Documentation of the Basilica of Maxentius in Rome - Methods for Providing Foundations for Monument Research

Monument research and conservation requires in most cases an extensive documentation of the concerning object in a short time. With combined geodetic and photogrammetric methods the demanded map documents are of high quality and accuracy, especially in case of exact documentation true to scale. In view of the nature of the task and the financial frame, this requires the choice of adequate methods for surveying and documentation of the monument. Horizontal and vertical intersections were derived by geodetic measurements supported by laser technologies. By using predefined codes this method achieves results with high accuracy in an efficient way. Structured façades and special building details were recorded by stereo evaluation from metric images. In many cases the documentation or parts of it don’t require a cost intensive stereo evaluation because the façade is nearly plain. Thus the rectification and montage of semi-metric images to image maps was performed. Besides, regular surfaces were recorded to image maps by unwrapping methods. The ruins of the antique Maxentius-Basilika at the Forum Romanum in Rome, were documented during two weeks in 1998. The derived products image and graphical maps 1:25 serve as map basis for building investigations and the documentation of the monument.