The largest handmade model of Imperial Rome
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ค. 2024
- Known as "Il Plastico", this 20 X 20 meter model of the imperial city (created by Italo Gismondi) offers a unique bird's eye view of the city. Featured in the film Gladiator, it shows off the city to its greatest extent, under Constantine. We'll take a close up exclusive look, region by region. The Museum della Civilta' Romana in E.U.R. that houses the model will reopen in 2025!
We thank the colleagues of Musei in Comune for the exceptional access to the site many years ago with our summer film students, before its closure for restoration. The new opening promises to be an exceptional opportunity to study Roman civilization, a short metro ride from central Rome!
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This content is brought to you by The American Institute for Roman Culture (AIRC), a 501(C)3 US Non-Profit Organization. romanculture.org
0:00 Introduction
0:39 Inspiration for and creation of the model
2:17 Forma Urbis as model and a tour of the 14 Regions
4:11 Deep dive into model components: aqueducts, Tiber River, walls, Colosseum, Forum, and more!
8:07 Campus Martius view
I've seen pictures of this model in textbooks over 30 years ago and have always wanted to see it in person. See you in 2025! Thanks.
We are looking forward to it. Nothing like it!
same when i was a child about 45 years ago a text book my brother had. although my first of many tripz to rome was in 1984, I only got to the museum in EUR in 2004 - it was sealed off but i sneaked in and it was covered in dust. BUT I was like a child again to see it again.
I've seen this model everywhere from the first history book my aunt bought me to the many documentaries I watched. Mr. Gismondi's work is absolutely incredible, such a detailed, beautiful model of the biggest of all ancient cities. It still blows my mind. May he rest in peace.
Same! I've seen dozens of pictures of this model in an old book. One day I'll see it live!
This is wonderful. I imagine the creator having such a good time making this. This needs to be a google maps street view project.
I imagine someone's wife 100 years ago, becoming unbelievably annoyed at her husband's mammoth, unending hobby project...
Better Rome than home.
@@garyfrancis6193 😂😂😂
Whenever his wife questioned when this madness was gonna end, he would always reply, "Remember, honey, Rome wasn't built in a day."
Oh, man!!! Been there, experienced that! You made my day with this observation, thanks!
@@Pazaluz And then she'd be like, "That's your answer to *everything* Randy!" and she'd storm back upstairs to have a both-handed cup of tea while she complained over the phone to her best/only friend Janet.
Rome today is wonderful, but it is incomparable to the beauty it was in ancient times.
Layers of history!
@@AncientRomeLive That gives it its unique charm
It would have looked polished and squeeky clean when it was newly built, but I suspect after about 800 years of overuse it gets tarnished riddled with human waste, excrement and smelling of filth. Once pristine structures would start to look grey and worn out, becoming just giant tombs. Once populated and popular and well maintained bathhouses would just start becoming a hotbed of mosquitoes and grime - not pleasant places to be in, like abandoned malls and mansions. They start looking like giant skeletons stretching for hundreds of yards. And after being attacked and sacked several times would just make it feel like you are living in a very unsafe, "cursed" city, populated with "demonic entities and evil spirits". A city where ghosts come to die. Issues become compounded if the city experiences serious cases of floods and earthquakes. The incentive or morale to keep restoring and maintaining is lost and people give up.
It would literally be like walking through modern day Mogadishu. Rome was not glorious. It was a fascist state dependent on slave labor.
I don’t think there’s anything useful the Romans have done since 1850
How much marble do you want?
Rome: “All of it.”
Romans: "How much bronze and marble are you going to steal from us?"
Christian Church: "All of it."
They stole marbles. They stole statues. They, stole, _everything!_
@@user-uo7fw5bo1o you have some serious deficit in your comprehension bro seek help
Funny thing is, it looks better than many modern cities today, 2000 years later
There's multiple advancements that ancient Rome had, that many places still do not have 2000 years later
Looks better than modern day rome
@@axelaguirre5014on the surface
@@axelaguirre5014 Well riding on chariots on those ancient roman roads made out of cobblestone must have been a much smoother ride than driving on current Rome's asphalt roads with a modern car, that's for sure lmao
Looked pretty nice but no modern conveniences, and the vast majority of Romans were poor or slaves. And poor by today's standards is wealthy back then. No indoor plumbing except for the very rich. One of the worst things is that because there was no modern medicine so rampant disease, poor sanitation, harsh living conditions etc, the average life expectancy was 25 years old. That insanely low number compared to today is in large part because only half of children back then survived past ten years old. If you did and you were rich you might make it to 60 or 70 if you were lucky, but most likely you're gonna live 30-40 years or so.
