Abstract
This paper presents the development of an interactive virtual reality reconstruction of Stonehenge across four distinct historical periods — c.3000 BCE, c.2500 BCE, the later Bronze Age phase of peak ceremonial use, and the contemporary monument — designed simultaneously as a precision astronomical research instrument and a practice-led pedagogical project. Produced by undergraduate students at the University for the Creative Arts Farnham within a twelve-week industry-structured production cycle, the project integrates LiDAR scanning, Gaussian Splatting workflows, real-time astronomical simulation, and interactive VR environment design. Crucially, the reconstruction enables users to set precise dates and times within each historical period and observe dynamically simulated solar and lunar alignments within architecturally accurate reconstructions of each phase. The paper argues that this project demonstrates two interconnected propositions: first, that immersive VR simulation can function as a genuine methodological instrument for archaeoastronomical investigation, offering forms of embodied, spatially situated enquiry unavailable through conventional heritage visualisation; and second, that industry-structured, practice-led production frameworks within higher education can generate outputs of substantive research value within compressed professional timescales. The paper documents student engagement with the astronomical and archaeological research questions, reflects on the interdisciplinary challenges and collaborative dynamics of the production process, and assesses the research potential of the resulting environment for ongoing investigation into Stonehenge as a calendrical, cosmological, and ceremonial landscape.
Keywords: virtual reality, digital heritage, archaeoastronomy, Stonehenge, practice-led research, virtual production, immersive media pedagogy, LiDAR, Gaussian Splatting
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