What was the ancient roman town Pompeii really like before the eruption of Vesuvius that turned this southern Italian city into rubble 79 AD?

By combining advanced digital archaeology with more traditional methods, a research team has been able to recreate many of the houses of Pompeii in the form of 3D models.

These models provide a picture of what life was like for the inhabitants of the city. Among other things, the researchers at Lund University in Sweden have managed to reconstruct a large villa that belonged to one of the city’s wealthiest families.

The research has been managed by the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History in Lund since 2010 and the project now also includes a new branch of advanced digital archaeology, with 3D models demonstrating the completed photo documentation.

The city district was scanned during field work in 2011-2012 and the first 3D models of the ruined city have now been completed.

“By combining new technology with more traditional methods, we can describe Pompeii in greater detail and more accurately than was previously possible,” says Nicoló Dell´Unto, a digital archaeologist at Lund University.

Reference:

Demetrescu Emanuel et al. Reconstructing the original splendor of the House of Caecilius Iucundus. A complete methodology for Virtual archeology Aimed at digital exhibition. 2016. SCIRES Italy. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.2423/i22394303v6n1p51