Pompeii Reset

The latest developments in digital documentation and virtual reconstruction technologies are opening up entirely new possibilities for archaeology in the key areas of research, heritage preservation, and public outreach. Our project aims to specifically capitalize on these opportunities to explore a new approach to the findings from the lost city of Pompeii.

As unique as the surviving remains of the ancient city are, gaps in the preserved building structures (especially in the upper levels of the architecture) repeatedly hinder our historical understanding of life in ancient Pompeii. The “lost Pompeii” is defined above all by the loss of entire upper stories of the residential quarters (insulae).

A joint project between the Winckelmann Institute at Humboldt University in Berlin and the Parco Archeologico di Pompeii is dedicated to this “lost Pompeii”: Based on highly detailed digital scans of the preserved architectural remains, the aim is to digitally reconstruct what has been lost through meticulous scientific analysis, thereby making the architectural complex as a whole virtually accessible once again and allowing it to be experienced as an ancient living space.

The benefits of this combined documentation and digitization project are multifaceted: the 3D scanning of the remains serves to digitize and document Pompeii’s cultural heritage; the 3D reconstruction of the architecture as a whole lays the foundation for further analysis and scholarly interpretation of the architectural remains as a living environment; the finished 3D model (in which preserved and reconstructed elements can always be clearly distinguished) enables a new way of sharing knowledge, both within the scientific community and among the interested public (and especially visitors to the Parco Archeologico di Pompei).