(Im)material Casts from the Sullan Period

Thanks to Pompeii’s burial under Vesuvio’s 79 AD eruption deposits, the ballistic imprints on its northern defensive perimeter are uniquely attributable to Sulla’s siege of 89 BC. These impact marks were digitally documented using integrated survey techniques and custom pipelines. The virtual casts generated—dimensionally accurate, high-resolution surface replicas—serve as key inputs for the reverse-modeling of damage craters, supporting terminal ballistics analyses. Two case studies—a stone projectile cavity and fan-shaped dart impressions—were 3D-printed at 1:1 scale. Prototype casting thus emerges as a cultural asset and rapidly updatable component of a dynamic data ecosystem, inclusive of users with disabilities.