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The ancient Bronze Age nuraghes civilization has left rich cultural heritage where major role plays characteristic tower-shaped buildings most widely spread at Sardinia. The purpose of these structures is unknown, yet the studies have confirmed that these are ancient necropolis structures and they were rebuilt several times for similar purposes. All this makes their studies and interpretation very difficult. Our study allows us to associate these nuraghes structures with the necropolis functions and probably significant changes in the religious perceptions. Most likely these tower-shaped structures initially were built as the Towers of Silence, but later rebuilt for the need of other sacral rituals. These phases can be identified analysing the quality of the stone material used for the construction and the intensity of decay of the exposed surfaces of stones. However, the tower-shaped stone structures harmoniously fit in the environment and can be considered as semi-natural geological heritage monuments of high value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nuraghes, large stone structures in Sardinia, are the important evidence of ancient culture. There were more than 8000 nuraghes located on the island, yet only 1500 were discovered. It makes the whole Sardinia an outstanding Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological open-air exhibition and museum of cultural heritage. Up to now almost all these monuments were related to Bronze Age buildings and most often interpreted as fortification structures. The studies carried out in 2014 and 2015 denote that the initial choice of the location for these monuments and their placement on site do not confirm with this hypothesis. The analysis of the building material reveals at least 3 or 4 very different construction stages that modify previous structures in order to suite other purposes of use. Taking into consideration only final stage of construction of several structures, leads to erroneous conclusions and generalized interpretation of these buildings as fortification structures. As the main important indicator to identify different construction stages should be the building stone - its quality, shape and surface processing, deterioration degree, quality of the mortar applied, placement of the construction blocks and thickness of the walls. The application of these indicators allows us to develop several evolutionary models of nuraghes structures and visualize them digitally in the future. At the current stage of our study these complex buildings most probably should be regarded as sacral structures, that later were reconstructed into storehouses and only in the final stage rebuild to serve as fortification and inhabitants' information structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study has been carried out in the Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage, located in the center and north of the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands. This National park has several ancient ritual places, which after the archaeological excavations in the 1950's have been partly reconstructed. One of the most valuable discoveries during these excavations was the Circular stone. A nondestructive study method has been used to analyze the surface of this stone. The detailed photo documentation and further assessment of the exposed surfaces of the stone was performed in order to identify artificially made deformations of the stone surface as evidence left by ancient people. The elaborated methodology allowed us to identify and group human made carvings, nowadays visible as separate lines and their groups, as well as fragments of signs and symbols. Such approach could also be applied in the studies of other poorly preserved stone material objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pyramid of Userkaf, the first king of the 5th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt (ca. 2494- 2487 BC) is one of the World Heritage monuments located on Saqqara plateau Necropolis in Egypt. Like most of the Ancient Egypt's monuments, this pyramid is almost in ruins and its preservation is a challenge for modern conservators and engineers. Currently, the pyramid is in a very bad condition and most of the main building elements can be recognized only thanks to the previous archaeological studies carried out on site. The structure of the pyramid is also severely affected by earthquakes. The elaborated 3D model of the pyramid allows us to make conclusions regarding the building process of the pyramid, to evaluate the stability and current state of preservation of the pyramid's stone material and mortar, as well as to reconstruct initial shape and dimensions of the monument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous deterioration of historical stone monuments mainly due to weathering is a growing concern. Precise documentation of the monument becomes very important for elaboration of sustainable monument remedy and preservation plan. The method elaborated by the authors allows to create a 3D model of the object with the further possibility to supplement and integrate into this model various visual and data information and systematically update it. This method was developed for the stone material surface weathering studies of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Egypt, but it also can be applied to the studies of other historical monuments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]