Ename: New Technologies Perpetuate the Past

Abstract

The archaeological site of Ename in Belgium is situated on the old frontier between the Kingdom of France and the German Empire. The site preserves the material world of medieval society, and intensive archaeological and historical research has revealed its exceptional richness. It was therefore decided to develop the site into an archaeological park, which would popularize archaeology, history and conservation with integrity, using an innovative museological approach and developing new presentation techniques. Dirk Callebaut is an archaeologist-historian who specializes in the Middle Ages, and a senior member of the Institute for the Archaeological Heritage of Flanders. His excavations include Petegem (Carolingian royal villa), Ghent (Gravensteen) and Ename, where he is project leader for the development of the archaeological park. John Sunderland is the designer of some of Europe's most popular historical and archaeological interpretive exhibitions and visitor centres, including the Jorvik Viking Centre in York and the White Cliffs Experience in Dover. For the last three years he has been working with the archaeological team at Ename, where he is responsible for the project design, and has recently formed an international company, TimeFrame Solutions, to provide on-site interpretation systems to archaeologists and others working in the field of cultural heritage management.

From Canaanites to Crusaders: The presentation of archaeological sites in Israel

“…5) by using onsite, nonintrusive virtual reality computer imaging to reconstruct these two monumental structures, their general setting and the period of Solomon and the Israelite kings. This technique was developed and pioneered at· Ename, an archaeological site located in East Flanders [4], and will be implemented at Megiddo within the framework of a cultural agreement between the Government of East Flanders and the Israel Nature Protection and National Parks Authority.…”

The virtual museum of sculpture

“…These activities may take place in the real site [7] [1] [10], on the web [30] or in virtual spaces purposely defined 1 [31] [26]. VR also makes it possible to provide an "enlarged" fruition by means of virtual galleries [35] which gather objects scattered all around the world in order to organize thematic exhibitions difficult or impossible to achieve in reality [21], or to grant access to artworks and sites unreachable, or anyhow difficult to reach [20] .…”