This project explores the lived reality of ancient religious traditions through digital technology, focusing specifically on the Temple of Baˁlu at Late Bronze Age Ugarit (modern-day Ras Shamra, Syria). While textual descriptions and standard illustrations often leave the spatial experience of ancient rituals to the imagination, this project aims to bridge that gap using 3D reconstruction and interactive Virtual Reality (VR).
The Temple of Baˁlu was a dominant monument towering over the city, situated at the highest point of the tell (see the "TB" on the map). This digital initiative focuses on the temple's second and final architectural phase at the end of the Late Bronze Age, which ended with the city's destruction around 1190 BCE. By immersing users in this ancient space, the project allows for a dynamic experiment with the environment, helping researchers and the public to explore some aspects of the ancient reality and experiment with the spatial setting. The VR scene contains interactive elements, some explanatory, other enabling interaction with scene and objects.
For a more detailed description of the structure and the process of its reconstruction, see, e.g., my previously published 3D reconstruction of the temple. In general, this project is primarily based on the detailed research and archaeological reports of Olivier Callot (Les sanctuaires de l’acropole d’Ougarit: les temples de Baal et de Dagan, RSO XIX). In the scene, several stelae are textured with images from Louvre collections.
Reconstructing ancient architecture is inherently hypothetical. Because the archaeological remains are deteriorated and interpretations vary, the project acknowledges multiple reconstruction possibilities.
Users can explore different scholarly theories within the virtual environment. For instance, while the consensus views the temple as a multi-storied "tower temple," the reconstruction allows for interaction with variants, such as a single-story structure. Additionally, the VR experience permits experimentation with architectural details that remain speculative, such as the the texture of the façade (e.g., white plaster vs. muddy plaster) or the potential "open roof" as Callot interprets a poetic description in the Baˁlu Cycle.
The visualization was created using a workflow combining open-source modeling tool and game engine. Blender was used to model the 3D assets, ranging from the temple architecture to smaller objects filling the space. The scene was then assembled and made interactive using Unreal Engine. Below, you can watch a recording of the interactive scene.
To install the application on your VR device (so far, it has been tested only on Meta Oculus 3), follow the standard procedure for installing APK files on your device. Usually, this requires enabling installation from unknown sources in your device settings or using developer mode. You can download the VR app in ZIP at Zenodo: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18098547
While some versions of this VR app has already been published, this project is ongoing, with continuous updates and improvements planned to enhance the accuracy and interactivity of the virtual reconstruction. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
In the scene, following images from the Louvre collections are used as textures on several stelae:
Two other stelae (Stela of ˁAnatu and Baal au cartouche) have been modelled and textured based on figures from Marguerite Yon's 1991 ‘Les Stèles de Pierre’ (In Arts et Industries de La Pierre = RSO VI).
CALLOT, Olivier 2011. Les sanctuaires de l’acropole d’Ougarit, Les temples de Baal et de Dagan. RSO XIX. Lyon: Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée.
VÁLEK, František 2023. Life, Society, and Politics in Relation to Religion at Ugarit in the Late Bronze Age. PhD Thesis. Prague: Charles University
YON, Marguerite 2006. The City of Ugarit at Tell Ras Shamra. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns.
