Alberto Urcia
Alberto Urcia joined the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization in May 2012 as Associate Research Scientist to provide support for the Yale Egyptology program as specialist in Virtual Archaeology and Topographic Survey. Alberto’s work is focused on digital processing of data collected from current and previous projects carried out by the Yale Egyptology program. His work enhances publications by producing and managing 2D and 3D data aimed to improve the quality of the information and contents. He also collaborates in the digital survey for different field projects, using several techniques based on 3D scanning, photogrammetry and topography.
As a student in the field of Archaeology of Architecture his BA dissertation aimed to reconstruct – graphically and historically – the building phases of an Italian Medieval castle. Alberto’s experience in conservation and restoration of Cultural Heritage goes back to 2001 when he began participating actively in projects at archaeological sites of the Mediterranean area (mainly Turkey, Italy, and Greece). Since 2006 he has focused on the methodologies applied for the archaeological research, especially those related to technology and computer sciences. This has allowed him to develop skills on bi-dimensional and three-dimensional survey (both objects and landscape), graphic representation of archaeological contents (3D modeling, rendering, 2D drawings) and geo-spatial data management (ancient cartography and G.I.S.).
In 2010 Alberto started working in the Aswan – Kom Ombo Archaeological Project which is an International joint collaboration of Yale University and the University of Bologna. His involvement entailed the coordination of field activities such as topographic survey and particularly, the digital documentation of the Egyptian rock art.
Publications
Digital illustrations and graphics were developed for the following Yale Egyptology publications:
- John Coleman Darnell, Theban Desert Road Survey II: The Rock Shrine of Pahu, Gebel Akhenaton, and other Rock Inscriptions from the Western Hinterland of Naqada (Yale Egyptological Publications 1; New Haven: Yale Egyptological Institute, 2013).
- Gatto, M.C. and C.M. Manassa with contributions by A. Cunningham-Bryant and A. Raath-Antonites, Middle Nubian Sites from Toshka: Report of the 1962 Excavation (in progress).
- Hendrickx, S., Darnell J.C. and M.C. Gatto (eds.), The earliest representation of royal power in Egypt: The rock drawings of Nag el-Hamdulab (Aswan) (in progress).
- C. Manassa (curated by), Echoes of Egypt, Catalogue of the exhibit, 2013.
- Colleen Manassa, Imagining the Past: Historical Fiction in New Kingdom Egypt (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).
Author and co-author of the following articles:
2012 - A. Urcia, M. Montanari, Scansione laser e ricostruzione digitale: il sito di San Severo a Classe (Ra), Eng. “Laser scannin and digital reconstruction: the site of San Severo in Classe (Ravenna)”, in Archeologia e Calcolatori 23, 2012, pp. 311-325.
2012 - A. Curci, A. Urcia, L. Lippiello, M.C. Gatto, Using digital technologies to document rock art in the Aswan - Kom Ombo region (Egypt) in Sahara Journal - Prehistory and history of the Sahara, n° 23, 2012, pp. 75-86.
2011 - A. Fiorini, A. Urcia, V. Archetti, The Digital 3D Survey as Standard Documentation of the Archaeological Stratigraphy in VAST 2011, International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Eurographics Symposium Proceedings, Germany, 2011, pp. 145-152.
2011 - Il castello di Sorrivoli (Roncofreddo, Forlì-Cesena), Storia e archeologia dell’architettura, a cura di A. Fiorini – Ante Quem, Bologna, 2011, pp. 21-28.
2009 - A. Augenti et alii, Archeologia dell’architettura in Emilia-Romagna: primi passi verso un progetto organico, in OCNUS, n° 17, Bologna, 2009.