It Took 36 Years For This Archaeologist To Make The Most Accurate Model Of Ancient Rome
While the city of Rome has changed dramatically throughout history, many remains of the famous historical monuments are still there to remind us of the glorious Ancient Rome. However, there’s a way to see how the most important city for over 1000 years looked like in the past.
More info: flickr.com | museociviltaromana.it
The Museum of the Roman Civilization which situated in Rome’s Esposizione Universale Roma district and stores one of the most impressive scale models of the city ever created.
It is known as the Plastico di Roma Imperiale, the plaster architecture model which depicts the city of Rome in the 4th century AD at the time of Constantine I.
The intricate model of the historical city was created by an Italian archaeologist Italo Gismondi. It was derived from the Forma Urbis Romae. The model is at a 1:250 scale and is made of plaster. Gismondi began working on it in 1935, and it took him more than 35 years to finish it.
That’s over three and a half times as long as it took to build the Colosseum. Today, the model is known as one of the most important references of Ancient Rome.
The model was commissioned by Mussolini to commemorate the birth of Augustus (63 BC). The choice to reconstruct the Ancient Rome of the 4th century was chosen not by accident. The reason behind it is that the city, during the time of Constantine (AD 306-337), reached its greatest size.
Gismondi had to use maps for this recreation and managed to match the empire’s scale on a ratio of one to one. Gismondi’s work is so detail-oriented that every part of the model lines up perfectly with the map.
The enormous, more than 17 meters long, model gives us the accurate visualization of the ancient city. It also allows people to test their knowledge of historic landmarks.
Can you spot the Colosseum? Or the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline? Take a look at the photos of this detailed model and share which places you recognize in the comments below.
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Share on FacebookThanks. I was wondering what that was. I couldn't see the point of a wall with big gaps in it, but an aquaduct makes sense.
Load More Replies..."The enormous, more than 200 meters long, model gives us the accurate visualization of the ancient city." I think this is a bad translation. It may be 200 square meters in area, but there is no way it is 200 meters long.
The people who lived then could never know what the city looked like from the air! We are so privileged these days.
" ... a sprawling 1:250 scale model displays the glory of ancient Rome. Known as the Plastico di Roma Imperiale" "The immense scope and detail of the Plastico, which measures 55 feet by 55 feet, has also been useful for filmmakers, including Ridley Scott, who included a few shots in his 2000 film, The Gladiator." (https://mymodernmet.com/scale-model-ancient-rome/) Now, 55 feet is about 16,75 meters and that makes this a huge model of Rome indeed but that ain't no 200 meters! However, maybe it is indeed some 20 meters long at some point.
It's even more amazing when you realize that many of these buildings are still in pretty good shape today, considering that they are more than 2000 years old. I used to live in Siena, Italy. The building I was living in was much older than the US. ;)
Load More Replies...We always think of the passage of time as a progression. We think that, with the passage of time, our cities and societies can only get better. Rome is an example of how we can regress. A city to rival its might would not emerge for generations after its fall. It is important to remember this so that future generations do not look at models of our cities and think about what could have been if only we had not repeated the mistakes of Rome.
My worst thought wss how easily something that took so much time and effort could be destroyed... just by a clumsy tourist or something :0
This Museum has been closed for renovations since 1985. Ah, Rome will always be Rome.
It was derived from the Forma Urbis Romae, which is a map made at in the third century BC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forma_Urbis_Romae
Load More Replies...Thanks. I was wondering what that was. I couldn't see the point of a wall with big gaps in it, but an aquaduct makes sense.
Load More Replies..."The enormous, more than 200 meters long, model gives us the accurate visualization of the ancient city." I think this is a bad translation. It may be 200 square meters in area, but there is no way it is 200 meters long.
The people who lived then could never know what the city looked like from the air! We are so privileged these days.
" ... a sprawling 1:250 scale model displays the glory of ancient Rome. Known as the Plastico di Roma Imperiale" "The immense scope and detail of the Plastico, which measures 55 feet by 55 feet, has also been useful for filmmakers, including Ridley Scott, who included a few shots in his 2000 film, The Gladiator." (https://mymodernmet.com/scale-model-ancient-rome/) Now, 55 feet is about 16,75 meters and that makes this a huge model of Rome indeed but that ain't no 200 meters! However, maybe it is indeed some 20 meters long at some point.
It's even more amazing when you realize that many of these buildings are still in pretty good shape today, considering that they are more than 2000 years old. I used to live in Siena, Italy. The building I was living in was much older than the US. ;)
Load More Replies...We always think of the passage of time as a progression. We think that, with the passage of time, our cities and societies can only get better. Rome is an example of how we can regress. A city to rival its might would not emerge for generations after its fall. It is important to remember this so that future generations do not look at models of our cities and think about what could have been if only we had not repeated the mistakes of Rome.
My worst thought wss how easily something that took so much time and effort could be destroyed... just by a clumsy tourist or something :0
This Museum has been closed for renovations since 1985. Ah, Rome will always be Rome.
It was derived from the Forma Urbis Romae, which is a map made at in the third century BC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forma_Urbis_Romae
Load More Replies...
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