It extraordinary what the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans accomplished thousands of years ago with cranes, pulleys and leverage.
There is just something about a physical model that virtual models don't have, solidity for one. And the expanse of it! Thank you! 🌺
Brussels Art & History Museum has also a Rome model. The model of Rome is a model depicting the city of Rome at the end of the 4th century, created by French architect Paul Bigot. He made a total of four models, the finest of which is on display at the Museum of Art & History in Brussels. The 1/400-scale model measures 11 by 4 metres. Paul Bigot (1870-1942) won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome in 1900, which allowed him to spend five years at the Villa Medici in Rome. Each year he sent a piece of work to Paris from there, and the last year Bigot made a scale model of the Circus Maximus. Based on this, he began work on a maquette of the entire city of Rome. The unfinished maquette was first exhibited in 1911 at the International Exhibition in Rome. In 1937, the finished maquette was shown at the Paris World's Fair. Bigot continued to work on his maquette thereafter, incorporating new, archaeological insights. Bigot made four plaster models of his maquette, two of which were lost. Bigot's uncoloured working model is kept at the University of Caen. The only remaining coloured model is in the Museum of Art and History in the Cinquantenaire in Brussels. This model was refurbished and given a new presentation in 2019.
It also was featured prominently in the 1950 film “Quo Vadis.”
It really makes you realize the people of rome were not primitive in any way.
well, they trusted observations of chickens and livers to make big decisions? Fathers had the legal right to kill his entire family?
Well, they don't tell you about the rotting fruit and veg on the streets, people urinating and defecating everywhere, buildings falling apart and constantly setting on fire, diseases affecting 2 of 5 people, filth and mud everywhere and the list goes on.
While I wouldn't call them primitive they certainly could have made a lot of improvements in those areas. They were by far the better of the ancient civilizations.
@@Kit_Bear That is San Francisco in 2024
@@Kit_BearDo you have sources for those numbers/"claims"? Im actually curious
Tabletop terrain builders eat your heart out, Gismondi was knocking it out of the park almost a century ago with no 3d printing/modeling software, no plastics, no enormous second hand market of cheap plastic toys that can be repainted and repurposed, etc. All from scratch and by hand.
Good POINT!
And all of this took him only 35 years.
Ahh, Gismondi. I love this model!
Spectacular!
Carlo Pavia learned to build models of ancient Rome from the builder that worked with Gismondi, Pierino De Carlo. Pavia has uploaded a video where he discusses the models and reopens two boxes De Carlo packed away with molds and the original drawings from Gismondi. He also shares historical photos of the late masters of their craft.
I can’t even imagine how much research, work and passion must have gone into this masterpiece.
exactly
It's still only an approximation. Lots of guesswork in that reconstruction.
Because they don‘t have slaves anymore
My goodness this is stunning. Thanks so much for sharing Darius. Just incredible.
Thank you so much!
Wow. Thank you for this. I actually spent a few weeks trying to find good images of this model a few years ago, and have a very large custom made frame of it hanging in my hallway as a result, and all the images at the time were from people posting vacation photos.
Our pleasure
There is noothing as fascinating as perfect model !! A million thanks!...
Yes!
Wauw.. again wow.. Rome was fantastic, what a beauty. They don't build them like they used to.
No kidding!
That's how I perceive it too, and from a distance it must have been beautiful to anyone back then. But up close I'm afraid that it has been filthy and smelly and not that pleasant. But nevertheless extremely impressive. Had I lived in the ancient world I think I would have loved to visit, to experience Rome, but not to live there (unless for necessity if pursuing a political career).
@@larsrons7937 Like anything else you probably got used to the smell. And pretty much every big city smelled bad, but at least Rome had a good sewer system and public baths.
@@barahng You have some good points. Well just to be safe, I'll better head to the forum and make an offering to Venus Cloacina at the shrine.😉
I saw Pompei at age 14. My dad was in US Navy stationed at Naples.,in 1974. since then Ive been a Romanist. Later studied pre law so, appreciated Roman contribution to are systems of law. I recommend any Rome enthusiast to visit Pompei once at least. The craftsmenship and engineering achievement of ancient Rome will blow your mind. Plus Naples I recall had really outstanding food. Im now 65 and I want to take my granddaughters to see Pompei. Inlaws turned out to be Italian, but I think giving a scholar a view of the kernal of western civilization inspires them and I want my grandkids to be motivated before sending them off to college.
