Digitally Rescuing a Lost City from Ancient Iberia
In the municipality of Valls, Tarragona, archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery: the ancient Iberian city of Kissa, long sought by researchers. 🏺 This finding offers new clues about the Iberian civilization and its relations with neighboring cultures, including the Roman one. The excavations have revealed structures and artifacts that suggest Kissa was a prosperous city of great strategic importance in its time, providing a unique window into a fascinating chapter of peninsular history.
For digital artists and compositors, this discovery represents an exceptional opportunity to explore techniques of historical reconstruction using Nuke. 💻 The digital recreation of this lost city allows not only to visualize its original appearance, but also to study and communicate what daily life in an Iberian city might have been like. The combination of 3D modeling, advanced compositing, and carefully studied lighting can transport us directly to this ancestral settlement.
A digital bridge between present-day archaeology and the Iberian past.
Project Setup and Historical Approach
The first step for an accurate recreation in Nuke is meticulous historical research on the discovered structures and artifacts. 📐 Setting the resolution to 1920x1080 px with sRGB color space ensures the visual quality necessary for this type of reconstruction. Organization through main nodes - Terrain, Buildings, Artifacts, Lighting, and Cameras - allows efficient management of the multiple elements that make up the scene.
The essential elements to faithfully recreate Kissa include:
- Residential structures with flat or conical roofs
- Defensive walls and fortification systems
- Central squares and community areas
- Everyday artifacts and Iberian tools
Compositing and Lighting Techniques for Historical Authenticity
Lighting is crucial to convey the Mediterranean atmosphere of ancient Iberia. ☀️ A main light should be set up to simulate the sun with a low angle to highlight the relief of the structures and create natural shadows that give depth to the scene. A warm ambient light helps soften the shadows while maintaining the feeling of a typical clear Mediterranean day. The integration of native vegetation elements and adobe and stone textures completes the sense of historical authenticity.
It is profoundly curious how a city that flourished for centuries was forgotten under the earth, while today we complain about losing internet coverage for a few minutes. 📱 A modern irony that reminds us of the fragility of historical memory and the importance of digitally preserving our cultural heritage for future generations.