Preserving the Past Investing in the Future

Clepsydra was founded in 2006 as a result of a homonym national funded research and development project. The laboratory is accommodated in the premises of the Athena Research and Innovation Centre in Xanthi, Greece and it is focused on the digitisation, archiving, visualisation, management, promotion and dissemination of digital replicas derived mainly from the cultural heritage domain. Its personnel is composed of active researchers and specialised scientists with multidisciplinary backgrounds. For over a decade Clepsydra has worked in close collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Department and the Archaeometry and Physicochemical Measurements Laboratory of the Athena Research Centre composing an integrated interdisciplinary environment capable of handling a vast range of R&D challenges that have strong impact in the cultural heritage domain. It holds an EN ISO 9001:2000 quality management system for 3D digitisation services. Its current infrastructures consist of commercial and in-house developed experimental and hybrid digitisation systems. More specifically, it includes one of the three available in Europe, non-portable, 3D laser scanning triangulation systems that is based on white-laser technology, time-of-flight terrestrial LIDAR, adaptable automated portable 3D colour digitisation systems for movable objects that are based on professional photographic/lighting equipment and automated turntables, structure-light 3D scanners, multispectral cameras, projection units, video/sound editing systems and book scanners.

Some of the most prestigious terrestrial/aerial 3D digitisation projects involve monuments that are included in UNESCO’s lists. Some of these are: Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Northern Greece (Church of the Holy Apostles, Church of Panagia Acheiropiitos, Rotonda of Galerius), Archaeological Museum Delphi (The Charioteer, Sphinx of Naxos, The omphalos of the earth, Acanthus Column), Delphi archaeological site (Ancient Theatre), Exekias pottery (UZH). Other large-scale digitisation projects are: Monastery of Panagia Kosmosotira (Feres), Monastery of Panagia Kalamou, Immaret, Kutuklu Baba Tekkesi, Archaeological site of Abdera, Old towns of Xanthi, Kavala,Serres,Argostoli and Drama (Saint Barbara springs area), Byzantine Castle of Kavala.