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Pergamon Altar makes digital debut

May 25, 2016

Visitors can explore every nook and cranny of the famous Pergamon Altar from the comfort of their own home, thanks to a project by the Frauenhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Iu6t
Bildergalerie Spuren der türkischen Kultur in Berlin
Image: Barış Coşku

The institute unveiled the altar's digital 3D version, the result of a highly complicated scan project that stitches together 580 million triangles to form the prized Hellenic artifact.

"With this project can one of the most important monuments of antiquity be experienced in a brand-new way," said Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which counts the altar as part of its inventory.

Dates for a planned exhibit at Berlin's Museum Island have not yet been decided on, but the model is now accessible on the museum's homepage.

The altar, stretching more than 30 metres wide, depicts the Greek gods in battle and dates to the first half of the second century BC. The huge marble work was brought from Turkey to Germany in the late 1800s and lends its name to the museum where it is housed, which attracts more than 1 million visitors annually.

The real-life Pergamon Altar is currently undergoing renovation work and will not be on display until at least 2023.

is/jf (dpa)