Virtual Acropolis. Digital Recreation of a Sicilian Archaic Sanctuary

This paper deals with a project of virtual reconstruction of an entire archaeological site, the Sicilian Archaic sanctuary on the acropolis of Polizzello Mountain. This research program, called ’Virtual Acropolis’ has been developed in order to allow the experience of visiting an interactive and immersive 3D environments reconstructed in all and set in a realistic landscape. A visit that in the reality is currently impossible due to the still ongoing restoration works. For improving the archaeologist’s hypotheses about rituals and performances that were carried out in the sanctuary, all votive objects and offerings were digitally recreated and located in their original position and an avatar of a worshipper was implemented within the interactive model in order to directly experience, thanks to the archaeological and literary sources collected, how was one ordinary day in an Archaic sanctuary. Furthermore, the application of this technique represents the more recent frontier in the policies aimed to promotion of cultural and archaeological heritage