Windows to the Past. Reconstructing History Through Images

No flux capacitor, no 1.21 gigawatts. No DeLorean or Ministry of Time portal. To travel through history, all we need is to open a window to the past. Historical research and its dissemination rely on images and reconstructions that allow us to show what life was like in a vanished city, what a work of art looked like before time took its toll, or what a building once was when today only its foundations remain. Through these windows, we can step back in time to see what no longer exists and discover how the societies that came before us lived — but they must be created responsibly and rigorously, avoiding historical distortions. Otherwise, they won’t open onto the past, but will instead dangerously bring to life what never was.

Windows to the Past shows how technology and art come together in the service of the Humanities to create these images. It also reveals that graphic reconstruction is not a recent practice — throughout history, it has taken shape through engravings, paintings, or models — and that by examining those early windows, we can understand that they not only speak of the past they depict, but also tell the story of the present from which they were opened.