The Domitilla Catacombs: 21st Century Lasers Revive Early Christian Art

Rome's catacombs are made up of many kilometres of underground tunnels – most of them inaccessible to archaeologists, let alone the general public. While they are difficult to reach for a very good reason (almost 2,000 years ago Christians, pagans and Jews wanted to bury their dead out of the reach of over-zealous persecutors) the cutting edge of technology has now been able to create exact 3D images of some of the oldest burial chambers of ancient Rome.

Using the latest laser-scan technology, the multi-disciplinary team of international archaeologists and laser technology experts was able to plot out three-dimensional models of the Catacombs of Domitilla.

Of course, mapping out such an expanse of complex subterranean chambers isn't something that can be achieved in the blink of an eye. The team of Austrian and Italian experts guided by Dr Norbert Zimmerman, from the Institute for Studies of Ancient Culture at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, began the project in 2006. The Institute for Building Survey and Building History from Vienna's Technical University provided the technical expertise. For a full list of the project's collaborators please follow this link.

Twentieth century technology meets third century paintings

So how did the Dr Zimmerman's team achieve its mammoth task? The 3D laser-scanner is positioned inside a burial chamber and it establishes its position in relation to five temporary 'reflector points' (these are small reflectors picked up by the laser and placed at strategic positions within the chamber). The  laser then takes a 360° scan of the chamber and is able to create a 3D image of dots called a 'point cloud'. This scan is done at different positions within the chamber, using the reflector points to orientate and join the 3D point clouds. At the same time as the laser-scanning, the team also took digital images, which were applied onto the point cloud, producing a 3D photographic image. The advantage of this method is that the 3D structure can be viewed digitally from inside and outside as well as being entered virtually.

Photo courtesy of Dr Norbert Zimmerman, Institute of Ancient Cultures at Vienna's Austrian Academy of Sciences.

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Bija Knowles

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Bija Knowles is a freelance journalist based outside Rome, Italy. She graduated in Italian and English Literature from the University of Birmingham, UK, and her main areas of interest are art, travel and history in Italy.