Abstract
Abstract The temple of Epikourean Apollo in Bassae has long been suspected to have been constructed with astronomical considerations, aimed at influencing ancient religious experience. The study presented here involves the use of Virtual Reality software to reconstruct the temple in its original position and orientation, combined with an accurate reconstruction of the sun’s position during the Classical period. The aim is to test the hypothesis of deliberate solar considerations associated with the temple’s east entrance. The reconstruction also discusses the application of Virtual Reality Models (VRM) and their potential impact on understanding ancient spatial movement and memory, emotionality and cognition. In addition, it explores the possibility of ancient natural light manipulation in enhancing experience of religious architecture. This paper not only presents the first VRM of Apollo’s temple, but also a model with an accurate reconstruction of the sun’s position at specific moments in the year. The importance of such reconstructions in understanding religious experience is exemplified. A great deal is revealed about the proposed solar effect in relation to human observation, and the connotations of such an effect in specific religious contexts. This study could facilitate discussion on the contribution of digital technology in understanding ancient Greek ritual experience.
Highlights
IntroductionOur analyses of ancient landscapes and ritual spaces very often confine themselves in the boundaries of bi-dimensional plans, photographs and maps
We tend to investigate ancient sites from above
Our analyses of ancient landscapes and ritual spaces very often confine themselves in the boundaries of bi-dimensional plans, photographs and maps. Even in those cases where 3D reconstructions are generated, or other forms of digital technology are employed such as photogrammetry, GIS, or even Virtual Reality Modelling (VRM), our reconstructions consistently miss out one third of the visible natural environment, which in our daily lives is ever present: the sky
Summary
Our analyses of ancient landscapes and ritual spaces very often confine themselves in the boundaries of bi-dimensional plans, photographs and maps. Even in those cases where 3D reconstructions are generated, or other forms of digital technology are employed such as photogrammetry, GIS, or even Virtual Reality Modelling (VRM), our reconstructions consistently miss out one third of the visible natural environment, which in our daily lives is ever present: the sky. Tall skylines obstruct visibility of the sky; but who could disagree that the season, or time in the day or night is exclusively responsible for shaping our experience of natural places, even architecture, in the absence of artificial light?
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