Outreach Synergy Call Winning Project Deep-Dive: The Golden Bond: Unfolding the Kapulukaya Hoard
Published on 24 Mar 2026
Image credit: Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum Archive
Q&A Deep-Dive: The Golden Bond: Unfolding the Kapulukaya Hoard
Welcome to our Q&A on “The Golden Bond: Unfolding the Kapulukaya Hoard,” one of two projects that won the 3DBigDataSpace Outreach Synergy Call. Sub-contracted within 3DBigDataSpace and coordinated by the Time Machine Organisation, the Golden Bond transforms 21 Roman gold coins from static displays into interactive 3D and AR experiences, using semantic storytelling origami to let visitors explore history in rich, hands-on, spatially immersive ways.
What was the initial impulse or problem that led to this project, and why was it important to address it now (culturally, scientifically, or socially)?
More often than not, museums house extensive collections of small finds, including coins, which are typically displayed with little interpretative guidance explaining the numismatic information encoded within their legends, portraiture, and iconography. Yet, as primary archaeological evidence, coins function as crucial time capsules; deciphering them unlocks vital data regarding precise chronological dating, ancient economic networks, and shifts in imperial propaganda. Visitors move through exhibition spaces, admiring the craftsmanship, yet often leave with only a limited understanding of the historical messages conveyed through abbreviated inscriptions, mint marks, and symbolic imagery. This project seeks to address this long-standing interpretative gap at a moment when new opportunities have emerged. Advances in photogrammetric documentation, the widespread digitisation of museum collections, and the growing shift from static display towards interactive and narrative-driven exhibition design now make it possible to reveal and communicate the layered political, ideological, and administrative meanings embedded within these coins in ways that were previously unattainable.
What is the central object, site, or heritage narrative of the project, and what key story or insight does the project aim to convey to its audience?
The project centres on the Kapulukaya Solidus Hoard, consisting of 21 Roman gold solidi and the terracotta vessel in which they were preserved, discovered near Kırıkkale and now housed at the Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum. The interactive storytelling narrative reconstructs the movement of the coins from the imperial mint at Antioch to Ancyra, modern-day Ankara, following a key imperial road that connected major military and administrative centres of the eastern Roman Empire. During the reign of Valens, this corridor played an important role in maintaining imperial authority along a frontier increasingly threatened by external and internal pressures. The hoard reflects this turbulent historical moment: the coins were struck during the reign of the young emperor Valentinian II, whose authority was promoted through messages embedded in coins.
Through this narrative, the project demonstrates how a seemingly small artefact can encapsulate wider historical processes, as the legends, iconography, and circulation of the coins reveal how imperial authority, political legitimacy, and economic networks were communicated across the Roman world.
How does the project technically and conceptually realise this goal (e.g. digital tools, interaction modes, narrative structure), and what makes this approach distinctive?
Our project aims to curate a multi-layered interactive experience using 3DBigDataSpace tools, bringing cultural heritage to life through integrated visual and audio interpretation.
At the museum kiosk, 3D coin models of the Kapulukaya Solidus Hoard are presented through the PCSS Viewer, allowing visitors to interact directly with the 3D coin models through touch gestures, allowing them to zoom in and inspect fine surface details, reposition the coin to examine both the obverse and reverse from different angles and activate annotations that explain the legends, iconography, and symbolic imagery, while an integrated audio guide accompanies the exploration and provides additional historical context.
The 4D Viewer places the hoard within its wider historical setting by tracing the route between Antioch and Ancyra through an interactive map based on the Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire. By selecting key locations along the route visitors open 3D vignettes visualising Roman road infrastructure and milestones together, helping users understand how the objects moved through the imperial landscape.
Finally, Rooom XR enables a mobile augmented reality experience through a WebXR-based, no-app architecture. Visitors simply scan a QR code to project the unique solidus directly into their surroundings using their own device, creating a seamless bring-your-own-device experience without the need for downloads.
Our unique approach bridges all three experiences together through a concept we describe as 'semantic storytelling origami', which uses spatial computing to unfold the dense historical information contained within a single coin, allowing visitors to explore the object through a numismatist’s perspective rather than simply viewing it behind glass.
