Rome Reborn

An international team of archaeologists, historians and computer specialists has brought ancient Rome back to life.

A still im­age from the "Rome Reborn."

10-year achievement
Some may wonder how on earth anyone can reconstruct Rome AD 320.  It has been a 10-year project costing 1,5 million Euro to scan and reproduce some 7,000 buildings within the 21-kilometer long Aurelian Walls.  The experts used the Plastico di Roma Antica model of the city that is kept at the Museum of Roman Civilization as well as laser scans of Rome today to reconstruct the city. 

Visit 30 major sites
The Rome Reborn simulation takes place in AD320 at the time of Constantine when the city had a population of one million.  The simulation reconstructs some 30 buildings, including the Roman Senate House, the Colosseum, the Temple of Venus, the imperial palaces on the Palatine and the basilica built by the emperor Maxentius complete with frescoes.  Users can navigate through the model moving in all directions.  As Bernard Frischer, the project’s leader says: “"We can take people under the Colosseum and show them how the elevators worked to bring the animals up from underground chambers for the animal hunts they held."

Future updates
The simulation of Rome will be updated according to new archaeological findings, as well as other phases in the the evolution of the city from the late Bronze Age to the Gothic Wars.  For example the Colosseum some say that the building has a carrying capacity of 35,000, others say that more than double as many can fit in the Colosseum.  The simulation will be useful for scientists to run experiments determining debatable issues.

Future scenarios
Rumor has it that leaders of the "Rome Reborn project" are having talks with Linden Labs in California to make the entire simulation with the 7,000 buildings available through “Second Life”.  At the moment only sections of the simulation are available on the Internet due to the computer capacity needed for the whole simulation. 

In April 2008 a theatre near the Colosseum will open a commercial project featuring interactive, 3D animations based on the simulation.   Lots of figures based on skeletons and artefacts found in Rome and the rest of Italy will be incorporated.

This project on Rome will undoubtebly set the standards for future city models of cultureal heritage sites.