Touring Virtually: The Virtual World Project
A view of ancient Jerash in Jordan, from the Virtual World ProjectLooking for a way to tour some fascinating archaeological sites but you're short on time and cash? Here is a viable option developed by Nicolae Roddy and Ronald Simkins of Creighton University: The "Virtual World Project". It is a web-based teaching and study tool that presents interactive virtual reality tours of the ancient world. Updated continuously, it is an ongoing project with a primary focus on the Levant. To date, many important archaeological sites in Israel and Jordan have been extensively photographed and graphically represented to allow the visitor to "walk" through the sites, many of which offer an audio component, as well. The real fun, however, is in the personal control the website user has to explore the area and features of the ancient sites. From a selected start point, you can choose your "walking" direction and pace and control the area of your visual scan. For most of us, for the present, this is as close as we are going to get to these places. Check it out, and happy touring! The Virtual World Project