Our project aims to curate a multi-layered interactive experience using 3DBigDataSpace tools, bringing cultural heritage to life through integrated visual and audio interpretation.
At the museum kiosk, 3D coin models of the Kapulukaya Solidus Hoard are presented through the PCSS Viewer, allowing visitors to interact directly with the 3D coin models through touch gestures, allowing them to zoom in and inspect fine surface details, reposition the coin to examine both the obverse and reverse from different angles and activate annotations that explain the legends, iconography, and symbolic imagery, while an integrated audio guide accompanies the exploration and provides additional historical context.
The 4D Viewer places the hoard within its wider historical setting by tracing the route between Antioch and Ancyra through an interactive map based on the Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire. By selecting key locations along the route visitors open 3D vignettes visualising Roman road infrastructure and milestones together, helping users understand how the objects moved through the imperial landscape.
Finally, Rooom XR enables a mobile augmented reality experience through a WebXR-based, no-app architecture. Visitors simply scan a QR code to project the unique solidus directly into their surroundings using their own device, creating a seamless bring-your-own-device experience without the need for downloads.
Our unique approach bridges all three experiences together through a concept we describe as 'semantic storytelling origami', which uses spatial computing to unfold the dense historical information contained within a single coin, allowing visitors to explore the object through a numismatist’s perspective rather than simply viewing it behind glass.
Who is the project primarily designed for, and how do users encounter and experience it (on-site, online, mobile, educational, exploratory)?
The project is designed for museum visitors, students, educators, and members of the general public interested in cultural heritage, numismatics and history. The physical installation will be installed within the Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum, where visitors can transition between the physical artefacts and their digital counterparts. The experience is also accessible through a dedicated website on mobile and desktop devices, whilst a mobile augmented reality feature enables visitors to project the coin into their surroundings using their own device, allowing both on site and remote audiences to engage with the Kapulukaya Hoard.
The project is designed for museum visitors, students, educators, and members of the general public interested in cultural heritage, numismatics and history. The physical installation will be installed within the Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum, where visitors can transition between the physical artefacts and their digital counterparts. The experience is also accessible through a dedicated website on mobile and desktop devices, whilst a mobile augmented reality feature enables visitors to project the coin into their surroundings using their own device, allowing both on site and remote audiences to engage with the Kapulukaya Hoard.
What added value does the project create for research, education, public engagement, or heritage preservation, and what should remain after the project’s completion?
The project contributes to research, education, public engagement, and heritage preservation by making the Kapulukaya Hoard accessible through an interactive digital environment. By visualising 3D models of the coins alongside enriched historical interpretation, the platform supports further research and scholarly analysis whilst translating numismatic knowledge into an accessible format for students and wider audiences. Specifically, the integration of interactive hotspots directly onto the 3D models serves as a practical training tool for archaeology students and enthusiasts to practice coin identification and epigraphic reading. The experience encourages active exploration of the coins’ iconography, inscriptions, and historical context, demonstrating how digital technologies can enhance museum interpretation and deepen public engagement with cultural heritage. After the project’s completion, the digital application, interpretative materials, and integrated datasets will remain available through the museum installation and online platforms, ensuring continued educational use and long-term public access to the historical significance of the hoard.
The project contributes to research, education, public engagement, and heritage preservation by making the Kapulukaya Hoard accessible through an interactive digital environment. By visualising 3D models of the coins alongside enriched historical interpretation, the platform supports further research and scholarly analysis whilst translating numismatic knowledge into an accessible format for students and wider audiences. Specifically, the integration of interactive hotspots directly onto the 3D models serves as a practical training tool for archaeology students and enthusiasts to practice coin identification and epigraphic reading. The experience encourages active exploration of the coins’ iconography, inscriptions, and historical context, demonstrating how digital technologies can enhance museum interpretation and deepen public engagement with cultural heritage. After the project’s completion, the digital application, interpretative materials, and integrated datasets will remain available through the museum installation and online platforms, ensuring continued educational use and long-term public access to the historical significance of the hoard.
