The MURALE project: Image-based 3D modeling for archaeology

Murale is a European IST project that will develop 3D capture and visualisation technology for archaeology. The project will put special emphasis on the usability on the site, by the archaeologists themselves. The paper describes techniques that are being developed by three of the Murale partners in particular. These comprise two methods to generate 3D models of objects, and approaches to deal with the textures of materials and terrain. Put together with the database and visualisation expertise brought in by the other partners, Murale will not only contribute to the enhanced visualisation of archaeological sites and finds, but also to a faster and more complete documentation of the progress of excavations. The ancient city of Sagalassos, one of the major excavation sites in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, will be used as the primary test site.