Survey, archaeoastronomy and communication: the Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna (Italy)

The Mausoleum of Theodoric (520 ca.), one of Ravenna’s most globally renouned monuments and UNESCO heritage site, has been object of archeoastronomical research in the past years. This paper examines the orientation of the building as well as other elements of the architecture, especially the small openings of the building, to investigate their possible archaeoastronomical significance. The architectural survey was carried out with a laser scanner device (Faro-Focus 3D, software Scene) while the textures were extracted using digital photomodelling software. Starting from the archaeoastronomical analysis, a 3D model was developed to check astronomical phenomena and allow the communication of scientific content through several forms of media. This second part of the contribution is part of the experiments conducted by the research group (Incerti and Iurilli 2014), (Incerti and Iurilli 2015), focusing on new means of multimedia communication, both interactive and not. The research looks at virtual models as a means of edutainment, aiming to maximise the fruition of artifacts and cultural sites.