Ancient Corinth: From Stone Age to Digital Age

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens and CyArk, a not-for-profit whose mission is to digitally document cultural sites, embarked on a mission in 2015 to digitalize the site of an ancient myth.  

The collaboration used cutting-edge technology to scan the Fountain of Peirene and the Temple of Apollo in the city of Ancient Corinth.  

Technology such as laser scanning makes it possible to capture particular moments in time. It was used to capture Ancient Corinth’s Temple of Apollo and Fountain of Peirene.

They used a method called ‘photogrammetry’ that uses various types of photography and video to create 3D models or maps. In the case of Ancient Corinth, photographs were taken with drones from above and with advanced cameras on the ground.

They also used a process known as ‘light scanning’ on the Fountain of Peirene to carefully capture the more fragile parts of the sea-life fresco paintings within the grotto. The team got exact measurements of the fountain and the surrounding space by using an advanced technology that calculates distances through lasers. 

The site of Ancient Corinth is currently closed to the public but you can still see it here thanks to the 3D models.