Hulot's Selinunte: digital analysis and virtual reconstruction

Abstract

Some drawings feature a powerful evocative nature, capable of presenting a truthful vision that can replace, in collective imagination, the actual expression of reality. This is the case of the "restorations" of Selinunte proposed by the French architect Jean-Louis Hulot (Paris 1871 -1959) which still today evoke the splendours of the ancient city. Thanks to his accurate surveys and inspired by the visit to the remains of further ancient cities such as Priene, Tera, Delos, and Pompeii, Hulot proposed in his watercolour drawings a vision of a "living" city, rendered at the height of its architectural and social magnificence. The paper presents a study on digital solutions that combine data from recent surveys with a 3D reconstruction based on Hulot's drawings, to propose a visual experience of the ancient city of Selinunte.