Reading hieroglyphs with the help of virtual reality

Brent Davis, Associate Professor of Archaeology and Ancient Egyptian Studies in the Faculty of Arts, has been taking third year students through the Tomb of Nefertari for almost ten years.

Virtually, that is.

With the closure of the campus lab where the sessions were previously run, he found a new home for the VR experience in the refurbished Immersive Learning Lab on Bouverie Street run by Teaching and Learning Innovation.

Immersive Media Coordinator Ben Loveridge recently welcomed Associate Professor Davis to the lab, along with a group of students who are undertaking a two-year course in reading ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

A close up of Ancient Egyptian images on the walls of of the Tomb of Nefertari.
Close-up detail of artwork on the wall inside the Tomb of Nefertari VR experience.

They spent time exploring the Tomb of Nefertari and discussing the meaning of the 3200 year-old inscriptions on the walls.

Brett Davis describes the VR tour as an experiential learning opportunity for the students that is both engaging and fun.

"I bring the students to tour the tomb at the end of each of the four semesters of our Ancient Egyptian program," he said.

"Each time the students return to the tomb, they're so encouraged by how much more they can read. They absolutely love this experience."

A group of students wearing virtual reality goggles explore ancient Egyptian history in a lab, with screens reflecting what they see through the goggles.
Students collaborating to help decipher hieroglyphs in the Tomb of Nefertari VR experience.

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