Scientific publications

The StateHorn project aims to understand, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the origin and consolidation of the medieval Muslim states of the Horn of Africa, to compare its stability between the 11th and the 16th centuries, in contrast to the current tensions throughout the region. To deal with a complex scenario that includes several countries, different academic traditions and languages, the StateHorn project has developed a series of strategies and tools to document and integrate archaeological and archival information into resources. This paper presents three of these strategies used in our research. The first one is the Ibapp Beta software, a mobile application designed by one of the members of the project to collect field data from different contexts, linking photographs, GPS data and archaeological information. The second one is the virtual reconstruction, applied to the case study of a medieval mosque from Somaliland using old archive photographs, photogrammetry and archaeological and ethnographic information. Finally, a third stra-tegy will address the reconstruction of the plan for the town of Amud, a medieval town now disappeared but where some old aerial photographs of the 1930s. Combined with orthophotos and satellite images, it has been possible to reconstruct the urban layout of this important but extremely damaged site.

Since 2016, we have been conducting geophysical surveys and archaeological excavations at the oppidum of Ulaca (Solosancho, Ávila) with the aim of gaining a better understanding of a unique building known as the “Torreón.” This structure is a ruined rectangular building (14 × 10 m) that must have once reached a considerable height. The significance of this construction led us to create its 3D virtual reconstruction using Blender 2.90 software. The results are presented in nine static images depicting the building during its period of use (2nd–1st centuries BC) and its relationship with a nearby spring. In the virtual reconstruction, we combined various features of the building: architectural elements, location, possible functions, and incorporated ethnographic information and traditional construction techniques. This project demonstrates the interpretative and educational potential of three-dimensional techniques and, despite their limitations, contributes to a better understanding of the past.

The virtual reconstruction of a site is the mirror in which the archaeological research process is reflected, with all its uncertainties and certainties, generating a space for reflection on the lost materiality while the vestige itself is reconfigured into a didactic and social resource. Here we present the result of the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the archaeological structures preserved in the Peñón de Raíces, in Castrillón (Asturias), which correspond to the ruins of the castle of Gauzón, a famous fortification of the Asturian kings in which La Cruz de la Victoria was made in 908.The article begins with an introduction and a first part (Section 2) dedicated to the explanation of the site itself from an archaeological and historical point of view. We believe that this analysis should be the basis of any scientific virtual reconstruction. The virtual reconstruction presented here is dated to the 9-10th centuries and corresponds to the fortification built in the time of the Asturian kings. We offer a detailed analysis of the morphological and architectural components that have been documented in this defensive settlement in the light of archaeological research, and that provide the main foundations for the infographic reconstruction.In the second part of the article (Section 3), we analyse the specific sources of historical and archaeological information that support the reconstruction and serve as a reference for it. The historical-archaeological sources used for the representation, for example, of the walls and the palaeoenvironmental environment, are detailed. Likewise, we comment on the process of discussion of the different hypotheses that, finally, lead to the presented result. It is important to note that without this discussion process it is not possible to produce a sound and solid proposal over time.In the third part (Section 4), we show the result of the virtual reconstruction with a series of images. To obtain the virtual reconstruction presented in this article, the Blender Geographic Information System (GIS) addon has been used, which allows us to have a digital terrain model (DTM) on our 3D desktop easily so that we can begin to carry out the work from it. The archaeological planimetries were arranged on it and, based on all this information, the modelling process began. In the first place, basic modelling of volumes was carried out that served to raise the first sketches and, on them, to continue discussing the reconstructive hypotheses. Little by little the geometry of the virtual reconstruction was detailed and the castle took shape. The next step was to carry out texturing in a photorealistic way, for which it was decided to use Substance Painter software. We continued with the texturing and addition of details of the surrounding terrain using particle systems, which has been one of the most complex phases to carry out given the level of realism that we set ourselves as a goal. Later, other types of minor details were added: objects, characters and animals, which help to better understand the context. Finally, the final renderings are carried out and their post-processing is developed in Adobe Photoshop, for which matte painting techniques were used that merge 3D images with photographs and digital drawing.Our interest was to carry out scientific graphic work, for which we have emphasized the importance of using the scale depicting historical/archaeological evidence for virtual reconstructions, a tool that allows us to ensure the principles of authenticity and scientific transparency of any virtual reconstruction (Aparicio et al., 2016). In this case, thanks to this tool, it is clear that the highest level of evidence is found in the castle itself excavated in the acropolis, while the town and the surrounding palisade clearly show a lower level of evidence. We hope that subsequent excavations in this area will allow us to review the reconstruction and thus also reflect a higher level of evidence in this area.We believe that the work presented here constitutes a good example of the use of virtual scientific reconstruction for the development and consolidation of new hypotheses not only reconstructive but also interpretive of an archaeological site. Furthermore, the result presented here demonstrates the power of this graphic resource for the dissemination of historical-archaeological knowledge, a fundamental objective when carrying out any scientific work.