for the Historical Sciences The Institute for the Visualization of History 151 Bridges Road Williamstown MA 01267-2232 USA dsanders@vizin.org http://www.vizin.org Abstract: We who are in the business of creating digital surrogates of the ancient world in the discipline now known as Virtual Heritage pursue our re-creation goals because we see many benefits to visualizing the past interactively and in 3D. We understand that the past did not happen in 2D nor can it be effectively studied and taught as a series of disconnected static images that for the most part represent incomplete remains, regardless of how much text accompanies those images. But how do we convince the broader historical community that it is to their advantage to experience the ancient world as the ancients did? In the 21st century, where video-enabled iPods, GPS-enabled camera cell phones, wireless high-speed home networks, and laptops for almost every schoolchild are commonplace, it should not be difficult to convince a profession like archaeology, for example, whose use of imagery to supplement its textual descriptions is taken for granted, that interactive 3D environments are instructive not simply eye candy. I will discuss several projects that we have worked on lately that demonstrate new insights about the ancient world. The archaeologists who collaborate with us learn about their sites in ways otherwise impossible with traditional analytical tools. Only by seeing the ancient world in context, in 3D, and through the eyes of the ancient inhabitants can new understanding emerge. And with new understanding comes a new appreciation for the complexity of ancient cultures, lessons that can provide more relevance for the classroom, for the public, and for ourselves. Bio: Donald H. Sanders, PhD, received his training as an architect, architectural historian, and archaeologist. He is founder and president of the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc. Previously, he founded and became president of Learning Sites, Inc., a pioneer and still a leader with over a decade of innovation in the field of Virtual Heritage (VH). Sanders has supervised computer graphics visualizations of over two dozen archaeological sites and many interactive VH educational programs. He has been and continues to be an invited keynote speaker at VH conferences worldwide. |