Wiltshire is now on the virtual map, as Heritage Key have just unveiled a 3D virtual Stonehenge web experience. Heritage Key is an online community aimed at those with an interest in history and culture. The site combines content such as podcasts, YouTube videos and news articles with an online 3D virtual experience. Key features of the virtual experience include the chance to explore Stonehenge as it once stood over four thousand years ago in a dynamic living environment filled with wildlife and where the sun rises and sets. You can also visit the nearby Neolithic settlement of Durrington Walls and interact with the people of the time, as well as take part in an ancient sunset ritual. Continuing the interactive experience, you will also be able to discuss your experience with other visitors in Heritage Key's virtual visitor centre.
     Jonathan Himoff, CEO of online virtual environment company Rezzable, says: "Heritage Key is bringing this story to life through our virtual experience, as well as the varied media resources available online to complement it. In reality, Stonehenge is now fenced off from the public to protect the site from over-tourism. Not only can Heritage Key's virtual experience allow you to wander amongst the stones, we can also take visitors back in time to when the site was first built."
The Stonehenge virtual experience is being launched as part of Heritage Key's Ancient World in London festival, a series of online and real-world events celebrating the ancient world that is just underneath the skin of modern Britain. To find out more information, and to sample the Stonehenge 3D experience, visit the Heritage Key website at www.heritage-key.com.

Source: BBC News (24 February 2010)