The Inaugural Lecture, 'Analysing and Documenting the Greek Built Environment in the Age of Digital Humanities', celebrates the scholarly achievements of our colleague Jari Pakkanen, who has been promoted to Professor. Boris Rankov will introduce the lecture and Janet DeLaine will lead a vote of thanks.

This lecture will present innovative uses of quantitative analyses for the examination of Greek architectural design and regular layout of cities. The methodology adopted builds on J.J. Coulton's studies on architectural proportions in the 1970s to demonstrate that computer-intensive statistical analyses are a crucial component of reconstructing ancient design practices. The second strand of the presentation provides an overview of how three-dimensional digital documentation has changed archaeological fieldwork and analyses in the past 20 years. Photogrammetry and intensive use of reflectorless laser total stations can be used to create accurate digital representations of fragmentarily preserved ancient architecture, far exceeding the level of detail achieved through the traditional method of on-site architectural drawing and documentation. The digital models can directly be used for further investigations, including as the basis of architectural publication illustrations, calculating building material volumes for cost estimates of Greek building projects and producing new reconstructions of the studied complexes. Research in archaeology has greatly benefited from recent developments in digital technologies, but this lecture aims to demonstrate that the study of Greek architecture can also be a catalyst for innovations in this area.

All welcome, admission is free, but booking is essential.

For further information please email: j.pakkanen@royalholloway.ac.uk