(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
In 1992, Neal Stephenson published the science fiction novel “Snow Crash.” The author writes about the Metaverse, a collective virtual shared space accessed through virtual reality terminals. In Archaeological Simulation, users can live in that Metaverse, experience the simulation all together and export their thoughts directly to the archaeological debate. According to Nick Bostrom, unless we are now living in a simulation, our descendants will almost certainly never run an ancestor‐simulation. It is clear that the next step in the creation of these Metaverses will be the merging of 3D GIS and game platforms, making simulations more and more realistic. As digital social networks, these will have the potential for promoting effective innovation scenarios in the areas of archaeological research and cyberarchaeology. The following article suggests that creativity in the development of 3D interpretations allows the researcher to explore an interstitial space where different times blend. The significance of Virtual Reality studies and projects amid Covid-19 pandemic has gained increased visibility as big tech companies like Facebook (now Meta) and Microsoft started investing in new Metaverse-like platforms. This text presents the theoretical bases for the ongoing Archaeological Simulation project and some theoretical queries that can be responded by cyberarchaeology and its multidisciplinary research. I suggest that these technologies should be used, not only by researchers to simulate time traveling and (re)think about their contemporary prejudices, but by museums for the public experience as well. It will be given an example of an archaeological site in Portugal that was (re)constructed in a gaming platform, and the impact of that experience during the research of that proto-historical site of Romariz.
PhD candidate in Archaeology at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra and researcher with a FCT scholarship at the Center for Studies in Archeology, Arts and Heritage (CEAACP). Has a degree and a master’s degree in Archaeology from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto. With works and publications within the scope of the development of new mechanisms for transmitting historical and scientific content to the general public in the museum context, namely through the use of new technologies to develop interpretive models and artistic installations for the exhibition of archaeological knowledge. Collaborated with the administrative services of the Serralves Foundation and has already had the support of several institutions to develop his projects and research as a freelancer, including the Transdisciplinary Research Center «Culture, Space and Memory» (CITCEM), the Santa Maria da Feira City Council, the Cultural Association ‘Voltado a Poente’, the Convento dos Lóios Museum and the German Archaeological Institute of Madrid.