Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport and Microsoft partner to digitally preserve ancient site of Olympia
Viewers from around the world can now participate in an impressively realistic trip to Ancient Olympia, as it stood in its glory, more than 2,000 years ago, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports has partnered with Microsoft to recreate Ancient Olympia via a mixed reality exhibition, “Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds” (Microsoft News Center, 2021).
This digital revival project allows viewers to explore the archeological site of Olympia through an immersive experience via an interactive mobile app, web-based desktop experience, or a Microsoft HoloLens 2 exhibition at the Athens Olympic Museum.
But how exactly did technology make this digital preservation possible? Through its AI for Cultural Heritage initiative, Microsoft partnered with tech company Iconem, which specializes in digitizing historic sites in 3D, to create the foundational model of Ancient Olympia. Using both on-the-ground cameras and drones to take hundreds of thousands of images of the site, Microsoft AI then processed the pictures to create models so precise, they render as photo-realistic.
In total, the project digitally preserves 27 monuments at the site, among them the original Olympic Stadium, the temples of Zeus and Hera, and the workshop of the renowned sculptor Phidias. In the 3D experience, these buildings are recreated in lifelike detail, painstakingly researched by the Hellenic Ministry’s expert archaeologists to be as true as possible to their original forms.
“Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds is a unique way of experiencing Greece’s proud cultural heritage. Visitors around the world can virtually visit the ancient site of Olympia and experience history firsthand using augmented reality technology,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of Greece.
Brad Smith, president and vice chair, Microsoft, said: “The project to digitally preserve ancient Olympia is a stunning achievement in cultural heritage, bringing together humanity and cutting-edge technology to benefit the world and empower coming generations with new ways to explore our past.”
The web experience can be viewed at olympiacommongrounds.gr, and the app can be downloaded on the iOS and Android app stores.
