Digital technologies have played an imperative role in both the deconstruction and digital reconstruction of the ancient city of Palmyra. When ISIS invaded Palmyra in May of 2015, social media was used to document and communicate their movements to the rest of the world. Later, 3D models and computer-guided robotics were wielded to rebuild what was destroyed, and present a unified symbol of peace and strength in the midst of terror.

Visualizing this process using Google Pro Tools illustrates the various digital technologies being used in the cultural heritage field, and the geographical breadth of their impact. The following interactive map takes you on the journey of Palmyra's 2,000 year old Arch of Triumph, beginning in 2005, with Bassel al Safadi Khartabil's effort to virtually document the city, and ending in present day. Explore this excerpt of the arch's history, and begin to understand the ways in which digital technologies have impacted it's destruction, and it's digital reconstruction as the last twelve years are visualized through space and time.