Digitization, Remodeling and Reconstruction of the Parthenon Frieze and Votives

The Acropolis Museum, in collaboration with the Laboratory of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Engineering (LMTME) of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the company GeoAnalysis SA, implemented the project «Digitization, Renovation and Reconstruction of the Parthenon Frieze and Votives". This three-year project (28/02/2011 - 27/02/2014) was co-funded by the EU operational programme "COLLABORATION" and the European Regional Development Fund, as well as national resources (ESPA 2007-2013). Its objective was to digitize the three-dimensional geometry of the Parthenon frieze’s reliefs and selected votive offerings. Using a handheld colour scanner, 3D scans were carried out on the original frieze blocks retained in the Acropolis Museum. Also recorded, by means of sophisticated photogrammetry, were the original frieze blocks currently held in the British Museum and copies displayed at the Skulpturhalle Museum in Basel, Switzerland. 3D-imaging of the interior of four ancient objects was also performed, using neutron 15 and X-ray computer tomography (CT), at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) research centre in Villigen, Switzerland. The result of the "Digital Parthenon" project is the creation of a database of measurements, drawings and images that facilitate and promote research.