Ancient Olympia: A Digital Revival with Historical Accuracy

An online virtual tour of Ancient Olympia, created by the Foundation of the Hellenic World, brings the sanctuary back to life with detailed accuracy.


The Foundation of the Hellenic World (FHW) presents an exciting digital tour of the sacred site of Ancient Olympia, with the support and development of Virtual-Augmented-Extended Reality applications and within the framework of the actions of the XRCosmos program.

With extraordinary historical accuracy, documentation and impressive three-dimensional images, the public will have the opportunity to discover the ancient sanctuary and the events of the Olympic Games from their computer, tablet or mobile phone.

 

The “Tour of Ancient Olympia” was created by a multidisciplinary team of FHW’s collaborators, both as an educational-recreational tool, as well as an instrument of historical research, simulation and reconstruction.

Virtual tour

Monuments and sacred buildings come to life, giving visitors the opportunity to partake in the events and rituals of the Olympic Games and travel the long history of the ancient site. Visitors can explore 48 different spots around Ancient Olympia, discovering in the most fascinating way detailed information about 75 different buildings and monuments.

Users will be able to visit the temple of Zeus, a model of Doric temple architecture with marvelous sculptural decoration, the Heraion, the oldest monumental building at the sanctuary, dedicated to the goddess Hera, the Gymnasium, which was used as a training area for runners, javelin and discus throwers, the Palaestra, where wrestlers, jumpers and boxers trained, the Bouleuterion, where athletes and judges took an oath to abide by the rules of the Games, the Stadium, where most of the events were held, as well as the workshop of Pheidias, in which they can also watch the creation of the statue of Zeus, and then completed in the Temple.

Since its foundation, the Foundation of the Hellenic World has been linking the history and culture of Greece with technology and innovation, utilizing its experience, knowledge, international reach and technological infrastructure.

On March 21, 1998, the Cultural Center “Hellenic Cosmos” of FHW officially opened its gates to the public. In these twenty-four years, Hellenic Cosmos has welcomed millions of visitors from around Greece and abroad. Its work is multifaceted and includes more than 100 research and digital activities and over 400 educational programs for children, parents and teachers. 25 Virtual Reality productions have been presented in the Tholos, while outside Hellenic Cosmos, FHW has implemented 6 modern digital museums in Athens and the surround area. At the same time, more than 90 theatrical, dance and musical performances have been staged at the Theatron since 2008.

Source: ANA – MPA

This article was previously published in Greek at kathimerini.gr.



Read More

Archaeology

Digital App Brings Acropolis Monuments Back to Life

The new Chronos app, which uses augmented reality to produce...


Activities

Experience the Spirit of the Tour de France at Ancient Olympia

Register for the 1st edition of the L’Étape Greece and...


Parthenon Marbles

Robot to Carve Exact Copies of the Parthenon Marbles

The Oxford Institute for Digital Archaeology aspires to create copies...