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Google Earth’s Rome Reborn
By Nick on November 30, 2008
Eager to try out Google’s new Ancient Rome 3D layer, I plugged in the Space Navigator and headed for Rome as it looked in 320 A.D.
The 3D Rome layer consists of 250 landmarks and an additional 5,000+ buildings and Google recommends a computer with “Dual-Core 2.0GHz CPU + 3 GB RAM + High End GPU with 512 MB RAM” to take full advantage of the delights of ancient Rome.
Zooming down into the streets offers a quite spectacular perspective on what the Romans were witness to everyday…
Admiring the architecture is one thing, but this is a truly educational tool. Clicking any of the landmarks brings up a description of the building, with links to more extensive information on the Rome Reborn website. For example, in this picture you can see the the largest of Rome’s temples, the Temple of Venus and Rome, and behind it the Colosseum, known then as the Flavian Amphitheater, with an information box showing alongside it.
Clicking through to the Rome Reborn website, you can read more about the Flavian Amphitheater, and while you’re there, the Gallery is an absolute must see.
If you’ve got the computer system to enjoy this virtual trip through history, I highly recommend it, as does the BBC in their article Google Earth Revives Ancient Rome. Otherwise, see what all the fuss is about in this introductory video about the project from Google themselves.
Posted in Europe | 8 Comments
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8 Responses to “Google Earth’s Rome Reborn”
Comments
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Mark Ramsay, globetrotting from an armchair in England.
2:11 pm on November 30th, 2008
Dear Nick,
Thank you for the nice comments on our project with Google Earth. I am particularly gratified that you stressed its educational strength: we worked hard on that!
I would be interested to know your further thoughts and experiences as you return to Ancient Rome 3D.
Yours,
Bernie Frischer, Director
Rome Reborn Project
Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
University of Virginia
7:06 pm on November 30th, 2008
A very impressive report Nick, You go in to amazing detail and you should be very proud to get a response from an important person. It is very interesting, entertaining and extremely educational. I hopefully will be able to learn key facts about the Romans and especially their buildings and being able to find out which building is which is great. Excellent post Nick, well done, Mark.
7:31 pm on December 2nd, 2008
Oh wow Nick! He sounds important. That is a marvelous tool. I wish I had something like that to use when I was at school. It would have helped a lot with geography. Great work.
7:20 am on December 6th, 2008
Virtual Reality …time travel without really leaving home.. what great ways to get us and students interested in history and ancient times.
Another interesting concept is blogged about here:
“All Paths Lead To Rome”
http://familyforest.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/all-paths-lead-to-rome/
8:56 am on December 6th, 2008
Thanks for your lovely comments Alexis, I had a look at your site and liked it very much, would love to have your permission to link your site to V.T, thanks mark
7:04 pm on December 6th, 2008
Yes, you may link to whatever blogs or pages you would like too!
http://familyforest.wordpress.com
and at http//www.familyforest.com
Thanks.
Happy Holidays.
5:27 pm on December 15th, 2008
SALVE –
Rome Reborn gives a sad and incorrect impression of Rome and all its ancient glory, since without scholarship and signicant imprecise reconstruction.
One wonders what sources have been used for the reconstructions since woefully lacking in archaeological accuracy and only the very thinnest veneer of history.
It’s not the Rome of antiquity, but some 21st Century mess without even some Game Boy merit !
Gaius Rabirius Postumus
11:34 pm on December 15th, 2008
@apolodorus, I’m sure the people working on the project would be keen to make improvements if you could offer some constructive advice rather than just equating it to a video game.