Meteora and Its History
Meteora is one of the most culturally significant sites in Central Greece. It was added to Unesco’s World Heritage Sites List in 1988 (UNESCO, 2018). Meteora is a group of monasteries stationed on the top of naturally formed rock columns, which are quite striking to look at. One might say these are the equivalent of the ancient olive trees which can be found all over Greece; they take a substantial amount of time to form and are representative of the history of Greece and the resiliency of its people.
The complex has existed for over 600 years, thus making its history rife with significant events, emblematic and intrinsically tied with Greek and European history. In Meteora one can find many examples of Byzantine frescoes, which are wall paintings done on fresh layers of plaster, followed by another thing layer of plaster (The National Gallery, 2016). These types of paintings are history and culturally important as they are a major source of influence for many other countries’ art trends, such as in Medieval Italy, Russia, Bulgaria and many others (Nikolic, 2022). In addition, as a result of the occupation of Greece by many different third parties, other kinds of artistic influence can also be found in Meteora, such as Gothic and Baroque architectural patterns.This unique melding of cultures offers a unique opportunity for visitors to experience first-hand multiple cultures in one place, while also being exposed to the context of Greece’s history with other countries.
Meteora significance does not stop at culture however. Historically, Meteora has been a hotspot for significant events in Greece and Europe in general. From Hermits taking shelter in there during the Ottoman occupation of Greece to Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy invading Greece, Meteora has long been a bastion of the principles of Greece, while always providing shelter to those who need it, despite its relatively harsh environment.
Meteora’s Significance
As it should have become obvious by now, Meteora is a long established World Heritage Site, with immense historic and cultural significance. From being a deposit of hundreds of years of art, culture and history to being the home to unique flora and fauna, like Aspropera (a type of vulture) (Meteora Thrones Tourism Center, 2022), its loss would truly be devastating to Greece, Europe and the world as a whole. It would also significantly impact UN’s sustainable development goal 4, Quality education, by limiting or eliminating access to such an important deposit of knowledge. Losing Meteora, would mean the loss of important history, a significant impact to the surrounding ecosystem as well as a source of income for that area, as Meteora is a popular tourist destination.
The Threats and Sustainable Development Goals
As with many other heritage sites, Meteora is in grave danger and needs your help to persevere. With climate change comes an increased rate of extreme weather phenomena. These are one of the biggest culprits for the acceleration of monument degradation. The major rainfall and flooding incident of 2023 (Achilleas Kouremenos, 2023) should have served as a wake up call, however due to the current political and societal high tension environment, there are not many initiatives active at the time of writing, especially ones backed by the government.
Another factor that should be taken into account is unsustainable tourism practices. Rock climbing, trekking and hiking are popular amongst visitors, however education regarding safe and respectful practices when participating in such activities is lackluster in the best of cases. In fact, there are many tourists that do such activities without proper supervision, which can result in significant harm to the surrounding environment which can even become irreversible (Info Tourist Meteora, 2022).
The presence of Meteora has significantly furthered some of the UN’s Sustainable Development goals and its degradation will most certainly negatively impact them. The most obvious one is goal number 4 “Quality Education”. As discussed, Meteora is a big deposit for greek and european history and culture, which significantly contributes to out teaching of world history. Its loss would mean that younger generations could lose access to such vital information and thus be less knowledgeable about our world. The loss of its diverse ecosystem would impact goals 13, 14 and 15, namely “Climate Action”, “Life Below Water” and “Life on Land”. Should the ecosystem of Meteora be neglected and destroyed, the flora an fauna that reside within it would either go extinct or it would have to migrate, which is incredibly difficult and could tip the scales in their new habitat, which would ruin its balance. These facts, showcase how truly urgent and vital it truly is for Meteora to be protected and preserved.
