Filling a hole in the wall: the contribution of 3D reconstructive models to the study of Roman windows (1st century CE)

Construction archaeology has evolved profusely during the end of the 20^th and the beginning of the 21^st century, especially regarding the Roman world. Starting with planimetric approaches, studies have then evolved to include construction techniques and preserved elements from the elevations. However, some construction materials, such as perishable materials (wood) or easily recyclable materials (glass, metal) are not preserved very often and have only left traces.. In the Roman world, only Roman Campania contexts preserved the different constructive elements, sealed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.  Because of these difficulties, Roman windows have been very scarcely studied in the realm of Roman construction archaeology. The first comprehensive study on the matter was conducted by Lucia Michielin during her PhD in 2019 and published in 2021 (Michielin 2021). But little has been made on the closure systems and the closure system materials. The various components of the closure, such as wood or glass panels, have sometimes been studied separately but rarely been put together.

Starting with an example of a house in Roman Campania(2^nd century BCE- 1^st century CE), we were able to propose reconstructive 3D models of various examples of existing windows. Then, using the system of the Extended Harris Matrix (Demetrescu 2015), we suggested reconstructive hypothesis of closure systems, thanks to archaeological comparison.This reflection participates in a broader archaeological reflection about computer based treatment for construction archaeology , how it can be useful to study these kind of objects, but also in what way it can be useful to process issues about construction sites and constructions techniques as a whole.

Finally, we were able to do a comparison of the costs of construction for this type of closure, ranking these architectural layout amongst other construction and everyday life expenses.