Ancient Rome Lives Again On Google Earth

November 14, 2008

Rome has become the first ancient city documented on Google Earth.

Internet users can now see the city just as it looked at midday on April 1 AD320.

Developed in collaboration with the Rome Reborn Project and Past Perfect Productions, the project is based upon the Plastico di Roma Antica, a model created by archaeologists between 1933 and 1974 and housed in the Museum of Roman Civilisation in Rome.

Overall, the computer model recreated more than 6,700 buildings. Users can enter ten of them, including the Colosseum.

It is the "Rome of the emperor Constantine in which everything is new", said Michael T Jones, Google Earth's chief technologist, at the presentation in Rome's city hall.

"It's new. It's modern. It's beautiful".

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

Even on Google Earth, Rome wasn't built in a day.

To see Rome as it looked in 320 AD, select the "Ancient Rome 3D" layer under Gallery in Google Earth.
Download Google Earth here

Here is Google Earth’s introductory video: