Guest Editorial: Jot Ariston
In the field of Landscape Archaeology, there has been much writing on the topic of “place” and how it my differ from what we think of as “space.” Space may be measured mathematically and persist in absolute terms over time, e.g., as a 3D computer reconstruction used to generate perspective images mathematically. Place is more of a social construct that varies according to individual experience. Place is generated by “social practice” and changes moment to moment and can exist in the imagination without specific walls, floors or ceilings.
AncientWorlds began as a 3D model of the Ancient Roman Forum, a model that was used as the setting for a narrative. This narrative was experienced in isolation as each player of the online game S.P.Q.R. sought journals and clues to solve a mystery. As the bulletin board that accompanied the game, the Rostra, came to life, a whole new place was created. A place that was generated on-the-fly by the board participants. In many ways, this place-making was not mathematical but social. The rooms in which discussions and celebrations were held did not have measurements, but only actors, the members describing the place and interacting within the text on the board.
For many years, we have dreamt of combing the space of ancient cities and the place created by the community. The “Hoods” are the first step in this direction. By allowing people to create places with names in a geographical hierarchy, we initiated a system that could grow through the ongoing social practice of the community. However, the rigidity of the hierarchy, while conveying a sense of rootedness in the space of the Earth, does not have enough short-circuiting of the geographical metaphor to allow the sort of place-making we see on the regular boards.
The most obvious tool that is missing is a more comprehensive index to the boards of the Hoods. To remedy this, we will be constructing such indices at various levels in the geographical hierarchy this year. For example, on the page for Athens, you will be able to see a daily index of recent posts anywhere in the city and on which Property the post was made. You will also be able to see featured discussions. These indices are a little more complicated than the group indexes because of the structure of the Hoods, but they should not be to difficult to do.
We are also experimenting with 3D engines that are currently being developed by third-parties. In the past, these 3D environments have been to rudimentary or hard to use. But we are not far from being truly able to unite the space-making of archaeological reconstruction and the place-making that community members do in their everyday life in the site.
The community of AncientWorlds is one of the oldest online communities in existence. It will be interesting to see where this community may lead us over the next 10, 100 or even 1000 years, and at what point in its development we will be able to “walk around” our ancient sites, adding our own marks to them, building our own buildings and forming our own spatial society that brings the ancient world to life.
Germania's been busy working on all their Scandinavian 'hoods! Here is a good sample: 
As for Celtia, check out 
Finally, both Mongolia and Korea are being developed for Lunar Fest: check out the Khan's city of 