It might not be a 100% accurate depiction of Rome but it is an amazing model none the less. The dedication to construct it and the attention to detail is a marvel to behold. I look forward to visiting it some day.
Every time we tune into your presentation we learn something new. Thank you!
So nice of you
It is like a walk back through time, thank you for presenting this Darius!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have seen many model builders here on TH-cam, but the scale of this project takes the prize.
That's sublime! Thank you for the tour!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'll never get over the pyrimad of Cestius existing, let alone being incorporated into the city wall.
Fascinating and so very appreciated. Grazie.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for that ❤
You're welcome!
I’ve looked for a well done video like this one for years!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to document this and show everyone the beauty!!
Its really wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing !
That was fantastic! I've seen photos of this magnificent model of ancient Rome before, but this 'exploration' is particularly informative, Thank you.
The level of detail is amazing and makes you realise how vast the City of Rome was in its final stages.
yes!
Now imagine if you can somehow shrink yourself and walk around the model.
virtual reality will let us
Ubisoft would have fun with it.
@@brodriguez11000It would be bugged and the Aventine would be a DLC 😂
@@brodriguez11000 The overuse of map markers would spoil the fun and block the view, also dlc's for everything.
Amazing. Thank you, Darius.
Glad you liked it!
This is 100 years old yet I never knew existed. Darius you’re always bringing to light important history. Luv this channel
I always wanted to see it in real life. I've seen it in books and films but never knew where or how to find it.
What an incredible model.
It must have been a labour of love!
Thanks for posting.
I REALLY like this!
This channel is amazing! Thank you!
That's my Roman Empire quota for the day done, and it's only 10am. Thanks!
That is a mind-numbing amount of details and work. Holy heck, what a treasure. I wasn't even aware it existed before seeing this video. Thank you Darius for sharing this. Cheers!
my first time learning of this wonder!!! thank you
This put all City building games to shame.
I'm so excited that the museum is reopening! I have had it on my list for a long time & I check every so often to see if it's open again. I can't wait to see it!
Same, I went to Rome 5 times in my life so far. The first 2 times I was too young and the 3rd time it wasn't on the menu (short stay), the other 2 times the museum was closed and I've been waiting for it to reopen desperately.
Great video! Thanks so much for sharing and giving a better understanding of ancient Rome.
Thank you!
I remember seeing photos of this in a school book back in the 70s. Incredible that he took only 3 years to make it.
Fascinating video! Thank you for making it! You may want to add arrows pointing at the various features as he speaks.
Even with very small models, such as the miniatures used in tabletop gaming, their ability to impress in ways that CG can only hope for is very evident. At least when well done. Maybe that gap can be closed with some more advancement in VR tech and its implementations (imagine through VR, being able to walk the deck of Olympia at the Battle of Manilla Bay). Or so I hope.
Personally I think that the reason well made models are so impressive in person, is because of just that, your personal point of view of them, which you can change on a whim. Even with a CG model that you can manipulate with a mouse or whatnot, the perspective will always be somewhat forced and alien as well as being decidedly obvious as a projection, since it is on an obvious screen. Not to mention that even if simple, the controls put another layer of separation between you and what you are viewing/manipulating.
edit: I love that along with showcasing the ancient city, this model can be used to show how our understanding has changed over the years. Such as with the bit about the aqueduct at 5:00
Wow. That is so amazing!
It really is! We've been wanting to share this one!
This is the most awesome thing I've seen in a long, long time! I'm a sucker for scale models, but I believe this is inspiring to all.
Thank you very much for making this video. I'm finally able to see where the images I've seen floating around in books for decades have come from.
You're very welcome!
An astonishing level of detail.
Now that is about as accurate a model of the city of ancient Rome as is possible. Fantastic detail, and very accurate models of the coliseum, the elevated waterways, the temples and courts, and the roman public baths. Excellent work!😊
Darius Arya is one of the people that influenced me getting back into History. Thank you sir for the work you do. You are appreciated
Holy cow, that is awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it!
Oh my...this is amazing, thank u
First saw this in my Latin textbook in 1962. Never forgot it for a moment. The Romans and their civilization is still with us today.
Would be amazing to actually see these structures still standing the awe and inspiration would be immense
Imagine the smell, the great smoking reek of the warm heaving city rising up to the flying observer.
I saw this quite some time ago. It's in the EUR area of Rome, which was the 'new city' built in the '30s during Mussolini's time, reflecting the Fascist architecture that was so prevalent at the time. It was fabulous to see this incredible model, though at the time it needed a good dusting and better lighting. There are a couple of photo posters of the model available all over Rome, which is where I first found out about it. The EUR area is very interesting in its own right and well worth the short train trip. By chance or intention, EUR was used as the Allied HQ when Rome was liberated in 1944.
