Roman Odeon in Greece Goes Digital

The Roman Odeon is one of the most important and well-preserved monuments in the ancient city of Nikopolis, Greece, and regarded as a true architectural masterpiece. The site is believed to have been built in the first century AD and was most likely used for lectures, literary and musical contests, as well as theatrical performances during the Nea Aktia religious games, honouring the Greek God Apollo.

Considering the monument’s age and impressive structure, the survey called for a mobile mapping system that was lightweight and could navigate the depth of the structure and difficult-to-access spaces. Using the ZEB Revo’s ‘walk and scan’ method of data collection, the device enabled the team to capture the historic site and understand its layout in an impressive 15-minutes.

Once completed, the scans of the cavea - which contains 19 rows of seats, the semi-circle orchestra and the scene - picked up some areas that needed further restoration and, as a result, the scan data was passed on to the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports.

For some time now, GeoSLAM solutions have been used widely in the understanding and maintenance of historic monuments.