How to Put Humpty Dumpty Together Again

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1. Start with a pile of rubble in situ.
2. Photograph the pile in 3D to capture the location of the stones, using the location and shape to help reconstruct the walls.
3. Move the stones to make room for the reconstruction, adding a digital marker to each stone.
4. Create a 3D rendering of each stone in its original location; this information is used to reconstruct the synagogue with computer software.
5. Using the results and the digital markers, find the stones and place them in their reconstructed context.

This is the process that was used at Um el-Kanatir for the rubble that was located within the walls of the synagogue, but it would not have been possible if the western and eastern walls had not collapsed in almost perfect rows on the exterior of the original building.