Virtual Heritage: Researching and Visualizing the Past in 3D

The approaches and technologies of virtual heritage provide archaeologists, researchers, and students with the ability to "see" and understand the past interactively and in 3D , just as the past happened. The results of various projects underscore the new insights into the past that inevitably result from virtual reality re-creations of ancient sites, buildings, and artifacts. Interactive 3D virtual worlds offer many advantages over traditional 2D -based media. By collecting, integrating, and visualizing field data digitally, in 3D , and in a single software toolkit, excavations can participate in the coming paradigm shift in archaeology. This change in how the discipline works is exemplified by REVEAL, a new software system that is already having an impact on dozens of excavations around the world.