Wonderful stuff!
The Circus Maximus looks amazing! It must have been incredible to experience a day at the chariot-races there!
Totally! This model does the venue justice.
Amazing. Thank you.
happy to share!
Simply amazing!
Amazing, I have not the words, this was before the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution,
At its peak. Rome had about 6 million inhabitants. That number was never surpased until london in 1890s!!.
@@aetius7139 Yet another great loss
Wow! Thank you for these awesome videos sir! I keep watching them. You are the best guid and historian about Rome and Roman culture in Italy. I visited there three times in my life. And love to go there next holiday as well. Good luck and thank you so much!
Thank you - our goal is to share and inform. We have so much more to share, of course, as we've accumulated a wealth of experiences.
Scaled models of buildings, towns and cities, I always loved them. They give a good perspective. This particular model I find particularly impressive but have only seen it on photos and film. Wanting to see it in real life I never knew its name or location. Thanks for telling me, and for the fine tour. Now access to it should be open when I return to Rome in a couple of years. Cheers.
This is my first time seeing this. It's awesome.
The patience and persistence to make this model is incomprehensible!
This should be preserved as a great work of craftmanship on its own
The camera person did a great job on the detail shots. Loved the heavy depth of field, and what I'm guessing was manual focusing.
Film students, over a decade ago.
I saw it in 2010, took loads of pics of it to help me make sense of the ruin we see today. It really helps as much as any CGI rendering in understanding the context of what you see now in Rome.
That is AWESOME!!!
They should put glass over it to protect it and to offer people to walk over it to see it better.
Thanks
A splendid model the attention to detail is incredible. I have seen pictures of it in books on Rome . I wonder what would be different with the newer discoveries that have occured in the last nearly one hundred years .
Wait til you see it in person!
Thank you Darius. I NEVER saw this when visiting Rome. Darn! So much to see in that city and not enough time on simple short visits. I suppose one has to do what you do: move there (in my case, for a couple of months)
Glad you enjoyed it! You'll have to wait until 2025 to see it in person. We last saw it in 2014 or so...
@@AncientRomeLive Thank you. You mean it is closed to public until 2025?
Right On
Fantastic.
thats insane. stunning
I think this model is more impressive than any 3d model, thanks for sharing professor🤝
Our pleasure
Blown away!
Wonderful!
Many thanks!
This is the coolest thing I have seen for ages... recreations of the day Pixies first used steel guitar picks doesn't have a patch on this!!!!
The most impressive model of anything
This needs a full 3D scan and VR
HOLY COW, that is incredible
Amazing. Happy it will be soon reopened.
I hope so too... 2025 seems realistic from what we've heard.
@@AncientRomeLive Yes. I hope they will decide and find funds to make a newer version of it on the same scale.With today's technology. That would be even more awesome after almost a century.
@@pile333i would really be interested in starting an online project with loads of people, 3d moddeling and printing buildings and then bringing evertying togethet
Would be amazing another version with 1 moment before that modern and one for present day
Cât de frumoasă era Roma antică! Orașele de astăzi,inclusiv Roma nu se compară cu arhitectura minunată de altădată din Roma antică!
I want another ac set in Rome using this to make the scale 1:1
There also a model in MGM's QUO VADIS some years ago.
Wow they even made my old house‼️
Brilliant Artists and Historians!
astounding
amazing!
I’d give anything to be able to go back in time and visit Ancient Rome. Better brush up on my Latin though. Can you imagine walking the streets in Ancient Rome watching all the street vendors haggle prices with customers and gorgeous architecture or seeing the soldiers marching and following them to distant lands like ancient Britannia or Isreal. My imagination runs wild at thinking of what it would be like. Roman history and life in the empire fascinates me. It’s my favourite part of history.
If you see a Spanish city from above, like Seville, Zaragoza, Toledo an others, or some Italian one, it is literally the 'same layout', streets, walks, districts, parks and layout of some buildings, even in the style of residential buildings.
Dios! ¡Que hermoso trabajo!
Unfortunately the museum has been closed for renovation work since 2014 (typical for Italy). Not because they can't find workers, because they can't find the money anymore. I live in Rome
Great.
I’m still waiting for someone to make a virtual Ancient Rome to explore, preferably in vr
I need Doraemon's shrink ray to shrink myself and then roam around that Rome model
spectaculare!