ANCIENT ROME LIVES AGAIN ON GOOGLE EARTH

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                                           Ancient Rome lives again on Google Earth






Mike Harvey,
Technology Correspondent
TimesOnLine
Nov. 12, 2008


The glory that was Rome is to rise again. Visitors will once more be able to visit the Colosseum and
the Forum of Rome as they were in 320 AD, this time on a computer screen in 3D.

The realisation of the ancient city in Google Earth lets viewers stand in the centre of the Colosseum,
trace the footsteps of the gladiators in the Ludus Magnus and fly under the Arch of Constantine.

The computer model, a collection of more than 6,700 buildings, depicts Rome in the year 320 AD.
Then, under the emperor Constantine I, the city boasted more than a million inhabitants –- making
it the largest metropolis in the world. It was not until Victorian London that another city surpassed it.

The project has been developed by Google in collaboration with the Rome Reborn Project and Past Perfect Productions. The computer graphics are based on a physical model – the Plastico di Roma Antica, which was created by archaeologists and model-makers between 1933 and 1974 and is housed in the Museum of Roman Civilisation in Rome. There are only 300 original ruins still standing today.



VIDEO

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5137095.ece

Rome Reborn: an ancient virtual city



A huge digital representation of Rome in AD320 may help scholars and enthusiasts get into the mindset of
senators and slaves

Bernard Frischer, the director of the Institute of Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University
of Virginia and also the director of the Rome Reborn Project, said: "The project is the continuation of five
centuries of research by scholars, architects and artists since the Renaissance
who have attempted to restore the ruins of the ancient city with words, maps and images.

“The partnership with Google Earth is another step in creating a virtual time machine which our children
and grandchildren will use to study the history of Rome."

Rome is the first ancient city to be viewable in three dimensions in Google Earth. The feature uses satellite
imagery, maps and search to show viewers a wide range of geographical information for the entire planet.

More than 400 million people have downloaded Google Earth since it was launched in June, 2005.

The Ancient Rome feature is designed for students and historians as well as people with a more casual interest
in the city. Viewers can find out more through pop-up "information bubbles" for more than 250 sites identified in
the ancient city.

The first bubble provides basic information for schoolchildren and a second click provides more advanced
information including a topographical encyclopaedia, ancient literary sources and bibliographical information
about each building. The information is available in a variety of languages.

Gianni Alemanno, the Mayor of Rome, said: "It's an incredible opportunity to share the stunning greatness
of Ancient Rome, a perfect example of how the new technologies can be ideal allies of
our history, archaeology and cultural identity."

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Rome not built in a day, even for Google Earth






Bridie Smith
November 14, 2008


                                        A computerised reconstruction of Ancient Rome viewed from above the Circus Maximus.
Photo: AP



GOOGLE Earth has added a new function to its 3D map collection: time travel.

Launched in the Italian capital this week, Rome has become the first ancient city documented on Google Earth, allowing internet users to visit the sprawling city as it would have appeared in 320AD when Emperor Constantine ruled over the city's 1 million inhabitants.

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A new high tech theatre will give tourists a deeper look at life in the Italian capital in the ancient past.


Using a physical model put together by archaeologists between 1933 and 1974, the virtual ancient Rome was recreated by an international team including the University of Virginia and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Professsor Bernard Frischer, of the University of Virginia, said the project took a decade to pull together using laser scans of today's ruined monuments and advice from archaeologists. It was completed last year.

He said the program, a "virtual time machine", would prove an invaluable tool for the study of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.

The computer-generated images allow visitors to dart across town without the hassle of traffic which clogs contemporary streets, cross the Tiber River, inspect the engraved marble facades and enter 11 buildings including the Senate, Forum of Julius Caesar and the Colosseum. The city's 21-kilometre-long walls have been re-created and pop-up windows provide information on more than 250 sites.

In all, almost 7000 buildings have been re-created — a significant improvement on the roughly 300 original ruins that still stand.

Google Earth chief technology advocate Michael Jones said it was the culmination of years of work by scholars, historians, artists and others.

More than 400 million people have downloaded Google Earth since 2005.


http://earth.google.com/rome