Welcome to The Tholos, a new, uniquely immersive next generation ?living' museum. Utilising cutting edge virtual reality technology, The Tholos gives the spectator an informative and fun insight into ancient Athenian life. Once inside this architecturally striking dome, visitors are able to tour the ancient Agora and experience important moments in Classical, Hellenic and Roman history. The Tholos will both promote a better understanding of ancient Greek history and add to Athens' already impressive roster of tourist attractions.

The "Tholos" is the Foundation of the Hellenic World's (FHW) new dome-shaped Virtual Reality "Theatre" based in the cultural centre of "Hellenic World" on Pireos street. It is a building of progressive architectural design and unique technological infrastructure, which establishes a new era in the use of virtual multimedia for teaching purposes, whilst at the same time it preserves and promotes historical knowledge.

The digital shows hosted in the interactive programme have as a point of reference the "Agora" of ancient Athens (i.e. the ancient Greek market in Athens) and offer a novel approach in the educational process. With the aim of producing a scientifically valid representation of the Agora, the foundation has created a trilogy; "An interactive walk in the ancient Agora of Athens", "An act in the ancient Agora" and "Athens in the ancient Agora".

With production costs of 2 to 3 million each, the virtual projects take visitors back to the third century BC. Athens was at the peak of its cultural and financial prosperity at that time when philosophical ideas where flourishing and humanitarian values such as justice, equality and freedom of speech were first being conceived. The spectator has many ways of experiencing the virtual world. He is not only able to choose the next step but also to take part in fun activities designed for the younger audiences. Such games include giving a speech in front of fellow citizens of Athens and taking part in the election process or even being elected themselves! Having fun is as important as the educational attributes of these productions. The viewer can learn of how the principles of law and governance have been transformed from the ancient times to the present and how they are applied in modern Athens and other parts of the world.

The "Tholos" has a capacity of 130 people and its architectural characteristics, in particular the semi-spherical projection surface, are reminiscent of a planetarium. However, unlike a planetarium, the show is highly interactive. A plethora of alternative scenarios is offered, all based on the same virtual model, which can be controlled in real-time by visitors who can choose the next step of the navigation. In this way the whole experience becomes uniquely direct, flexible and dynamic, thus amplifying the viewers feeling of immersion into the virtual world. The financial cost of such productions is indeed high. There has been major funding assistance from both the EU an the National Bank of Greece.

Copyright (c) 2007 Jay Smith