For Historical Publication:

For Virtual Reality Exploration:

This image represents a large-scale reconstruction of the entire Great Temple Precinct, located in the ancient Nabataean city called Petra in Jordan.  The model was built by Eileen Vote¹ in collaboration with lead archaeologist Martha Sharp Joukowsky² and the architectural historian Judith McKenzie³.

The reconstruction was carefully generated using data captured by archaeologists working in the field, team surveyors armed with a total station and other technical means of field data acquisition such as photogrammetry and ground-penetrating radar.

It is important to note that a reconstruction such as this represents a "proposed solution" using scholarly methods of observation and analysis of in situ findings and comprehensive comparative research.

The test model of the Great Temple site is one that has evolved over the last year and a half.  This model was meant to run in an Immersive Virtual Environment such as the Cave.  After Eileen Vote built the first working version, she and Daniel Acevedo began testing it.  One of the first things learned was that, to increase the frame rate, we would have to decrease the polygon count and change the way textures were running.  Early users typically responded with complaints about navigation.

We have several research objectives that we are focusing on now:  speed, texture mapping, interaction in the system, user-interface and data visualization.

The first model represented a basic massing reconstruction of the whole Temple and Theatron.  Now we are using an in situ model (see system design) which shows what the site looks like now, after excavation.  Although we are generally interested in allowing archaeologists and architectural historians explore a virtual reconstruction of the site, we all agree that using real data is far more compelling and relevant.

see: System Design and System Implementation.

    
The images above show close-up of the reconstructed edifice with column capitals and interior details (left) and a section of lower temenos with exedra (right).

     
These images represent our first attempt at showing what the building and site looked like around 100 A.D.  The colors and textures were designed to be vibrant so that they would look more saturated in the Cave.  Aerial shot of the Temple on the  (left) and interior shot on the (right) looking out from the Theatron into the Lower Temenos and Roman Road.