Lo más destacado: Planteamiento de la arqueología virtual como metodología útil en la investigación interdisciplinar del patrimonio de las órdenes militares: pros y contras, problemas y soluciones. Proceso y resultado de la aplicación de la arqueología virtual en varios estudios vinculados a las órdenes militares: castillos, conventos, hospitales o explotaciones rurales. Desarrollo de la investigación a través del uso de la arqueología virtual: generando interrogantes y buscando respuestas.
Extended Abstract:The objective of this paper is to show the virtual archaeology as one of the methodologies applicated in the research line "Archaeology of the military orders" developed for some years by the University of Castilla-La Mancha in collaboration with the Fundación Castillo de la Estrella.The military orders are very important institutions for the study of the Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula. Because of that, there is a rich literature which approaches many aspects of these institutions: their origins and evolution; organisation; economic dimension; social reality... In contrast, the studies which have focused on the heritage linked to these orders have not had the same degree of development. This lack has motivated the creation of this important research line, where several specialists from different disciplines such as history, archaeology, architecture or restoration try to focus on the research of the military orders heritage, mainly in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. Thus, our research line is based on an interdisciplinary methodology, combining traditional practice with new technologies, like the virtual archaeology, which is described as the "using computer-based visualisation for the comprehensive management of archaeological heritage" (Principios de Sevilla, 2012).
Virtual archaeology as a research methodologyThere are several applications for the virtual archaeology, but we could summarize them in three: research, conservation and restoration, and communication. In this paper, we focused on the first of them. We have worked with virtual archaeology in several cases such as the Castle of La Estrella (Montiel, Ciudad Real), the fortress and priory of Uclés (Uclés, Cuenca) or the hospital of Santiago of Alarcón (Alarcón, Cuenca), and we can say that this methodology has contributed to progress in the knowledge of all the elements which have been recreated. In the creation process of a virtual model, it is necessary to collect all information and data as are possible of the element on which we work. In this process, a lot of questions about several aspects appears, and we must try to find responses. In this way, we discover things which probably never would have been approached without this process. Furthermore, the virtual archaeology is an excellent method to sketch and discuss different hypothesis. It is a visual language with whom the specialists could show their ideas as support of the traditional text formats or other graphics sources as photos or plans.
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