The Etruscan Necropolis at Cerveteri made more accessible by the e-Archeo project

Following its inauguration at the Necropoli della Banditaccia, Cerveteri (Sala Mengarelli) on Saturday 15 October 2022, the multimedia tangible application (Tangible User Interface - TUI), e-Archeo Tattile, will be presented at the Tabacchificio Cafasso, Paestum from 9:30 to 13:30 on Saturday 29 October as part of the Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo Archeologico.

e-Archeo Tattile was conceived and developed to illustrate, in a tactile and audio-visual form, the Etruscan archaeological complex of Cerveteri, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Engaged in the project were the Institute of Cultural Heritage Sciences of the CNR (National Research Council), the Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania, the Tuscia University of Viterbo and the Digital Collective Agency. In order to ensure that the product respected the principles of Universal Design, the designers consulted various experts on visual and hearing disabilities, including experts from the Museo Tattile Statale Omero.

e-Archeo tactile

The tactile multimedia station, dedicated to "The tomb house of the Etruscans", will be on permanent exhibition to the public in the Sala Mengarelli at the Necropoli della Banditaccia in Cerveteri, Lazio.

It houses two three-dimensional models. One is a detailed model of the Tomba Campana in section and the other illustrates the area of the Necropolis of Monte Abatone surrounding the tomb. Both are placed at a convenient height for tactile exploration, even for people in wheelchairs. There is a screen behind the models and six buttons for activating the audio-visual descriptions of them. The six short explanatory videos have subtitles in Italian and English. They have also been translated into LIS, the Italian Sign Language, by the deaf guide Carlo di Biase and into IS, International Signs, by the deaf interpreter Nicola Della Maggiora.

The station also has information in Braille and a side pocket containing two relief drawings and a Braille translation of the texts used in the audio-visual story. All content can also be accessed via a QR code on the e-Archeo site. An introductory video explains how to use it.

This is the first time the Necropolis of Monte Abatone has been made available to the public, albeit in virtual form. In fact, the actual site cannot be visited as the on-going archaeological excavations are covered over every year for conservation reasons.

The aim of the station is to interest visitors by inviting them to interact with a selection of 3D reproductions of objects and then activate their audio-visual descriptions on the screen.

The role of the Museo Omero

For the Museo Omero, Cristiana Carlini and Monica Bernacchia managed the scientific consultancy and text supervision while Daniela Bottegoni and Maria Giulia Mengarelli produced the Braille texts and relief drawings.

The E-Archeo project

The e-Archeo tactile project is part of a large national project, called e-Archeo, which illustrates eight Italian archaeological sites using an integrated experiential model both online and on site.
The sites are: Sirmione and Desenzano, Marzabotto, Cerveteri, Alba Fucens, Velia, Egnazia, Sibari, Nora.

A large-scale project, promoted by the Ministry of Culture and coordinated by Ales SpA, which brings together research institutions, universities and academies, creative industries and experts from the many areas of the Cultural Heritage sector.

Info: telephone 06 99 41 354, email: pa-certa@beniculturali.it