Trajan's markets, Rome
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Thanks for the link, Paul (and Kris, who posted it in its own thread). So this thing was largely based on the Plastico model? I seem to recall that this masterpiece of modelbuilding was begun in 1933 as part of the Fascist regimes' "New Rome" propaganda, although it wasn't "finished" until the mid 1970's. Is it still considered accurate? Matthew, do you know?
--Lewis
(Incidentally, I'm just an architect with an interest in antiquity, a hobby really...Matthew and Gaieus are the pros is this field.)
Poster: Lewis Wadsworth
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Thanks for the link. This is an interesting project. It's connected to a very detailed, super-realistic reconstruction of the Roman Forum that the same team has been producing for a while - see here:
http://dlib.etc.ucla.edu/projects/Forum/search
This is a fine piece of work, rigorous, scholarly, and no doubt producing huge models made by teams of researchers and modellers.
The link seems to be describing something different, a simpler model of the whole city made from scans of Gismondi's plastico which, as you say, is now getting elderly.
As it happens I've been trying this week to make a city-sized Rome terrain within which to set detailed models of individual buildings. If I had the resources of this team I'd be tempted to solve this challenge in the same way; the Gismondi model is ready-made, and based on accurate topographical data and much archaeology, and it does give a great impression of the city as a whole. But it is only an impression; beyond the rough road layout not much is known of the vast majority of day-to-day buildings in Rome, and among the great monuments of which decent archaeological remains survive much has been done in the decades since this 'plastico' was made to alter the reconstructions it offers. The new excavations in the imperial fora, for instance, are turning up all sorts of major and minor alterations.
So it's a starting point, and I'm sure Prof. Frischer's team has done and will do a lot to update it, but it must involve reconstructive guesswork.
I love the applications they predict for this. I've heard Prof. Frischer lecture on the same subject - the potential for study material, virtual tours, even one day some sort of immersive VR experience on-site via a hired headset or handheld device is enormous.All best wishes,
Matthew.
Poster: MCN2304
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Often true that when lacking exact archaeological data (and this is pretty much the case in every "modern" city with antique origin) you need to do some "guesswork" in order to be able to visualize an ancient settlement. That's what I did with my "Gothic" project and what I will have to do when trying to make a visual assumption how my town may have looked like in Roman times. Fortunately the most precious parts (the early Christian cenetery buildings) of it are around the cathedral and that area is not too densely built in.
As for Rome and the "old, museum model" itself, I think the main point is not necessarily archaeological accuracy but to give the visitor an impression how "impressive" the city was in the imperial period. Surely when having relevant data about a site, the better it is to reconstruct it as accurately as posible. But all reconstructions involve some "guessing" from a certain point. How would you reconstruct a building like this in the picture, knowing that it was probably never finished?
I'm still thinking about it. Should I "rebuild" it to the point we are suspecting it was built up or should I guess how it may have looked if they had finished it? Just for visitors, you know, to let them understand.
Nice links from everybody though and interesting sites. Thanks.
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I agree: creating an overall impression of size and grandeur is a useful aim, and I'm sure the big Rome model will do that very well. As long as an explanation is available to viewers that sets out the basis on which the model was made, imaginitive interpretation can really help them visualise a site. If I were you I might make an 'accurate' model and also your 'as if it were finished' model, and allow visitors to compare them.
Poster: MCN2304
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Yes, that's probably what I'm going to do. Besides modelling all 24 buildings we have found so far as they are now - maybe even building the current museum above them. We should start publishing the details anyway soon.
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just to say this thread is quite interesting.
@unknownuser said:
I'm still thinking about it. Should I "rebuild" it to the point we are suspecting it was built up or should I guess how it may have looked if they had finished it? Just for visitors, you know, to let them understand.
both tasks
one can lead to the other
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Well, then I guess I'll have to build both...
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Please could you keep us posted about your progress, Gaieus? I'd be interested to see how your project works out. I had a meeting yesterday with a colleague involved in making a model of a Roman villa for a museum display, and am getting interested in the application of reconstructive modelling in various branches of historical and archaeological studies.
Best regards,
Matthew.
Poster: MCN2304
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Mat, OK, I'll put some kind of a "presentation" together on the web and post the results here. I still need some time to do that, though.
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Hello, can we download the trajan market ?
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Impressive model!
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