Recording, preservation and interpretation of a medieval archaeological site integrating different 3d technologies

In recent years, the University of Siena has been involved in studying the archaeology and architecture of the medieval castle of Montieri (Grosseto, Italy). The castle was built by the Bishop of Volterra, and, thanks to its metal-bearing ores, it was the focus of a complex history. The most recent field campaign was focused on excavating "La Canonica", an ecclesiastical complex dedicated to St. Niccolò. The excavations revealed the existence of a church characterized by an unusual plan, having six apses (the only example of its kind in Italy), and a number of buildings pertaining to a large residential area and artisans' zone. During the field research, an innovative system of 3D documentation and analysis was tested, in order to produce digital data for different research purposes: 3D documentation, monitoring, preservation, interpretation and 3D reconstruction. This paper expands on the system, techniques, and software used, and the results they led to