Three-dimensional survey of the ancient theater of Jableh (3rd century AD) in Syria. ARCHAEOLOGY. There are those who speak… and those who act! Iconem is undoubtedly one of the latter. In partnership with the DGAM (General Directorate of Antiquities and Syrian Museums), the French start-up has just created Syrian Heritage, the largest 3D archaeological database dedicated to the preservation of Syrian heritage threatened by war. From Afghanistan to Pakistan via Haiti, Egypt, Oman, Pompeii, or Iraq, Yves Ubelmann, architect-archaeologist, and Philippe Barthelemy, pilot, the founders of the company, have made themselves known since 2010 by the incredible quality of the 3D surveys they carry out in record time thanks to the use of drones.
Their goal in going to Damascus in December 2015:to provide support to Syrian archaeologists and curators, and help them, through technology transfer, to take concrete action in the face of the destruction perpetrated by Daesh, but also the numerous damages linked to the conflict which has been tearing the country apart since 2011. About fifteen local researchers have been trained in 3D scanning. An innovative technology called "photogrammetry" which is based on images taken in large quantities and from many points of view from drones. The snapshots are then analyzed by powerful algorithms which reconstruct a 3D version of the monuments in point clouds. With strikingly realistic results!
3D survey of the Umayyad mosque (8 e century), in Damascus, Syria, performed by Iconem.
During their stay, the archaeologists were unable to use the drones wherever they wanted, due to lack of authorization or for security reasons. This did not prevent them from carrying out the complete registration of several endangered sites. Some of them are already available online on the Iconem and Dgam websites:
-Ugarit (Ras Shamra ), capital of the ancient eponymous kingdom (2 th millennium BC) where writing was born.
-The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, erected in the 8 th century (video below).
-The famous Krak des Chevaliers (Qal’at al-Hosh), 12 th crusader fortress centuryand the citadel of Damascus (11 th century), both on the UNESCO World Heritage List,
-The Museum of Latakia, a former caravanserai,
-The Jableh theatre, a Roman work built in the 3 th century of our era,
-Damascene houses from the Ottoman period (1516-1918), (video below)
These digital readings will make it possible to prepare future restorations" - Yves Ubelmann
All of the digitized documents, interactive virtual tours and synthetic images - which are aimed at scientists as well as the general public - will be fully and gradually posted from the end of May. "With these surveys, it is now possible to preserve the memory and knowledge of Syrian sites in danger, and above all, to transmit this knowledge, explains Yves Ubelmann. They will also make it possible to prepare for future restorations. A way for us to fight against the destruction of an exceptional historical and cultural heritage, at a time when it is more vulnerable than ever" .
PIONEER. Presented as a world leader in the 3D digitization of endangered archaeological sites, Iconem is not unknown to those who are closely interested in archeology and its high-tech developments. This is the case of Sciences et Avenir (read Sciences et Avenir n°797, July 2013 and Special issue to be published). On the other hand, this young French company has already caught the attention of Unesco, the Louvre Museum but also Inria, (National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation), ENS (Ecole Normale Superior) or the Microsoft Research Lab, with whom they collaborate. We should also soon find these enthusiasts and their flying machines above the pyramids of Giza and Dahshur, in Egypt. Iconem is indeed collaborating on the Scan Pyramids project.