The Vaults of Umm al-Dabadib: Geometric Study
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The Vaults of Umm al‑Dabadib: Geometric Study Corinna Rossi1 · Fausta Fiorillo1 Accepted: 9 October 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract This article focuses on the shape of the vaults that cover the rooms of the Fort of Umm al-Dabadib (Kharga Oasis, Egypt’s Western Desert), dating to the Late Roman Period. This building is the central element of the contemporary Fortified Settlement, consisting of a dense, three-dimensional mosaic of domestic units, all covered by similar vaults, and belonging to a chain of similar installations. Two elements make Umm al-Dabadib an interesting case-study: the excellent preservation of its architectural remains, and the possibility to rely on an accurate photogrammetric survey of the entire built-up area. Thanks to this combination, it was possible to analyse the geometric shape of the vaults in connection to the ancient building techniques. The study determined that the vaults of the Fort are elliptical; this conclusion will impact on the study of all the similar settlements built in the Kharga Oasis, and possibly to other contemporary buildings elsewhere in Egypt. Keywords Nubian vaults · Elliptical vaults · Geometric constructions · Late roman forts · Kharga oasis · Ancient egypt
Introduction Reliable geometric and metrological studies can only be performed on data derived from precise and accurate architectural surveys. Range- and image-based survey techniques, such as laser scanner and photogrammetry, make it possible to record the shape of an object (a building, in this case) to an automatically greater accuracy in comparison to the results of hand-made surveys. In particular, the three-dimensional models that can be generated from the survey data capture the actual shape and * Corinna Rossi [email protected] Fausta Fiorillo [email protected] 1
Dipartimento di Architettura, Ingegneria Delle Costruzioni e Ambiente Costruito, Politecnico di Milano, Via Ponzio 31, 20133 Milan, Italia Vol.:(0123456789)
C. Rossi, F. Fiorillo
dimensions of the various architectural elements without the potential distortions due to the subjective perception of the surveyor and the personal interpretation of the draughtsman. Geometric and metrological analyses are not merely formal exercises: they can offer precious information on the planning and building techniques and on the cultural and technical background of the builders. The Late Roman archaeological site of Umm al-Dabadib, located at the outskirts of the Kharga Oasis, in Egypt’s Western Desert (Fig. 1), represents a significant chance to carry out such analyses to improve our knowledge of this site, its background and its history. The site, noted at the beginning of the twentieth century (Ball 1900; Beadnell 1909), was investigated in 1998 (Rossi 2000) and studied in detail for the first time in 2001–2003 (Rossi and Ikram 2018: Ch. 6). The photogrammetric survey carried out in 2014–2015 (Fassi et al. 2015) provided a reliable basis for further studies carried out within the ERC-funded LIFE programme, aiming at iden
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