During the 2014 excavation campaign at Vignale an impressive late antique mosaic depicting Aion, the God of Time, was discovered. This artifact of 100 m2 became a milestone for outreach activities; fund-raising, theatrical performances, and archaeological trekking sessions were tailored to this finding, in collaboration with local associations. The discovery of the mosaic consolidated the promotional lines followed for this project, on-site and off-site, capable of engaging different audiences. Taking into account the recent debate about emotion as an essential constituent of the heritage-making process, a preliminary analysis of these initiatives questions the existence and the development of an emotional connection between the public and the archaeological site. Since an emotional connection emerged, further analyses and studies need to specify the kinds of emotive connection that occur. Assessment of the emotional impact intrinsic to public outreach will provide clues to transforming the “intellectual” emotion of discovery into a shared and valuable emotion for the benefit of both the archaeological project and its stakeholders.

HBIM (Heritage Building Information Modelling) is used for the documentation of the Church of Panayia Karmiotissa, near Limassol, Cyprus. The HBIM model is based on the geometric information obtained by digital documentation of the monument. Using laser scanning and Structure for Motion photogrammetric techniques, exterior images were collected using a drone with a 20MP camera and the interior images were taken using an SLR 20 MP camera. Ground control points were used both externally and internally to geo-reference the images using SfM photogrammetry. A Z+F latest technology 3D laser scanner was utilized to scan both the exterior and interior of the church. The images were used in order to create a 3D reconstruction of the Church and used photogrammetry to generate a point cloud of the church and a 3D surface texture model with ortho-images. Following, the data generated by the laser scanner and photogrammetry was processed to create a 3D model to document the church using Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM). The main objective of this case study was to create an HBIM model of the Church of Panayia Karmiotissa to digitally register and holistically to document the monument. HBIM is an important tool for the multidisciplinary area of conservators, architects and in general engineer activities, as it provides virtual details that are useful for monitoring, preservation and restoration.

As an orchestra or a rock star, archaeologists have their audience too. This paper wants to highlight an integrated approach between fieldwork, its account and its dissemination to the public in different ways, including social media. This potential integration has come to life in the 2011 excavation of the Roman mansio of Vignale (Italy) and it has been named “Excava(c)tion”. It doesn’t mean a new way of digging but another way of approaching the excavation, an approach integrated toward and with the public, both on site and on the social Web. “Excava(c)tion” conceives the site as a stage and digging as a performance, through a continuous dialogue between archaeologists and the public. Archaeologists share their work in the form of guided tours (live, theatrical-like performances), communicative diaries and videos (edited, motion-picture performances) and on a blog (www.uominiecoseavignale.it). They receive back comments and oral accounts from the local community about the main themes of common interest. “Excava(c)tion” means engagement both of archaeologists and the public in the pursuit of a global multivocality during archaeological excavation.

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