ABSTRACT
The content of this paper includes a documentation system for digital reconstructions as a contribution to the preservation of knowledge within our digital cultural heritage. The idea for a comprehensive documentation of underlying sources and the process of reconstruction for digital reconstruction arose from nearly twenty years of experience in this area at the Technische Universitädt Darmstadt and the ongoing reconstruction project “The Imperial Tombs at Xi'an”. Indeed, this project was based on research results, as yet unpublished, as well as on findings arising from the reconstruction process. The main goal of this documentation was the preservation of this knowledge for use in subsequent research projects. The initial comprehensive documentation of a digital reconstruction project was the result of three years of research, hitherto wiparalleled in its depth. A system, the Four-Level-System, was developed specifically for digital reconstructions. The documentation preserves knowledge, essentially at the theoretical level. It is a first step in order to establish an adequate documentation system.
