Virtual and Augmented Reality Interfaces for 3D Mesopotamian Environments and Artefacts – A Survey

Abstract

This paper surveys twenty years of published works and implementations of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and 3D repositories relevant to ancient Mesopotamia. Results are sorted according to type, relevance to cuneiform, evaluation, and availability. Of the eleven published works and five applications that satisfied the inclusion criteria, only one involved immersive VR, seven were related to cuneiform, only two were open source and there was little reporting of evaluation. The paper explores the design, development, and evaluation challenges involved in the creation of immersive, educational, and engaging 3D, AR, and VR experiences and looks ahead to future opportunities such as AI-assisted content generation.