From Site to Tablet: Multiscalar Approaches to SFM at Nineveh

Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry currently offers the best compromise between accuracy, speed 4, cost, and equipment requirements. Its flexibility has allowed us, since the first Iraqi-Italian archaeological campaign at Nineveh in 2019, to test the potential of this technique for the systematic documentation of the archaeological record: from landscapes (macro scale) to archaeological contexts (meso-scale) to artefacts (micro-scale). Data collection through the combined use of cameras and drones (post-processed into 3D models, DEMs and orthophotos with centimetre accuracy) has resulted in 3D and 2D maps for heritage preservation monitoring. Important results have also come from the 3D capture of inscribed clay tablets in a controlled environment. The high-resolution 3D models produced allow experts to examine even those that appear illegible due to poor preservation.