A Virtual Reality Archaeological Framework for the Investigation and Interpretation of Ancient Landscapes

Virtual Reality is gaining momentum and widespread popularity in the field of archaeology in order to support research, education, preservation and reconstruction of sites and objects of cultural, heritage and religious significance. The recent emergence of the Virtual Heritage Network has also promoted the use of VR and associated multimedia technologies in the field of natural and cultural heritage. In view of this, a framework is being constructed to assist archaeologists in the visualization, simulation and exploration of ancient landscapes that are otherwise inaccessible. This paper presents the early results of a 3D reconstruction of a true Mesolithic landscape in the years 10,000 – 7,000 B.P., based on real geo-seismic datasets gathered from the North Sea, structured according to a new, proposed framework for visualization and simulation in cultural heritage.