Karanis
The story of a Greco-Roman agricultural town in Fayoum, Egypt, is told by the place that witnessed the stories of its inhabitants. The Reviving Karanis in 3D project presents a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of one of the mud-brick houses in the town of Karanis, known today as Kom Aushim in Fayoum(about 81 miles from Cairo). The project includes a spatial storytelling scenario that reveals the story of the house inhabitants.
The immersive virtual model re-unites the daily-life objects from the Karanis collection at the Kelsey Museum of Archeology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, in its original setting. That is done through creating 3D photogrammetric models of selected daily life objects, including pottery, lamp holders, baskets, jewelry boxes, and reading tables. The project also included a virtual reconstruction of several furniture pieces, including tables, stools, and beds, based on the furniture woodworking methods applied during this period.
The 3D virtual reconstruction of Karanis house helped discover new realities about the built environment. The model acts as a spatial storyteller of social events and daily life scenarios and reveals how the inhabitants used to interact with the spaces over extended periods, which fosters our communication with the past.
Reviving Karanis in 3D project educates a broader audience about the ancient site through educational classrooms and museum galleries. For example, the project is currently been used as part of the History of Interior Design course curriculum at the interior design program, School of Architecture +Design. The interactive, immersive 3D virtual experience allows the students to walk through and explore the built environment to get a sense of its dimensions and proportions and learn about building materials, construction methods, architectural styles, and decorative elements.