Digital Preservation and The Exhibit
Although the aforementioned threats are considerable, digital preservation can help not only alleviate them but also enhance the site as a whole. Efforts in this area already exist, such as The Digital Projection Centre of Meteora’s History and Culture. Located in the nearby city of Kalabaka, the centre serves as a central spot for tourists to go to to educate themselves on the history and mythology of Meteora with the aid of 3D films (Visit Meteora, 2023). In addition, projects to 3D map the area of Meteora are also somewhat active, with a great example of this being a 2019 paper that produced the below image (Ioannidis et al., 2019).
The proposed exhibit incorporates aspects of all of these works, while extending them in order to educate and create urgency in its users for Meteora’s future and the threats that surround it. The project entails the creation of a simulation type 3D rendered short movie/environment, that represents the effects of extreme weather and human intervention on the world heritage site of Meteora. The user should be able to walk amongst the before and after version of meteora, or watch a short video transitioning between the two states, which would ensure maximum accessibility. For this purpose, the 3D theater in Kalabaka can be used, along with free availability for VR Headsets such as the ones made by Meta. The video of the transition can also be made available on platforms such as YouTube. For the purpose of demonstrating the impact of such an exhibit, two handcrafted 3D model prototypes were created, which can be seen below. This early version of the exhibit shows a before and after version of a monastery in Meteora, highlighting the impact of natural phenomena and human intervention without care, respect and foresight for repairs on the structure as well as the rock pillar itself.
Being exposed to such a sight, especially when refined and extended to include textures, sounds and a larger environment could be quite distressing hopefully highlighting the importance and urgency of preservation efforts, while also showcasing how technology can help in such an undertaking. Use digital tools can be immensely helpful in not only educating the general public but also spreading such information to a wider audience, which can in turn make acquiring funding a less strenuous process.
References
Achilleas Kouremenos (2023). Greek Professor: The Unprecedented Rainfall in Thessaly an Extreme Phenomenon – The National Herald. [online] The National Herald. Available at: https://www.thenationalherald.com/greek-professor-the-unprecedented-rainfall-in-thessaly-an-extreme-phenomenon/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2024].
Info Tourist Meteora (2022). Mountains Antihasia – Meteora – Infotourist Meteora. [online] Infotourist Meteora. Available at: https://www.infotouristmeteora.gr/main-menu/the-nature-of-the-area/protection-zones-biotopes/mountains-antihasia-meteora/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2024].
Ioannidis, C., Chryssy Potsiou, Soile, S. and Argyro Maria Βoutsi (2019). Geospatial Big Data Management for a Holistic Documentation of Complex Sites – The case of Meteora, Greece. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341482056_Geospatial_Big_Data_Management_for_a_Holistic_Documentation_of_Complex_Sites_-_The_case_of_Meteora_Greece?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6Il9kaXJlY3QiLCJwYWdlIjoiX2RpcmVjdCJ9fQ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2024].
Meteora Thrones Tourism Center (2022). The unique Flora and Fauna of Meteora – Meteora Thrones – Travel Center. [online] Meteora Thrones – Travel Center. Available at: https://meteora.com/unique-flora-fauna-meteora/#:~:text=In%20Antichasia%20Mountains%2C%20very%20close,bats%2C%20such%20as%20Tadarida%20teniotis. [Accessed 20 Feb. 2024].
Nikolic, D. (2022). How Medieval Byzantine Art Influenced Other Medieval States. [online] TheCollector. Available at: https://www.thecollector.com/how-medieval-byzantine-art-influenced-medieval-states/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2024].
The National Gallery (2016). Fresco | Glossary | National Gallery, London. [online] Nationalgallery.org.uk. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/fresco [Accessed 28 Apr. 2024].
UNESCO (2018). Meteora. [online] Unesco.org. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/455 [Accessed 27 Apr. 2024].
Un.org. (2015a). THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development. [online] Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals [Accessed 7 May 2024].
Visit Meteora. (2023). Visit Meteora. [online] Available at: https://visitmeteora.travel/meteora-history-and-culture-digital-projection-centre/ [Accessed 28 Apr. 2024].