A Virtual Visit to an Ancient Athenian House of the 5th century BC
Experience an interactive Extended Reality (XR) experience "In the House of Ergochari," an ancient Athenian house of the 5th century BC.
Thanks to the pioneering technology of the Bridges research project, which offers a multisensory (visual, auditory, and haptic) experience, visitors can tour an ancient Greek house guided by the experienced staff of the "Hellenic Cosmos."
Scenario and Character Descriptions
Athens in 415 BC. The Peloponnesian War is ongoing, and 15 years of armed conflict with Sparta and its allies have preceded it. The city is in turmoil. The Athenians decide to send a large expeditionary force to Sicily to capture Syracuse. They believe that this will provide them with a stronghold against the Greek cities of Lower Italy.
You will be a guest at the house and workshop of Ergochari, a famous potter, where a small farewell party has been prepared for his son, Euthymachos, who will leave in a few days with the Athenian war fleet for Sicily. With them will be Perictione, wife of Ergochari and mother of Euthymachos. The three of them will be the hosts and virtual characters of the story.
Guests include the family of Apollonius, a dear friend of Ergochari and father of Euthymachos' best friend, Linus. Along with Apollonius and Linus are Antigone, the wife of Apollonius, and Melissa, the family's young daughter. Euthymachos has also invited the sophist Hippias, his teacher in rhetoric, philosophy, and mathematics.
In this experience, you will be one of the guests at Ergochari's house.
That is, each one of you will be one of:
- Apollonius
- Antigone
- Linus
- Melissa
- Hippias
The BRIDGES Project
The Foundation of the Hellenic World, as the first organization to use new technologies and Virtual Reality for the promotion and dissemination of culture, participated in the BRIDGES project (A hyBRID [physical-diGital) multi-user Extended reality platform as a stimulus for industry uptake of interactive interfaceS / Hybrid extended reality platform for multiple simultaneous users, as an incentive for the uptake of interactive interfaces in various fields).
The BRIDGES Solution is based on the Immersive Deck platform, developed by Illusion Walk and the Technical University of Vienna, which is further enhanced and evolved into a complete & ready tool with a wide range of applications that can serve as an incentive for the introduction of interactive technologies in various sectors.
BRIDGES in the Cultural Sector
Regarding the Cultural Sector, the eXtended Reality platform is already being tested at the «Hellenic Cosmos» Cultural Centre of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, where users can experience the multisensory (visual, auditory, and haptic) experience of "living" in an ancient Athenian house.
True to their mission of preserving cultural heritage and knowledge, modern museums are renewing and transforming from purely exhibition spaces into spaces of experience and exchange between cultural heritage and the public. The use of increasingly advanced technology meets the need of museums to expand their offerings and attract new audiences.
The use of XR technology allows a cultural institution to offer its visitors an immersive and highly educational experience. This is why the Foundation of the Hellenic World emphasized, when it opened its doors to Bridges, that it was important not only to support the technological development phases of the platform but also to work closely with developers to create a valid scenario, approved by historians, experts in Ancient Greece. Only in this way could visitors enjoy an immersive experience that also conveys culturally appropriate information.
The project was co-funded by the European Union under the "Horizon 2020" (Horizon 2020) Research and Innovation program, with coordinator Maggioli and partners:
Illusion Walk, Bolt Virtual Services and Productions, University of Athens, Technical University of Vienna, Fondazione Sistema Toscana, Athens International Airport, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH.
