Professional profile
Archaeologist | Digital Heritage specialist
Specialist in Digital Archaeology, he focuses on 3D models for Cultural Heritage and their integration with semantic knowledge graphs. His current research concerns the creation of theoretical and methodological links between the scientific study of Cultural Heritage and creative industries (digital libraries, virtual museums, Open World games, and VR experiences).
He serves as Chairman of the Executive Board of the European project ECCCH-ECHOES dedicated to creating the European collaborative cloud for cultural heritage. He is the PI of the StratiGraph Horizon Europe Project.
He conducts intensive academic activity at Sapienza University of Rome, Tuscia University, and the University of Padua, focusing on two main areas: archaeological survey and reconstruction of archaeological contexts, and the development of the Digital Humanist figure. This latter approach integrates innovative methodologies for 3D modeling, semantic analysis, Python development, and virtual reconstruction applied to Cultural Heritage.
He is a member of the editorial board of the international journal "Digital Applications to Archaeology and Cultural Heritage" (Elsevier) and of the scientific committee of the international conference ArcheoFOSS (Data, formats, software and free/libre hardware for Archaeology) and is also a founding member of the association of the same name.
Since 2003, he has participated in excavations and 3D surveys in Italy, Greece, Romania, Montenegro, and Cyprus. Since 2012, he has been involved in various European projects (3D-ICONS, V-MUST, SSHOC, E-RIHS-IP, 3D-4CH, ECHOES) and national projects (H2IOSC within the Italian PNRR) for the integration of 3D models and archaeological documentation. He has developed an open-source tool for creating reconstructive hypotheses through digital technologies (extendedmatrix.org) and supervises the research and training activities of the Extended Matrix community.
CNR Disciplinary Fields and Research Management Sectors
- SH6_6 Digital, computational, virtual and geospatial archaeologies
- SH5_11 Digital humanities; computational and digital approaches in the cultural sphere
- SH6_1 Archaeological methods and theory, history of archaeology
MUR Italian Scientific-Disciplinary Sector
- ARCH-01/D Classical Archaeology
- ARCH-01/G Archaeological Research Methods
Groups & Labs CNR ISPC
Digital Heritage Innovation Lab →
Publications
Highlight
E. Demetrescu, D. Ferdani, B. Fanini et al. (2026). Digital Replicas and 3D Virtual Reconstructions for Large Excavations in Urban Archaeology: Methods, Tools, and Techniques Drawn from the “Metro C” Case Study in Rome. Remote Sensing, 18(2): 203. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18020203
E. Demetrescu, E. d’Annibale, D. Ferdani, B. Fanini (2020). Digital replica of cultural landscapes: An experimental reality-based workflow to create realistic, interactive open world experiences. Journal of Cultural Heritage, online first. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2019.07.018
E. Demetrescu (2015). Archaeological Stratigraphy as a formal language for virtual reconstruction. Theory and practice. Journal of Archaeological Science, 57: 42–55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2015.02.004
