Armenian cultural heritage site on Solana blockchain.
The Real of History project recently announced its intention to advance the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage through the use of blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Departing from traditional methods, this initiative seeks to digitize historical artifacts and physical historical sites, starting with the Realm of History: Karahung X digital assets collection.
Cointelegraph spoke with Ivan Grantnovsky and Ivan Krylov, the two creators of the State of History, about how new technologies can preserve culture and connect new generations to history.
The centerpiece of the Realm of History effort is Solana's blockchain, which the two developers say was chosen for efficiency and transparency purposes.
Part of Krylov's motivation for creating the platform was the lack of participatory platforms that present cultural heritage in digital form and engage in philanthropy.
“It's part of the technology to solve this problem. The technology we're talking about is blockchain because it solves the problem of lack of transparency.
The “Historical Realm: Karahung X” collection aims to date back to 5487 BC. It was initiated to digitize the physical content of the Karahang site, known as the Armenian Stonehenge. All NFTs in the collection combine rock art and digital versions from the physical location.
In addition to digitizing cultural heritage, the project also aims to support local artists in Armenia and has collaborations with entities such as Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation (YBAF), A1 Art Space and Latitude Art Space.
1 | Born in Yerevan, Armenia, into a family of artists, Lilit Egyazarian's journey in the field of art was predestined pic.twitter.com/LEwznJfVB5
— Realm of History (@RealmofHistoria) December 8, 2023
Realm of History's founders say they see this project playing a major role in bridging cultural differences, empowering local artists, and showcasing Armenia's cultural richness through technology.
“The most important thing is that our projects have a real-life impact, so that you can do something digitally and have an impact in the real world.”
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The project has a physical-digital aspect in the form of a QR code that accompanies each NFT that can be scanned and taken at cafes, museums and other sites in Armenia in collaboration with the project, he said.
“Not only are you helping the world and cultural preservation, but you're part of the community.”
This initiative aligns with a broader global trend that recognizes the potential of blockchain for cultural heritage preservation. Blockchain's decentralized and transparent nature ensures a reliable record of historical assets, ensuring their unaltered access to future generations.
In a similar project in Ukraine, a local art museum used blockchain digitization and NFTs to document and preserve wartime art and cultural artifacts.
More recently, the Sandbox Web3 MetaVersion platform partnered with the British Museum to bring art and history into the metaverse in physical-digital experiences.
The team behind Real of History plans to build “The Atrium” or “Virtual Museum Hall” where users can enter a 3D lobby for cultural heritage and the areas represented by the project.
“You could call it a digital ark of cultural heritage. Atrium is aimed at attracting the attention of the younger generation.
Last year, as the rapidly sinking island of Tuvalu faces extinction due to climate change, it announced a similar plan to create a digital copy to preserve its history.
The founders of History Empire say their goal is to eventually expand beyond Armenia and build collections “everywhere in the world we can.” They said they were in talks about possible conservation projects in Malta, Italy, Cambodia and Georgia.
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