The Submerged Necropolis of Torre Chianca, Italy
| General Attributes |
DOI| 10.34946/D6J59W | |
| Project Name | The Submerged Necropolis of Torre Chianca |
| Country | Italy |
| Status | Upcoming |
| Citation |
| Beatrice Tanduo, Edward Borgogno, Filiberto Chiabrando, Andrea Lingua, Politecnico di Torino, Rita Auriemma, Luigi Colucci, Angelo Culuccia, Fenisia Cipolla, Cristiano Alfonso, Sergey Khokhlov, Mikhail Bardashov, Università del Salento : The Submerged Necropolis of Torre Chianca - Photogrammetry - Terrestrial, Photogrammetry - Aerial, Data Derivatives - 3D photogrammetry, Survey Data. Distributed by Open Heritage 3D. https://doi.org/10.34946/D6J59W |
| Download |
| Spatial Data | Coming Soon |
| Data Type |
Size |
Device Name |
Device Type |
| Photogrammetry - Terrestrial | 46 GB | Sony ILX | LR1 - mirrorless |
| Photogrammetry - Aerial | 7 GB | DJI Phantom 4 Pro | Drone |
| Data Derivatives - 3D photogrammetry | 10 GB | Not available | Not available |
| Survey Data | 1 GB | Not available | Not available |
| Background |
| Site Description | The Submerged Necropolis, dated to the Late Roman Imperial period, lies at the centre of the shallow inlet between Torre Chianca and Punta del Belvedere. Originally located along the ancient coastline, the burial area has been progressively submerged as a result of long-term coastal evolution and sea-level changes.
The necropolis was first identified in 2021, when a submerged sector at a depth of approximately 2 metres was documented. Subsequent archaeological investigations confirmed the presence of an organised funerary area, preserving eroded and fragmented stone sarcophagi, lids with corner acroteria, cappuccina graves, funerary stelae, and scattered human skeletal remains. Today, the remains are partially embedded in the seabed and affected by marine erosion and biological colonisation.
The submerged necropolis represents an important testimony to the transformation of the coastal landscape of Porto Cesareo and offers valuable insight into ancient funerary practices in a maritime environment. | |
| Project Description | The documentation of the submerged necropolis was carried out following the widely recognized principles of integrated survey methodologies, with the aim of ensuring both geometric accuracy and archaeological reliability in a shallow underwater environment.
In 2025, during the main archaeological excavation, the site was surveyed through underwater photogrammetry using the CRAB system (Calibrated Rig for Aquatic Bicamera photogrammetry), specifically developed for controlled and metrically consistent image acquisition in underwater scenarios. The dual-camera configuration, combined with prior geometric calibration, enabled the generation of high-resolution and accurate three-dimensional models of the visible funerary structures.
Photogrammetric data have been processed to document the spatial organization of the necropolis, including sarcophagi, tombs, and associated architectural elements, providing a detailed representation of their geometry and state of preservation.
The three-dimensional model has been georeferenced through the integration of GNSS control points, measured in the survey area and linked to the underwater dataset. This ensured the correct positioning of the model within a global reference system, enabling its integration with archaeological, coastal, and geomorphological data and supporting future monitoring and comparative analyses. Data are provided in the WGS 84 / UTM zone 33N (EPSG:32633) coordinate system. | |
| Collection Date | 2025-06-13 to 2025-06-15 |
| Publication Date | 2026-02-20 |
| License Type | CC BY-NC |
| Model Information |
| Reuse Score | B - High-Quality Model without Georeferencing |
| Entities |
| Contributors | Beatrice Tanduo, Edward Borgogno, Filiberto Chiabrando, Andrea Lingua, Politecnico di Torino, Rita Auriemma, Luigi Colucci, Angelo Culuccia, Fenisia Cipolla, Cristiano Alfonso, Sergey Khokhlov, Mikhail Bardashov, Università del Salento |
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