “Belintash”, near the village of Mostovo, Asenovgrad Municipality, Bulgaria. The same monument shows oriented structural details to certain positions of the Sun during its sunrise and culmination at the points of summerand winter solstice. The 3D model of the archaeoastronomical monument is a suitable example for each stage of image processing - obtaining the cloud of dots, as well as the subsequent orthomosaic and digital model of the relief of the monument. The analysis of spatial structures allows significantly more accessible and authentic extraction of archaeoastronomical data and their interpretation.The created 3-dimensional model with high accuracy was used to build a 3D model of the rock-cut monument “Belintash”. When loading the 3D model in specialized astronomical software Stelarium, a virtual astronomical observation can be performed from any place in space and during different time periods in the so-called “virtual walk in time”. In this way we can see what astronomical events were observed by the ancient people of Belintash. This technology is a unique tool for the needs of archaeoastronomy and the collection of authentic evidence to confirm archaeoastronomical hypotheses.