Paintings on walls, which have not been seen in nearly 2,000 years, are now visible – their colours vivid and clear.
Rome’s underground Christian, Jewish and pagan burial sites, the Catacombs, date back to the 2nd Century AD. There are more than 40 of them stretching over 170km (105 miles).
But, until now, they have never been fully documented, their vast scale only recorded with handmade maps. That is now changing, following a three-year project to create the first fully comprehensive three-dimensional image using laser scanners.
It is not a virtual image, it is not animation – what you are seeing is real data Dr Norbert Zimmerman
A team of 10 Austrian and Italian archaeologists, architects and computer scientists have started with the largest catacomb, Saint Domitilla, just outside the Italian capital.
The tunnels, caves, galleries and burial chambers of Saint Domitilla stretch for about 15km (9 miles) over a number of levels. At a time when Christians, in particular, were persecuted, the Catacombs became a relatively safe place to bury the dead.
The soft, volcanic tufa rock was an especially workable, yet durable, material that was burrowed out over the course of nearly three centuries.
‘Real data’
When the process is finished, it looks like an actual film of the particular room in question.
In all, four billion dots were recorded, enabling practically thewhole catacomb to be documented in this way. Only a handful of smallspaces were left out because it simply was not possible to get thescanner in.
The final result is astonishing.
The catacombs of Saint Domitilla stretch for about 15km (9 miles)
On a computer screen, you can now see the whole underground complex.Using different buttons on the key pad, you can zoom in on the tunnels.
You can travel “through” walls, down corridors and into chambers, giving the first real sense of its beauty, scale and detail.
Paintings on walls, which have not been seen in nearly 2,000 years, are now visible – their colours vivid and clear.