Thanks to state-of-the-art virtual reality technology, visitors can explore a specially developed virtual museum. The role that money played in the life of the Apostle Paul comes to life in a playful way through interactive encounters with avatars and detailed 3D models of ancient coins. The ancient coins from the collection of the Tübingen Institute for Classical Archaeology are integrated into the virtual environment as high-resolution 3D models, which visitors can immerse themselves in using VR headsets. In Jena, visitors can also hold scientific replicas of the coins in their hands, allowing them to experience them tactilely. This exhibition was curated by the Collaborative Research Center 1391 “Other Aesthetics” at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen under the direction of Prof. Dr. Stefan Krmnicek and is now being presented in Jena as a traveling exhibition in cooperation with the Digital Humanities master’s program. The technical implementation was carried out by Tübingen-based developer Luca Dreiling.
Guided Tour/Presentation at 7:00 p.m.: “An Ancient Wonder of the World Within Reach—The Artemision of Ephesus”
In addition to ancient coins, the virtual reality exhibition features a modern architectural model of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Since only a few remnants of this structure remain today, visitors can use virtual reality to gain a firsthand impression of the splendor and enormous size of this temple—something that is no longer possible on-site in this form. In addition, objects from the Jena Collections of Antiquities that originate from Ephesus or are closely associated with this site will be on display.
Guided Tour/Presentation at 9:00 p.m.: “Images in Relief—Exploring and Sharing Ancient Coins”
The Chair of Classical Archaeology at the University of Jena possesses a large collection of ancient Greek and Roman coins. In this presentation, visitors will gain insight into numismatics and the diverse scholarly work involving ancient coins through the University of Jena’s Academic Coin Cabinet.
