Greece’s ancient island of Delos, once a hub of Greek civilization, trade, and religion in the Aegean Sea, has been revived through the new augmented reality application named CirculAR.
Designed to combine the assets of archaeology with cutting-edge technology, the app offers its users a virtual reconstruction of the island’s monuments, giving them the chance to experience Delos as it might have looked thousands of years ago.
CirculAR was developed within the European project APSIM, coordinated by the I-SENSE research group of the ICCS at the National Technical University of Athens (ΕΜΠ).
The partnership includes the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, the Department of History and Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Epigraphic Museum of Athens, and private-sector partners Geoanalysis SA and Comic IKE. The initiative is part of Greece’s “Research–Create–Innovate” program, co-funded by the European Union.
By scanning the site with a smartphone or tablet, users can view 3D models of key landmarks such as the Temple of Apollo, the Stoa of the Naxians, the Propylaea and the Terrace of the Lions. These reconstructions, based on verified archaeological data, allow the visitor to rotate, zoom in on, and explore the monuments in detail. The experience transforms a passive walk through ruins into an interactive journey through time.
“Through this app, you don’t just see stones or foundations; you see stories, architecture and human life,” said Dr. Angelos Amditis, project coordinator and research and development director at ICCS/NTUA, speaking with state-run news agency AMNA. He described CirculAR as “a bridge across time that carries the past into the present and the present into the future,” enhancing both the tangible and intangible dimensions of history.
The platform can also turn visits into discovery games. Using smartphone cameras, sensors, and spatial algorithms, CirculAR analyses the landscape and overlays digital models exactly where the original monuments once stood. According to Dr. Tina Katika, head of the XR department at I-SENSE, this process allows users to “connect emotionally with the monument, turning historical memory into personal experience.”
Beyond Delos, the application also includes other archaeological sites, such as the Basilica of Dion in Pieria and the Arsenal of Philo in Athens, the latter reconstructed from a surviving 4th-century BC inscription held at the Epigraphic Museum. Future updates aim to expand the virtual network to additional Greek heritage sites, offering a broader spectrum of locations, monuments, and sites.
