'Siracusa 3d reborn': An ancient Greek city brought back to life

This paper elucidates a virtual archacology project, undertaken by a team of scholars or the IBAM-CNR and The Arcadia University - TCGS, aimed to the digital reconstruction of Ortigia, the core district of the Greek Syracuse. The main goal of this exercise has been the production of the 3D documcntary 'Siracusa 3D reborn', that represents an original advance in the knowledge of the Greek background of the city. In this perspective, we have chosen to produce 'passive' tools embedded with communicational and emotional components did not affected the scientific accuracy with which the reconstructive process has been carried out. Therefore, the visitor can learn those peculiar architectural and urban features of the Greek city, without disregarding those characters who played 'key roles' in the diffusion of Greek culture in the Mediterranean. Main monuments of Ortigia are described and analyzed in the context of a full 3D stercoscopic representation employing techniques of modern cinema industry for explaining its historical and archaeological characteristics. Emphasis is also given to reconstruction of war machines and some unique inventions conceived by Archimedes, the most brilliant mind of Greek era. The reconstructive workflow followed a meticulous methodological plan, based on the published data and aimed to define a previously unavailable topographic profil of the city, portrayed in two main chronological phases, Archaic and Late Classical. After this initial moment of research and historical interpretation or the ancient context, a story board with an intentional didactic narrative has been arranged for recpresenting the diachronic development of urban transformations together with main events that marked the history of the city. The stereoscopic production has allowed us to develop an efficient system for the tracking or the scenes along xyz axes, the compositing or nested scenes and post effects which provides color grading, and particle effects.