The project
With the project “Digital Services for Monuments,” the Region of Epirus, in close collaboration with the local Ephorates of Antiquities of Arta, Thesprotia, Ioannina, and Preveza, is developing the necessary infrastructure in digital applications, combined with attractive and well-documented multimedia content, to implement a unified, modern ecosystem of digital experiences for the “Cultural Route of the Ancient Theatres of Epirus.”
The goal of this initiative is to offer both residents and visitors—whether on-site or online—rich, accessible, and engaging tours of the five ancient theatres of Epirus: Dodoni, Nikopolis, Kassope, Ambrakia, and Gitana, as well as of related points of interest along the route.
At the heart of the project lies a series of augmented reality (AR) digital tours for smart mobile devices (iOS and Android). These applications are available for free, activated on-site at the monuments, and make use of the advanced features of modern devices to provide visitors with an immersive touring experience. Through the available applications, four digital characters—an archaeologist, an ancient man, an ancient woman, and a small robot for children—welcome the visitor and, accompanying them along the route, present the corresponding content at each designated stop within the archaeological sites.
These characters differ in tone and depth of information, allowing users to choose the mode of tour that best suits them. Each one brings to life, both visually and narratively, an imagined modern or historical figure associated with the site, who, from their own perspective, presents the key cultural and social elements of their era.
Furthermore, on the user’s screen, 3D reconstructions of the monuments’ structures, as they appeared in antiquity, are superimposed on the live camera view, digitally positioned in their actual locations. Thus, by using cutting-edge technology, visitors can simultaneously enjoy a powerful, immersive experience of the site and gain a visual sense of the ancient grandeur of the monuments during their prime.
It is worth noting that the 3D models of these reconstructions were developed under the continuous supervision and curation of the staff of the relevant Ephorates of Antiquities, ensuring that they faithfully reflect the latest findings of the corresponding archaeological research—endowing the implementation with not only practical but also scientific value.
A digital tour application has also been developed for the entire cultural route connecting the ancient theatres. This application allows users to intelligently visualize nearby points of interest on the map according to their current location, combined with dynamic playback of narratives as they pass by or approach these points.
However, the Ancient Theatres of Epirus remain the true protagonists of the project—and not by chance. They are not only major monuments; for centuries, they were centers of public life, places of education, worship, and social gathering. Through digital tours, the project aims to reconnect the public with this cultural wealth, highlighting the past in a comprehensible, experiential, and engaging way—especially for younger generations who expect interactivity and multimodal media.
The project was co-financed by Greece and the European Union under the Operational Program “Epirus 2014–2020,” from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national resources.