Meet the Team
Behind “The Golden Bond” is a multidisciplinary team combining expertise in computer science, digital heritage, and historical studies. The group blends 3D visualization, augmented reality, and interactive storytelling to turn each coin into a rich, educational journey, bringing together technology and scholarship to make the past vividly accessible.
Sinem Aslan - Project Coordinator
Sinem Aslan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Historical Studies “Federico Chabod” at the University of Milan. Her research bridges Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Pattern Recognition with the domains of Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts. Her work addresses the analysis of complex, fragmented, and stylistically diverse visual material, including AI-driven reconstruction of frescoes, computational analysis of artistic imagery, and the study of ancient coins. She has contributed to several international research projects, including the EU-funded REPAIR initiative, where she worked on AI-assisted reconstruction pipelines for cultural heritage artefacts.
Sinem Aslan - Project Coordinator
Sinem Aslan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Historical Studies “Federico Chabod” at the University of Milan. Her research bridges Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Pattern Recognition with the domains of Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts. Her work addresses the analysis of complex, fragmented, and stylistically diverse visual material, including AI-driven reconstruction of frescoes, computational analysis of artistic imagery, and the study of ancient coins. She has contributed to several international research projects, including the EU-funded REPAIR initiative, where she worked on AI-assisted reconstruction pipelines for cultural heritage artefacts.
Credit: private
While my primary background is in Computer Vision research, I have always held a deep, personal fascination for archaeology and the fine arts. Ancient coins, in particular, are extraordinary artefacts. As hand-crafted objects, they are miniature masterpieces that carry immense historical, artistic, and archaeological significance, serving as primary evidence of ancient societies. From a computational perspective, analyzing these small surfaces presents a captivating challenge, where complex iconography is complicated by hand-struck stylistic variations, millennia of degradation, and the data scarcity of rare typologies. While deeper computational analysis remains an exciting future frontier, the vital first step is bringing these artefacts into the digital realm. Winning this Call allows us to transform the Kapulukaya Hoard from static objects behind glass into dynamic, interactive narratives. I am thrilled to lead a project where 3D visualisation and digital storytelling not only advance museum experiences but also empower visitors and students to actively decode the hidden stories of our past.
Zeynep Çizmeli Öğün - Scientific Supervisor
Zeynep Çizmeli Öğün is Professor of Classical Archaeology at Ankara University and a specialist in ancient numismatics and Anatolian archaeology. Her work focuses on the study and interpretation of coinage and material culture from the ancient Mediterranean, as well as the documentation and preservation of archaeological collections. She has participated in and directed numerous archaeological projects across Türkiye and has extensive experience in the academic study and public presentation of numismatic collections.
Credit: private
As an archaeologist and numismatist, developing a transdisciplinary project has been particularly important to me. I am especially excited about the opportunity to share my research on the Kapulukaya Hoard, one of the most remarkable pieces of the coin collection preserved at the Erimtan Museum, with a broader audience. At the same time, I feel proud to contribute to carrying the innovative vision of the Erimtan Museum, which has shaped the institution since its foundation in 2015, into the realm of contemporary technologies.
May Baker - Systems Integration Lead
May Baker is a computational cultural heritage researcher currently completing the final year of a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. Her work focuses on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to archaeological material culture, with a particular interest in Mesopotamian artefacts. She has experience in digital heritage research, including the preparation of interdisciplinary research proposals for organisations such as TÜBİTAK and the British Council, as well as developing computational tools and workflows for the analysis and digitisation of cultural heritage data. Her work combines technical expertise with a strong interdisciplinary interest in archaeology, heritage conservation, and historical interpretation.
Credit: private
For as far as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be involved in archaeology and heritage, to contribute to a realm that has brought me much joy and meaning, and now through this project I can take that dream a step further and preserve archaeological finds for generations upon generations through digitisation, visualisation and immersive storytelling, extending the brilliant collection of Erimtan Arts and Archaeology Museum from the physical to the digital sphere.