Reconnecting a fragmented monument through digital mapping: The city walls of Athens

Abstract

The fortifications of Athens have been a recurrent object of archaeological investigation. In the past two centuries, parts of the walls have been located during rescue interventions at numerous sites in the urban fabric. At present, the visibility of the entire monument remains rather low as the traces of the walls are hidden beneath the modern city, marginalized within larger archaeological sites, or preserved solely by the written record. Despite the high level of scholarly work devoted to synthesizing the available material, the volume of information accumulated over the years requires an integrated approach that would systematize different types of evidence using digital media. To this end, we attempt to revisit the city walls of Athens through the use of geospatial technologies. Our aim is the informed development of an efficient digital mapping platform to record, store, combine, explore and eventually disseminate resources about the fortifications of Athens. Our research employs published and archival sources (e.g., excavation drawings) in combination with historical maps (e.g., early cadastral maps, the earliest maps of modern Athens) and complementary historical evidence (e.g., writings, illustrations, photography) to locate, document and integrate in space and time available data on lost and surviving fortification remains.