89 THE (DIS)EMBODIMENT OF ARCHITECTURE: REFLECTIONS ON THE MIRRORING EFFECTS OF VIRTUAL REALITY DAVIDE NADALI SAPIENZA UNIVERSITÀ DI ROMA Research and studies into virtual and/or small scale reconstructions of monuments, buildings, cities, single artefacts and museums have increased dramatically in recent years, with design, resolution and results for the best and most realistic representations of the past through new media taking on a competitive edge. With this in mind, and after several virtual reality experiences, I would like to debate the value of virtual reality and the possibilities it affords by analysing the impact on our minds and, as a consequence, the effective results it can have upon our dynamic comprehension of the past. If we look back through the history of ancient Near Eastern archaeology, reconstructions of the shapes and spaces of ancient architecture have always been fundamental. Indeed, as far as the civilisations of the ancient Orient are concerned, we may even state that they underwent speculative and imaginative architectural reconstructions even before the ruins of ancient Near Eastern cities were actually discovered. 1 From the first archaeological discoveries made in the Assyrian region in Northern Mesopotamia, 1 See Micale, ‘Immagini d’architettura’; Micale, ‘European Images’; Micale, L’immagine dell’architettura.