Rome, 12th November 2008: Today Google launches Ancient Rome in 3D on Google Earth, making it easy and fun to explore the historic city as it stood centuries ago.
Through Google Earth, students, teachers, tourists and historians can:
- View a virtual representation of the city in 320 AD at the height of its development as the capital of the Roman Empire.
- Fly around the city using Google Earth’s unique navigation.
- Explore more than 6700 historic buildings.
- Zoom in to discover the detailed interiors of eleven ancient structures including the Colosseum.
- Learn about Ancient Rome through information bubbles written by expert historians.
Ancient
Rome in 3D is one of the most extensive collections of
three-dimensional buildings to be found on Google Earth. Within the
Ancient Rome 3D layer users can visit the Roman Forum, stand in the
centre of The Colosseum, trace the footsteps of the gladiators in the
Ludus Magnus, stand on the Rostra, swoop over the Basilica Julia, fly
under The Arch of Constantine or even examine the detail on the facade
of the Basilica of Maxentius.
The
project has been developed by Google in collaboration with Past Perfect
Productions and the University of California, Los Angeles and IATH at
the University of Virginia.
To view Ancient Rome 3D go to the "Layers" panel of Google Earth, select "Gallery", then "Ancient Rome 3D".
Bernard
Frischer – Director for the Institute of Advanced Technology in the
Humanities at the University of Virginia and also 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.'
Joel Myers, CEO of Past Perfect Productions, commented:
'Cultural
Heritage, although based in the past, lives in the present, as it forms
our identity. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure its
conservation, to nourish it and make it accessible, with the objective
of promoting global understanding. Ancient Rome in 3D is a major step
towards this goal.'
Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno said:
'Our
spectacular ancient remains continue to fascinate people all around the
world drawing millions of tourists to our city every year. We're
delighted even more people all over the world can now enjoy the
heritage of our great city. It's an incredible opportunity to share the
stunning greatness of Ancient Rome, perfect example of how the new
technologies can be ideal allies of our history, archeology and
cultural identity.'
Michael Jones, Google Earth Chief Technology Advocate said:
'For
centuries, people all over the world have been fascinated by Roman
civilization. We're delighted to share the culmination of years of work
by scholars, historians, artists and others with Google Earth users
around the world.'
For further information please contact Laura Scott: press-uk@google.com or 0207 031 3130.
