Atti di convegni: C. ALVARO, V. ALBANO, S. AMICI, J. BAJEOT, V. DANESI, G.M. GEROGIANNIS, C. LA MARCA, G. LIBEROTTI, J. MICHALCAKOVA, D. MOSCONE, A. PANSINI, E. PIZZOLI, F. TOTA, M. ZINNI, The “Shape of Monuments” project: traditional methods and new technologies in the Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, Rome, in DARIA SPAMPINATO (ed.), Patrimoni culturali nell’era digitale. Memorie, culture umanistiche e tecnologia Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age. Memory, Humanities and Technologies, Settimo convegno annuale, Associazione per l’informatica umanistica e la cultura digitale (AIUCD) (Bari 2018), Bari 2018, pp. 183-186

In 2015-2016, the Sapienza University of Rome carried out “The Shape of Monuments” project in cooperation with Leica Geosystemsto integrate new technologies with traditional methodologies and test their potential for studying ancient remains. The Department of Ancient World Studies and thatof Art History and Performing Arts explored problems concerning the three-dimensional representation of monuments and archaeological artefacts by using a terrestrial laser scanner P20 and a Romer Absolute Arm to scan mobile artefacts as lithics, pottery and epigraphs, as well as entire buildings. Here we report the study case of the Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura in Rome, an example of a particularly complex religious architecture with a remarkable construction history. The complexity is due to thejuxtaposition and the interaction of various architectural structures like the catacombs, the cloister and the church itself with its irregular planovolumetric development. The main problem we had to face concerned the survey of the catacombs, which consist of several underground chambers and corridors physically difficult to reach out. We reviewed the literature on the most recent use of laser scanning survey to record and document large architectural complexes and we decided to investigate different aspects of the buildings through a multidisciplinary approach. We considered the different phases of the church from the late antiquity to the modern period, we focused on the phenomenon of architectural reuse, we analysed capitals, columns and trabeations from the stylistic point of view and we discovered inscriptions that were unknown until now since they were located at inaccessible height. The use of new technologies complemented with traditional methods typical of the historical-artistic and archaeological research enabled us to analyse the church from new points of view, to get brand new data and to open new research perspectives on the San Lorenzo area.