ARCHIVED - New technology changes the way we see the Roman world of Cartagena

Virtual reality goggles and tablets with augmented 3-D images bring Carthago Nova to life

Modern technology is changing the way in which we are able to view our world and in Cartagena the latest technology is now being used to bring the past to life and help visitors to immerse themselves fully in the Roman heritage of this important Mediterranean port.

Two of the monuments in Cartagena now offer reconstructive 3-D technology to help visitors better understand how the monuments which can be visited today were part of the everyday life of the Romans who sat in these same seats and walked along these same streets two thousand years ago.

The Roman Theatre Museum

Click for full information about visiting the Museo del Teatro Romano/ Roman Theatre Museum

Justifiably the most visited museum in the Region of Murcia, this impressive theatre was built at the end of the 1^st century BC, when Rome was at the height of its power under the reign of Augustus, the man who defeated Anthony and Cleopatra in battle and understood how to maintain control of a vast empire by creating a rigid social class structure and the skilled use of propaganda to maintain unchallenged order.

Settlements were built to honour and emulate Rome, monumental building projects encouraging competitive patronage amongst the wealthy and those currying social advancement, this magnificant theatre sporting finely carved column capitals testifying to the patronage of the Emperor himself. Inaugurated in 4BC it was also funded partly by his heirs apparent, step nephews Gaius and Lucius.

Gaius himself was certainly present at the inauguration of the theatre in 4BC, and this encouraged local merchants to pour money into the construction of not only this theatre but also the forum, ampitheatre, religious and social buildings, many of which still lie hidden beneath the feet of shoppers in the city centre.

More than six thousand people would have attended the spectacular performances inside the theatre, filling its 88 metre diameter seating area, which was divided into distinct sections denoting the social status of spectators, facing the 16 metre high stage set, decorated with 24 Corinthian columns made from white marble and sent to the site from Rome, protected from the sun by a huge awning which stretched above their heads.

Visitors today can sit in those same seats and imagine how vibrant the colours were, how it felt to be surrounded by fellow spectators and follow the cut and thrust of the action on the stage, the awning flapping in the sunlight and torches flaring as night fell.......or they can join a 3-D tour and experience it for themselves.

The tours follow the same basic format as a standard museum tour until participants reach the theatre itself and sit in front of the stage, donning their goggles and headsets. Simple controls set the action in motion and visitors are immersed into the past, the theatre forming around their heads and the past coming to life. It's an extraordinary experience, participants becoming totally immersed in this Roman world and understanding how it would have felt 2,000 years ago to have sat in that same seat when the pòwer of Rome was at its zenith and the theatre lived.

The controls of the headset are available in both English and Spanish, although at the moment the first part of the tour is only offered in Spanish. To prevent participants from attempting to wander around wearing the headsets, the goggles are only available for use in accompanied weekend tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 11.00, which must be pre-booked at a cost of 10 euros each. Groups should contact the museum management to arrange private tours.

Click here for online booking or call the Roman Theatre Museum Tel: 968 504802 or 968 500 093 

Click Cartagena what's on to see current tour times.

Barrio del Foro Romano (Roman Forum District)

This important area of the Roman city is still under excavation and lay in a commercial district, the semi-public buildings comprising a thermal spa complex dating from the 1st century AD, a building used for the celebration of religious banquets, the edificio del atrio, or atrium building, dating from the 1st century BC and a temple, as well as administrative rooms which were used for educational purposes.

Two features found within the remains stand out due to their good level of preservation: the pictoric cycles which decorated the banqueting halls of the atrium building and the floor of opus spicatum, a floor laid in the atrium building and the peristyle of the thermal baths using a herringbone design.

Walls of up to four metres in height can also be seen, along with several columns from the atrium building and peristyle of the baths which have been reconstructed using the original materials.

When in use the walls of the complex were highly coloured, the banqueting suites lavishly decorated and the temple imposing, all of which is now brought back to life using the augmented reality techniques of Greek company Moptil, who use experience gained working in sites such as the Acropolis of Athens  and the Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete to recreate the structure and decoration of the buildings which formerly stood in this location.

Visitors can walk around the monument with a portable tablet, choosing commentary from seven languages, and see how the baths functioned, watch a Roman banquet, and observe the religious rituals of the temple, all in vivid, moving colour.

The reconstructions have been produced in close collaboration with archaeologists based on the remains found on the site and specialists in Roman furnishings and decoration, ensuring that details are absolutely accurate and visitors are seeing a historically accurate interpretation of how the site would have been furnished 2,000 years ago.

It's amazing how these images bring the site to life, the view changing as users move their bodies, and move the tablet around the room, walking in amongst the doorways through the different areas of this excavation. 

It costs 5.50 euros to hire the tablet during a visit, in addition to the entry fee, and it's easy for a couple to share a tablet between them when walking around the site.

Information boards are all in dual languages, but it's also possible to rent an audioguide for 2.50€ in addition to the entry fee.

On Saturdays and Sundays in November and December of 2019 and January of 2020 guided tours with the tablets are run in the Barrio del Foro Romano at 12:00, lasting one and a half hours and costing 10 euros. Prior booking is required by calling 968 500 093 or online via this link

Click for further information about the Roman Forum District

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Click for further information in English about visiting Cartagena