App Shows How Ancient Greek Buildings Looked Thousand Years Ago
2023-10-16
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1If you visit the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, you will see the rocky grounds high above the city that include the famous ruins of the Parthenon.
2However, if you use a new app from Greece's culture ministry, you can see what the building and grounds looked like more than 2,000 years ago.
3The app lets visitors see the famous place in its true glory, with the bright colors and details it had in the past.
4Archaeologists and other historians worked to create digital images showing how the Acropolis looked when it was new.
5In the app, the Parthenon, for example, has its famous marble sculptures that are now at the British Museum in London.
6The app lets visitors see the sculptures where they used to be near the Parthenon. Greece wants Britain to return the sculptures.
7Experts say the app, called Chronos, is an example of how Artificial intelligence, or AI, technology is being used to tell the stories of the past.
8The technology that expands what people can see is called augmented reality or AR.
9Companies such as Meta and Apple are making big investments in apps and hardware that can bring the technology to more people.
10Maria Engberg recently wrote a book about the subject.
11She said most people will first experience augmented reality through their phones at places like the Acropolis.
12She said travelers will see the technology when they take tours.
13They will be able to see photos and videos as they walk around historic places. Engberg is a professor at Malmo University in Sweden.
14"I think we will see really interesting customer experiences in the next few years as more content from museums and archives becomes digitized," she said.
15The government and other groups are making investments in AR as more visitors come to Greece following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
16Visitors to Greece in the first half of 2023 increased by over 20 percent compared to 2022, bringing over $10 billion to the Greek economy.
17Microsoft worked with the Greek culture ministry to create a digital tour of Olympia, the home of the first Olympic Games.
18Lina Mendoni leads the agency.
19Earlier this year, she said the new technology lets "real visitors and virtual visitors anywhere around the world share historical knowledge."
20Cosmote is the Greek telecommunications company that worked on the Chronos app.
21Panayiotis Gabrielides of Cosmote said advanced smart phones and faster communications networks will permit visitors to "download even higher-quality content."
22He said more guides and features will be available soon.
23But for now, visitors can use Chronos to see how the Parthenon and other parts of the Acropolis once looked.
24I'm Dan Friedell.
1If you visit the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, you will see the rocky grounds high above the city that include the famous ruins of the Parthenon. 2However, if you use a new app from Greece's culture ministry, you can see what the building and grounds looked like more than 2,000 years ago. 3The app lets visitors see the famous place in its true glory, with the bright colors and details it had in the past. Archaeologists and other historians worked to create digital images showing how the Acropolis looked when it was new. 4In the app, the Parthenon, for example, has its famous marble sculptures that are now at the British Museum in London. The app lets visitors see the sculptures where they used to be near the Parthenon. Greece wants Britain to return the sculptures. 5Experts say the app, called Chronos, is an example of how Artificial intelligence, or AI, technology is being used to tell the stories of the past. 6The technology that expands what people can see is called augmented reality or AR. Companies such as Meta and Apple are making big investments in apps and hardware that can bring the technology to more people. 7Maria Engberg recently wrote a book about the subject. She said most people will first experience augmented reality through their phones at places like the Acropolis. 8She said travelers will see the technology when they take tours. They will be able to see photos and videos as they walk around historic places. Engberg is a professor at Malmo University in Sweden. 9"I think we will see really interesting customer experiences in the next few years as more content from museums and archives becomes digitized," she said. 10The government and other groups are making investments in AR as more visitors come to Greece following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Visitors to Greece in the first half of 2023 increased by over 20 percent compared to 2022, bringing over $10 billion to the Greek economy. 11Microsoft worked with the Greek culture ministry to create a digital tour of Olympia, the home of the first Olympic Games. Lina Mendoni leads the agency. Earlier this year, she said the new technology lets "real visitors and virtual visitors anywhere around the world share historical knowledge." 12Cosmote is the Greek telecommunications company that worked on the Chronos app. Panayiotis Gabrielides of Cosmote said advanced smart phones and faster communications networks will permit visitors to "download even higher-quality content." He said more guides and features will be available soon. 13But for now, visitors can use Chronos to see how the Parthenon and other parts of the Acropolis once looked. 14I'm Dan Friedell. 15Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 16________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18app -n. (application) a computer program that does a specific task often especially designed for a smart phone 19glory -n. a praiseworthy condition or state 20archaeologist -n. a scientist who studies the lives of ancient people 21marble -n. a kind of stone often used to decorate public buildings 22augmented reality -n. technology that adds to people's senses of what reality is 23hardware -n. (industry specific) the physical electronic devices that use software 24content -n. media such as writing, sound and pictures 25digitized -adj. something in electronic form that can be used by computers 26virtual -adj. existing on computers but not in the physical world 27We want to hear from you. Have you seen augmented reality used in other tourist locations?