by LORENA PARDO │ AD&D 4D
Abandoned, destroyed, decayed, raped and buried, Lesera has a lot of undiscovered history. The archaic city that lived its splendour for 3 centuries (from 14 BCE to the 3rd century CE), now receives the embrace of the fourth technological dimension, 3D technologies that offer to preserve its discoveries and serve as a powerful platform to put together the pieces of its erased and scattered history. An inscription found in Morella finally reveals its name, Lesera, which achieved city status at the time of Emperor Augustus.
We know little about Lésera because only a few hundred of its 839584.98 square feet have been excavated. However, we are left with the peace of mind of a law that protects the site and the wisdom of the archaeologists, as well as the enthusiasm and dedication of the director of the excavation, Ferrán Arasa, who will not allow any more violations. This impressive archaeological work now has its mirror in 3D technologies to give us, as Internet users, a very special journey to a unique corner of the planet. The luxury of being able to fly like a bird over the “Moleta dels Frares” and get to know the scale of the site, navigate through the different stages of its history by means of simple cataloguing sheets, have all its findings brought together on a single support or enter the domus of the triclinium, completely excavated and reconstructed in virtual reality, is a gift provided by the AD&D 4D association. It is true that the place is enchanting, but even more so when these reasons for fascination come to us comfortably from the place and time of our choice at the click of a button, by activating, for example, the phone in our pocket.
The 3D model of Lesera, published in Europeana, insists on the need to democratise knowledge and break down not only digital barriers, due to the simplicity of its use and language, but also to advance in barrier-free communication for the visually impaired, through audio guides and 3D printing of the domus of the triclinium, in the exact state in which the current remains of Lésera are found, with texts in Braille. Through the Lésera file we find a 4k video with subtitles in 3 languages, the virtual construction of the domus, digital preservation with Creative Commons licences for researchers of today and the future, as well as a repository with all the publications on the Roman city. All this material helps us to heal part of the wound of what history destroyed and now virtual reality gives us back.
You can't love what you don't know or defend what you don't love, and Lésera, buried in oblivion, is re-emerging with the help of technology to enter into our lives and to captivate future researchers and public managers with its history, so that they will invest resources in unearthing the mysteries that complete a puzzle, the property of which belongs to humanity. Technologies democratise and build direct bridges to knowledge and respect.
Much has changed since that shepherd boy naively searched for what he thought were buttons. Now, at least under European law, children no longer work and are guaranteed a school that provides them with opportunities, a school that speaks to them the simple, visual language of communication technologies, more comfortable paths to the democratisation of knowledge, paths that create an awareness of respect for a world that belongs to everyone and as such generates a feeling of respect for its preservation.
Video │- Ferran Arasa, PhD in History, researcher and professor of archaeology at the Faculty of Ancient History at the University of Valencia, introduces us to the history of Lésera, possibly the largest Roman city that existed in the province of Castellón.
The model has been designed by Dr. Jaume Gual Ortí Professor and researcher at the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Design, Universitat Jaume I (UJI).
3D tactile scale model of the domus with codes with access to audiovisual content and Braille reading and writing code.
Do you dare to travel back in time?
3D model of the territory where Moleta dels Frares, the river Cantavella and Forcall are located, Castellón, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain, Europe.
2018-10-17 │3D model of the Roman tombstone that gives its name to the Roman city of Lésera, Morella, Castellón, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain, Europe. Coordinates WSG89 :: 40.618083, -0.102806
2020-10-01 │3D model of the domus de la Moleta dels Frares, Forcall, Castellón, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain, Europe.
2018-04-02 │3D model of the archaeological site of Moleta dels Frares, Forcall, Castellón, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain, Europe.
This project is based on knowledge transfer, free science, democratisation and the promotion of culture and technology. Through the following DOI you can download the geomatics project under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 4.0 international licence.
Digital preservation could be seen as a statement of intent. Preserving and protecting this precious cultural legacy over time, making it available to today's and tomorrow's society.