Pioneering app makes a 3D reconstruction of the history of the Iberian citadel of Calafell
Researchers from the University of Barcelona have created an app that makes a 3D reconstruction of the Iberian citadel of Calafell (Tarragona), dated at 2,500 years ago. The app Calafell Open Air Museum uses augmented reality technologies and takes profit of virtual reality to show how this settlement was at different moments throughout its history (from sixth to third centuries BC). It is a free app developed by the Research Group Teaching and Learning of History, Geography and Other Social Sciences (DHIGECS) of the University of Barcelona, led by Joan Santacana, lecturer in the Department of Teacher Training in Social Sciences. The app has been produced by the company Digit.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona have created an app that makes a 3D reconstruction of the Iberian citadel of Calafell (Tarragona), dated at 2,500 years ago. The app Calafell Open Air Museum uses augmented reality technologies and takes profit of virtual reality to show how this settlement was at different moments throughout its history (from sixth to third centuries BC). It is a free app developed by the Research Group Teaching and Learning of History, Geography and Other Social Sciences (DHIGECS) of the University of Barcelona, led by Joan Santacana, lecturer in the Department of Teacher Training in Social Sciences. The app has been produced by the company Digit.
A tool for a pioneering museum
The citadel of Calafell is the only Spanish archaeological site which has been reconstructed in situ, so it is considered a reconstruction archaeology model. Calafellʼs open air museum has used the information obtained from excavation works —led by Joan Santacana between 1983 and 1993— to rebuild houses, interiors and walls.
The app shows the evolution of the Iberian settlement
The settlement of Iberian Cessetani tribe in Calafell began in the 6th century BC and ended in the 3rd century BC when Romans arrived. “A long-term site like this does not keep always the same characteristics”, explains Joan Santacana. “Thus —he points out—, when a reconstruction is made a moment has to be chosen. But now, digital technologies enable to recreate several phases and show the evolution of the citadel”.
Virtual images illustrate how the citadel was in the 6th century BC and in the 3rd. When the visitor is in siteʼs surroundings, the app geo-localize the user and alerts that he or she is in one of the six informative points that compose the virtual itinerary. When the camera focuses each signalled point, the app plays a video that shows how the citadel was at the beginning and the end of its history.
The difference between hypotheses and historical truths
A characteristic of these videos is that they use colours to differentiate those parts which are known for sure from those which are hypotheses that remained unproved. For instance, the app indicates that an area might have hosted a square or a group of houses but there is not enough proof to indicate the correct one. “In this sense, it is a very honest app if we compare it with most digital apps that show true reconstruction but do not differentiate historical truths from hypotheses”, says Victoria López, researcher at the UB.
Next step: an app about Barcelona
This type of app is intended to be used in open air archaeological sites. In fact, the research group has already received some requests to adapt the tool to other archaeological sites. The research group will be next working on a project to develop an app that transfers this pedagogical view to urban heritage, to be exact to the ancient city of Barcelona. The app, which is now being developed, will be presented in some months.
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