MODEL CITIZEN
Ancient Rome revealed in stunning detail by ‘most accurate model ever’ that took historian 35 years to build
ROME was not built in a day and the 'most accurate' model of Ancient Rome is testament to this as it took archaeologist Italo Gismondi 35 years to build.
The Plastico di Roma imperiale (model of imperial Rome) was actually commissioned by Mussolini in 1933 and is so realistic that a few shots of it were used in the film Gladiator.
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The model can be viewed today in in Rome, Italy.
It is so useful because it helps a lot of academics visualise Rome to aid their studies and gives a lot more context to famous structures, like the Colosseum, which we are used to seeing as stand alone buildings.
Roman cities were laid out so efficiently that it can also teach us more and inspire us about infrastructure in modern society.
For example, the city of Bath in England has a Roman layout and Roman baths and similarities can be seen between it and the model.
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Gismondi kept adding to his model of 4th century AD Rome until three years before his death at the age of 87.
He made it all from alabaster plaster, with metal and plant fibre reinforcements.
It is now regarded as the most important source for how ancient Rome looked as it was based on a series of 46 maps that detail ancient Rome in very precise detail.
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Originally commissioned as a piece of propaganda to link Mussolini's fascist regime to the great Roman Empire, today the model allows visitors from all over the world to connect modern day Rome with the ancient Romans and how they realistically used to live.
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A brief history of the Roman Empire
Here's what you need to know...
- The Roman Empire began shortly after the founding of the Roman Republic in the 6th century BC and reigned for around a thousand years until the fall of the last Western emperor in 476 AD
- During this time, the Romans ruled over many countries in Europe and parts of Africa and the Middle East
- At its height, 90 million people lived in the Roman Empire
- It evolved from a monarchy to a democratic republic to a military dictatorship and then was finally ruled by emperors
- One of the most well-known Roman leaders is Julius Caesar, famously assassinated in 44BC, who is largely credited for his military mind and laying the foundations for the Roman Empire
- The spread of the Roman Empire has had a lasting impact on our lives today with Latin, straight roads, underfloor heating and the spread of Christianity all being attributed to the Romans
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In other archaeology news, a mysterious sealed tunnel has been found inside a ‘tower tomb’, revealing lost treasures and an ‘ancient looting operation’.
And, a secret chamber in King Tut’s tomb could hide Queen Nefertiti.
Are you impressed by the Rome model? Let us know in the comments...
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