3D Modelling in the registration and restoration of a megalithic tomb

This article aims at showing some potential applications of geomatics to works in which both excavation and restoration are carried out simultaneously, so that the three-dimensional layout of the monument undergoes continuous and important changes throughout the intervention. The article offers an overview of several works in geometric documentation and three-dimensional modelling carried out during the archaeological excavations and the restoration of a megalithic monument -dolmen Alto de la Huesera- from 2010 to 2014. The activities described here encompass a wide range of goals, including marking out the excavation grid, the geometric recording of the burials, the three-dimensional modelling of the slabs and the surrounding mound, the virtual visualization and check of possible reconstructions before undertaking actual rearrangements of the components on site as well as the classification and archive of the information so as to maintain the traceability of the tasks accomplished during this period.