Preserving Sicilian history: photogrammetry scanning with Scan the World
Scan the World’s very own Elisa D’Antona recently took a trip to her home-island of Sicily! Follow her adventure to Palermo, the north of the island!
I recently visited Palermo, capital of Sicily, and how could I miss the National Archeological Museum?
I was thrilled to learn more about the ancient history of Sicily and get to see Phoenician artefacts, ancient Greek art, significant artefacts discovered underwater and much more.
The Antonino Salinas Regional Archeological museum proudly features one of the richest collections showcasing the history of ancient Sicily. I was lucky enough to discover the collection and scan some of the most interesting artefacts using just my phone (curious to know how? Tutorial here!).
Here are some of my personal favourites, but make sure to explore the full collection on Scan the World and let me know which artefact impressed you the most!
Temple of Victory and decorative elements
Download the 3D model here
After the battle between the Greeks and the Carthaginians, the only peripteral temple in the city was built on the left bank off the Imera River, on the eastern side off the Lower City. This area, inhabited since Archaic period, was home to some artisan activities. According to Diodurus Siculus, the temple was built to celebrate the Greek victory over the Carthaginians. Although it is not known for certain to which god the temple was dedicated to, it has been usually attributed to Athena, as it is similar to the temple of Athena in Syracuse.
This lion I scanned is onlyone of the many lions that decorated the perimeter of the temple and are now exhibited at the museum in Palermo.
Sarcophagus of Cannita
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This sarcophagus, together with a similar one (exhibited in the same room in the museum) is a unique finding in Sicily.
This sarcophagus was recovered in 1725 in a chamber tomb in Portella di mare. On the cover it is carved a relief with a female figure in a draped dress, the right arm extended along the side and the left one folded on the chest in the act of embracing an alabastron (ointments jar) in her hand. Probably the cover was painted as well, as demonstrated by the traces of red paint found on the hair at the time of discovery.
Stagnone Torso
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The so-called “torso of the Stagnone”, a calcarenite torso belonging to a male statue originally around 2.4 m. tall, was discovered in 1933 in the waters of the Stagnone Lagoon of Marsala (Trapani). This is a peculiar example of Phoenician-Cypriot art from the archaic period in Sicily.
The discoverv was entirely accidental. During some repair works, the workers spotted what seemed to be a boulder that could damage their boats. After trying to break the boulder into pieces, they soon realised it was indeed a sculpture.
Field of Steles in Zeus Temple
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The so-called “Campo di Stele” is part of the permanent exhibition . It features many of the lithoi found in the archaeological park of Selinunte. This large area was characterized by the presence of hundreds of stones of different shapes, usually representing two characters such as this one scanned. It’s still unsure whether the stele were representing devotees or the deities themselves.
Small metopes from Temple C in Selinunte
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Temple C was one of a succession of temples at Selinus in Sicily, built in the late 6th Century BC. This is only one of the small metopes from Temple C that I scanned.
This metopa shows Perseus beheading Medusa in front of Athena, followed by the birth of Pegasus.
The “Small Metopes” represent the oldest examples of metopes (architectural element of the frieze consisting of a stone slab carved in relief and placed alternating with the triglyphs) which were documented in Sicily and Magna Graecia.
If you loved these scans from Palermo, make sure to download them and let us know which one was your favourite!
