From ‘Flatland’ to the real world. Mapping the landscapes of Cappadocia in the digital age

While conducting research on the historical landscape of Cappadocia (central Anatolia, Turkey) and on its transformation over time (from the Graeco-Roman to the middle Byzantine periods), the need has arisen to approach the archaeological mapping of that territory from a different perspective and from different points of view than those traditionally adopted in the area so far. In particular, exploiting the potential of the ‘third dimension’ appears to be very useful. Within this context, the aim of this paper is twofold: a) to discuss some case studies in which the application of a three dimensional approach to archaeological mapping has encouraged new ideas and hypotheses; b) to discuss the next steps taken by our research, devoted to applying a technological approach that aims to develop smart tools to share data among scholars, public bodies and the general public.