Documenting Bronze age Akrotiri on Thera using laser scanning, image-based modelling and geophysical prospection

Abstract

The excavated architecture of the exceptional prehistoric site of Akrotiri on the Greek island of Thera/Santorini is endangered by gradual decay, damage due to accidents, and seismic shocks, being located on an active volcano in an earthquake-prone area. Therefore, in 2013 and 2014 a digital documentation project has been conducted with support of the National Geographic Society in order to generate a detailed digital model of Akrotiri’s architecture using terrestrial laser scanning and image-based modeling. Additionally, non-invasive geophysical prospection has been tested in order to investigate its potential to explore and map yet buried archaeological remains. This article describes the project and the generated results.

Publication
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci. (ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences)