e-HOE
Thessaloniki in the Age of Galerius: bringing a great period of the city's history to life, based on multidisciplinary research and state-of-the-art technologies

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Building on recent advances in 3D scanning and virtual reality technologies, the e-HOE project aims at developing innovative tools for the diagnostics, conservation, documentation and showcase of monuments and objects of the Galerius Palace Complex, the most emblematic complex of ancient buildings in Thessaloniki, which includes monuments such as the Rotonda, the Arch of Galerious (Kamara) and the Hippodrome, as well as virtually connecting the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki with the Palace Complex. The e-HOE tools will provide the base for offering a novel multi-dimensional cultural experience highlighting two different dimensions, the historical/experiential one and the scientific/archaeological one, through cultural tours in the city.

Museum visits and Complex tours will be enriched via augmented and virtual reality, thus, transferring the visitor in a "vivid" virtual past, where the buildings of the Palace Complex, objects from the Museum and citizens of the Galerius era will be involved in realistic everyday scenes of the past, offering valuable insights into the historical, social, economical and political reality of that era. In addition, the cultural tours will highlight the scientific dimension of archaeology, focusing on the diagnostics, conservation and documentation of the Galerius Palace Complex and its excavation findings. This dimension will be showcased through open labs, which will allow visitors to experience the work of restorers not only through immersion in virtual museum labs but also through the real use of digitally printed objects, accurate copies of original archaeological objects. The cultural tours will be supported by mobile phone apps. The e-HOE tools will be integrated in the services offered by the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki Region and will be evaluated by groups of citizens.

PROJECT ID

 CONSORTIUM

1. Εθνικό Κέντρο Έρευνας και Τεχνολογικής Ανάπτυξης - Ινστιτούτο Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών - Εργαστήριο Γνώσης, Πολυμέσων και Κοινωνικών Δικτύων (Συντονιστής)
2. Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Θεσσαλονίκης
3. Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Πόλης Θεσσαλονίκης
4. Διεθνές Πανεπιστήμιο της Ελλάδος
5. ARX.NET

Επιστημονικός υπεύθυνος έργου: Κομπατσιάρης Ιωάννης, Ερευνητής Βαθμίδας Α', ΙΠΤΗΛ-ΕΚΕΤΑ