The Virtual Reality Oracle
Deeply mapping the oracle of Zeus at Dodona
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23310641 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Esther Eidinow (0000-0003-3822-6024, University of Bristol, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Rethinking History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1364-2529 • E-ISSN: 1470-1154 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13642529.2026.2705664 |
| OpenAlex | W7171659994 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
‘The Virtual Reality Oracle: Deeply Mapping the Oracle of Zeus at Dodona’ presents the development and creation of the Virtual Reality Oracle (VRO), a VR experience of visiting the ancient Greek oracle of Zeus, at Dodona, in NW Greece, on June 7th, 465 BCE. Challenging the metaphor of time travel as an accurate description of what the VRO offers its users, this essay investigates how we might better understand the nature and genre of such experiences. It draws on three different theoretical approaches: Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopias, which was initially an approach to historical spaces, and Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of chronotopes, a literary analytical device, before turning to the theory/process of ‘deep mapping’ as used, in particular, by Mike Pearson and Michael Shanks. It argues that this approach may offer a deeper under30standing of the nature of the experience of the VRO, and of the idea of time travel in this context – suggesting that users are themselves engaged in a process of creation of the past.
Augmented reality · History of computing · Oracle · Virtual reality · ZEUS (particle detector) · Byzantine Studies and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |