Sarah Kiszter studied Classical Archaeology at the University of Graz and trained as a certified CAD technician. Has participated in and supervised numerous archaeological excavations both domestically and abroad. Since 2013, she has served as a research associate, EU project staff member, and collection curator in the Department of Archaeology & Coin Cabinet at the Universalmuseum Joanneum. Her responsibilities include the scholarly management of the collections (storage and specialized library holdings), the curation of special exhibitions, and the planning, acquisition, and management of external research projects.
Marko Mele studied Archaeology at the University of Ljubljana and completed doctoral research as a DAAD fellow at the Free University of Berlin. Specializes in the Bronze and Early Iron Age of the southeastern Alpine region. After working as an archaeologist at the Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum and serving as an EU project evaluator for the Slovenian government, he joined the Universalmuseum Joanneum in 2010. As chief curator of the Pre- and Early History collection, he led multiple European projects—including InterArch-Steiermark, PalaeoDiversiStyria, Iron-Age-Danube (a RegioStars 2018 finalist), and Danube’s Archaeological eLandscapes—and helped establish the transnational Iron Age Danube Route, certified as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. Since 2017, he has served as deputy head of the Department of Archaeology & Coin Cabinet, and since 2023 as scientific managing director of Universalmuseum Joanneum GmbH. In 2022, he received the Slovenian Archaeological Association’s award for outstanding contributions to Slovenian archaeology.
A Time Travel Experience? Game-Based VR Mediation of Archaeological Landscapes
FROG 2026 – Talk
Time travel has long captured the imagination. In the exhibition “Stories of the Past” (2022–2023), presented at the Archaeology Museum of the Universalmuseum Joanneum and in eight museums across the Danube region, visitors could experience virtual reconstructions of archaeological landscapes using VR headsets. The project was part of the EU Interreg project “Danube’s Archaeological eLandscapes”, which aimed to increase the visibility of archaeological heritage and examine how digital storytelling could support new forms of audience engagement. This article examines how game-based approaches to visualisation were used to communicate archaeological content and encourage participation.
Creative Labs & Hubs: Co-Developing Playful Learning
The development of the VR experiences included a series of participatory workshops known as Creative Labs & Hubs. Over five sessions, archaeologists, museum educators, IT specialists and members of the public contributed to the development of the narratives and interactive elements. A central aim was to combine archaeological accuracy with an accessible and engaging format. The resulting storyboards provided the basis for a series of game-like scenes introducing users to architecture, craftsmanship, burial practices and everyday life in the Iron Age settlement at Großklein and the Roman town of Flavia Solva.
Evaluating Game-Based Mediation
The exhibition opened in April 2022, accompanied by an international visitor survey evaluating the VR applications. In Austria, 1,034 visitors completed questionnaires following guided VR sessions. Across all partner countries, the survey collected 4,667 responses. The University of Vienna (Linzbauer & Fera) led the analysis, examining the audiences reached through the VR applications, the difficulties encountered during their use, and the potential of game-based formats for museums and other informal learning environments. The survey findings suggest that collaborative development and game-based approaches can support access to archaeological content and encourage different forms of museum participation.