At Olympia, the birthplace of modern democracy and the Olympics, The Statue of Zeus once stood 41 feet high.
The Statue is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the seated king of the Greek gods decorated with gold and ivory.
Made by the Greek sculptor Phidias, it is said that the lofty statue was a sight to behold. But alas, the statue is no more. It has long disappeared from the site it once stood. Now it only exists in artistic renderings and the imagination.
But then, Microsoft and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports unveiled “Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds.” An experience that is multi-sensory and immersive, that recreates ancient Olympia and allows audiences the world over to explore the site as it was 2,000 years ago.
Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, Extended Reality, and Augmented Reality, visitors can now see the historic site of the first Olympic Stadium and the towering statue in all its exalted majesty.
The large-scale experience incorporates an in-person exhibit at the Athens Olympic Museum, featuring a mesmerizing tour, making use of Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, an interactive AR app.
The plan for the project, the first of its kind for Microsoft, was overseen by A_DA, an NYC-based experience innovation, and design agency.
27 monuments on the site are digitally preserved by the project, including the temples of Zeus and Hera, the original Olympic Stadium, and the workshop of the famed sculptor Phidias. The visitors can tour the site remotely by an AR-enabled application.
The visitors can explore the historic Olympic Games for five days of activity and contribute their thoughts about the games with audio and text. Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 headset will allow them to enhance their gallery experience at the Athens Olympic Museum.
To create this immersive experience, thousands of images of the site were taken which A_DA used to create a model of Ancient Olympia. These images were then processed by Microsoft AI Technology to create incredibly realistic 3D renditions. The entire project took 18 months to complete with close cooperation with the Hellenic Ministry’s archeological team.
To view the web experience go to olympiacommongrounds.gr. The app can be downloaded on iOS and Android app stores.
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