Contact: Dr. Anna Bertelli
In the Apollo Pythios sanctuary in Gortyn (Fig. 1a), the former capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica, lies the so-called Edificio C - a rather small building with an outer, square and an inner, round floor plan (Fig. 1b). This combination of round and square architectural elements is unique in Gortyn. Due to the later superstructures with Byzantine residential buildings, the building can only be partially reconstructed. It therefore remains unclear what the building might have looked like in its original form. For example, the design of the rising architecture - whether the building had windows or how the roof was constructed - remains in the dark. The function of the 5 x 5 m building, its dating and history of use and, finally, the way in which it was integrated into the Apollo Pythios sanctuary are also still uncertain. At this point, however, the finds from the building itself and from sondages in its immediate vicinity can provide a remedy and be decisive for a more precise analysis of this structure and its interpretation.
Of particular importance here are numerous Roman oil lamps with discus depictions, which were brought to light within the building as early as 2007 by the research work of the Università degli Studi di Siena. In addition to many pieces that can be fully reconstructed, this important corpus of finds includes some fully preserved examples (Fig. 2). It is precisely these Roman oil lamps that are also the focus of a research project at Ruhr-Universität Bochum under the direction of Dr. Anna Bertelli, which is being carried out in collaboration with the excavation mission of the Università di Padova in Gortyn and its excavation director, Prof. Dr. Jacopo Bonetto. The research cooperation between Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the Università di Padova officially began in fall 2022. The project also cooperates with the Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene (SAIA) and the Greek Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.
A central research objective of the Ruhr University research project is the complete recording of all oil lamps found within the Edificio C. The work of the project includes the recording of the lamps by means of manual drawings and photographs, their photographic documentation for the creation of 3D models, the production of digital redrawings and reconstructions as well as the comparative study of the find complex. In addition to local comparisons on Crete, the latter step of the analysis also aims to identify supra-regional parallels in order to date the find material and suggest the geographical distribution area of the picture lamps. The long-term aim is also to reconstruct the history of the use of Edificio C, to show its connection to the rest of the sanctuary, to discuss its function and finally to present a reconstruction of the building. The research project thus sets itself the task of investigating another important piece of the architectural puzzle of the entire Apollo Pythios sanctuary with Edifico C, which will allow a better understanding of the entire complex in the future.
In 2023, the Università degli Studi di Siena made the oil lamps available to Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the research project in Gortyn for more detailed analyses. The project and the first campaign were also made possible by the financial support of the “Forschendes Lernen (https://uni.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de/forschendes-lernen-0)” program at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. In the first finds processing campaign, which dealt with Edificio C, or more precisely with the Roman oil lamps from this building, the work processes listed above were started on site. The focus of the work was primarily on the photographic recording of the lamps in detail and their photographic documentation for the creation of 3D models. It was also particularly important to make exact manual drawings of the individual lamps and especially their discus representations on site (Fig. 3). Comparable find contexts within Gortyn were also viewed and examined during the three-week campaign.
Fig. 3a: Images of the oil lamps in the form of photographs
The material developed during the campaign was also further processed by students at Ruhr-Universität Bochum as part of an exercise during the 2023/2024 winter semester.
Fig. 3b: Manual drawings during the 2023 campaign
The students created initial 3D models based on the photographic images and digitized the manual drawings of the lamps using the Vectorworks program (Fig. 4). The aim of the exercise was not only to learn the scientific handling of original finds, but also to develop and test a target-oriented documentation method on their own.
Fig. 4a: Post-processing documentation of the oil lamps in the form of 3D models
The manually created drawings of the clay lamps were to be compared with the digitally generated drawings in order to work out the limits of the respective methods. The digitized redrawings and 3D models were then included in the digital archaeological teaching and are to be made permanently available for additional learning units in the e-learning offer of the Archaeological Sciences (RUBeA - eLearning) (Fig. 5a).
Fig. 4b: Post-processing documentation of the oil lamps in the form of vector redrawings
The experimental archaeological examination of the clay lamps enables a practical examination of the material. Another aspect of the reworking is the attempt to recreate the Cretan picture lamps in Bochum in the training workshop of the Archaeological Institute (Fig. 5b and c).
During the Classical Archaeology colloquium in the winter semester 2023/2024, the research project and the initial results were finally presented by Dr. Anna Bertelli and the participating students at the Institute of Archaeological Sciences. A further lecture is planned for April 2024 at the Thomas Morus Academy in Bensberg so that the findings can be made accessible to a wider academic audience.
The next step will be to prepare the research findings for publication. Future campaigns, projects and courses will also enable other students to research the context and material found in Gortyn and expand their knowledge of the sanctuary.
This was followed in summer semester 2024 by the exercise “Let's Make A Plan! Squaring the Circle in Archaeology”, in which the unique architecture of Edificio C was discussed, among other things. Structures with similar floor plans in Greece, Turkey and Italy were identified, developed and digital plans were drawn up for architectural and functional comparison.
During the excavation internship in summer 2025, the marble finds from the context will now be examined and a complete 3D recording of the building will be made on site in Gortyn. A 3D model will then be created and various reconstruction options carried out. Such a presentation of the research results offers the unique opportunity to experience the square building with its round inner structure, which was artificially illuminated by the oil lamps, with one's own senses and thus contribute to a better understanding of this enigmatic building.
Dr. Anna Bertelli
Akademische Rätin
Klassische Archäologie
Institut für Archäologische Wissenschaften
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Am Bergbaumuseum 31, 44791 Bochum
Raum: 0.3.7
Tel.: (0234) 32-19232
Mail: Anna.Bertelli@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
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Last update: Apr 02, 2025
