Three-dimensional video reconstructions of ancient cities, now completely changed or completely disappeared, have recently become an important component of historical science. Computer technologies make it possible to restore in detail the lost monuments of architecture and entire settlements. They serve as "visual aids" that allow you to get a comprehensive idea of what Alexandria and Babylon, Ancient Rome and the cities of ancient Greece were like, to learn how Egypt developed and how Paris began.
Archi.ru presents a selection of the most interesting videos-reconstructions:
Ancient civilizations Ancient Rome
AD 320
It took about 10 years to create a 3D model called Rome Reborn. Since 1997, the Institute of High Technology and Humanities at the University of Virginia, the University of California, the Polytechnic University of Milan, the University of Bordeaux III and the University of Caen have collaborated on the project. The digital model shows Rome as it was - judging by the data collected by historians - in 320 AD. This is the period when Rome has already reached its peak of development. The population of the city by that time was about a million people, the first Christian churches had already been built. The video allows you to see the city from a bird's eye view and even look inside some buildings - the Colosseum, the Senate or the Basilica of Emperor Maxentius.
The 3D model is based on many years of archaeological and other types of historical research, as well as the Plastico di Roma Antica model, presented in the Museum of Roman Civilization. Read more on the official website of the project.
Corinth
2nd century AD
The creative team "History in 3D" - Danila Loginov, Andrey Zharov and Vyacheslav Derbenev worked on the creation of a video reconstruction of ancient Greek Corinth. The ancient city, which is more than two and a half thousand years old, was located 7 km from the modern city of the same name, at the foot of Mount Acrocorinth. The video shows Corinth as it is supposed to have been in the 2nd century AD - during its heyday as part of the Roman Empire. The video allows you to look at the city from a bird's eye view, see the high fortress walls, walk along the cobbled streets. The central part of Corinth, the square with the Pyrene fountain, the Temple of Apollo, the agora, the Roman theater have been worked out in detail. The basis for such a detailed reconstruction was archaeological research, coins with images of Corinthian buildings and written evidence.
In addition to Corinth, the team also reconstructed Ancient Rome, Sevastopol in 1914 and others.
Carthage
Punic and Roman periods
A short film about Carthage, as it was before the destruction by the Romans, was created by the famous French television magazine Des Racines et des ailes. Carthage, founded in 814 BC e., was located in the north of Africa, on the shores of the Gulf of Tunis. A detailed video reconstruction compares the 3D model of the ancient city with the ruins preserved on the territory of modern Tunisia. Particular attention in the video is given to the Carthaginian harbor with the admiral (Suffet) island. Shown is a canal over 20 meters wide, connecting the commercial harbor with the sea. The city itself has been recreated in detail with all the main monuments of the Punic and partly Roman periods.
Babylon
VII - IV centuries. BC e
A 3D reconstruction of Babylon created by Byzantium 1200 for an exhibition on Mesopotamia held in 2013 at the Royal Museum of Ontario, Canada. The developers of the video are a non-commercial project primarily engaged in computer reconstruction of lost Byzantine monuments of the 13th century. A short video tour of ancient Babylon allows you to see its main streets, main temples and one of the seven wonders of the world - the Hanging Gardens.
Alexandria
51 BC e
Alexandria, the second largest city in modern Egypt, located on the Mediterranean coast, was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. e. The developers of the site ancientvine.com undertook to reconstruct the majestic city of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Based on the latest research and theories of the famous archaeologist Franck Goddio, it was possible to accurately reproduce the port and one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World - the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Alexandria is shown in its heyday - 51 BC. e. The capital of Egypt and an important trading port, it remained until a series of earthquakes and tsunamis, due to which the city fell into decay. Today Alexandria serves as the main seaport of Egypt.
Palmyra
Video reconstruction of Palmyra was developed by the team of the publishing house Al-Aous Publishers and the Syrian Cultural Institute in 2009. Historians and archaeologists began to actively study one of the largest ancient cities in the Middle East only in the middle of the 20th century. Based on the study of the surviving monuments, written sources, etc. managed not only to make a video, but also to release a book about Palmyra.
In the light of recent events, specialists in different cities and countries of the world are working on the creation of new and more detailed virtual models of Palmyra. According to IA TASS, volunteers of the State Hermitage will also develop a 3D model of the city destroyed in Syria. They will present the results of their work at an exhibition dedicated to the heritage of Syria by the St. Petersburg museum.
Mayan civilization
The film was created by Mathias Kohlschmidt and the Maya-3d team. The history of the peoples and cultures related to the Mayan civilization is more than 2500 years old. Cities and settlements covered the territories of modern Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, the southeastern states of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula. On the basis of archaeological research of the monuments of architecture and history that have survived to this day, it was possible to recreate the approximate appearance of the ancient Mayan cities, to show the decor of buildings and their interior decoration.
The disappeared cities of Pompeii
The publishing project Archeolibri has released a documentary - a virtual trip to the ancient Roman city of Pompeii during its heyday. The city was located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, but was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. A three-dimensional reconstruction, based on archaeological data from well-researched Pompeii (excavations began there in the 18th century), will allow you to see the city before destruction, walk through the basilica, look into temples, baths and a theater.
Amaya
The ruins of Amaya are located in Portugal in the Sierra de San Mamede Natural Park. This city was founded in the 1st century. n. e. on the territory of the then Roman province of Lusitania. But in the period from the 5th to the 9th centuries. the city fell into decay and was gradually abandoned. Serious archaeological research of the Roman city began only in 1994. Since 2007, he headed the University of Évora together with a consortium of institutions from other European countries. The research was carried out using modern technologies that make it possible to understand the structure of the city that remains under the layer of the earth, without excavation and other methods potentially dangerous for monuments. Based on the data obtained, the Radio-Past team managed to make a 3D reconstruction, recreating not only the streets and facades, but also the interior space of many iconic buildings.
Pergamum
Pergamum, an ancient city in the west of Asia Minor, was realistically and historically accurately recreated in 3D by German specialists led by Clemens Poblotzki. The film depicts a now extinct city founded in the 12th century. BC e. During its heyday, it was a major economic and cultural center. Today only ruins on the northwestern outskirts of the modern Turkish city of Bergam have survived. The three-dimensional model allows you to imagine what the famous Acropolis of Pergamon, located on the terraces of a high hill, the palaces of local kings, the citadel, the arsenal, the Temple of Athena with the Pergamon Library adjoining it, and the altar of Zeus were like (now most of it can be seen in the Berlin Pergamon Museum) …
Europe in the Middle Ages and Early Modern London
17th century
Six sophomore students from De Montfort University developed a model of London that preserved its medieval appearance until the Great Fire of 1666. Their team, Pudding Lane Productions, won a competition organized by the British Library and Crytek, a computer game development company, and thus won the right to implement their project. The result is a three-minute video based on historical maps and engravings of mid-17th century London from the British Library collection. Realistic animation shows several detailed streets along the eastern wall of the city, including the Pudding Lane area.
The details of the project and the stages of work are described in detail in the blog of the authors.
Bologna
XIII century
Medieval Bologna was the cultural and historical center of Europe. This city is still home to the oldest university in Europe, founded in 1088, and several ancient stone towers from those that once filled the entire city. The panorama of Bologna, which still retains its medieval spirit, was reconstructed by Daniel Rampulla and the Sotto Le Torri studio. More information can be found on the Tower and Power project website.
Bergen
XIV century
The second largest city in Norway, second only to the capital, Oslo, was founded in the 11th century, and in the middle of the 14th century, during the period shown in the video, it was the most important trade center of Northern Europe, a large Hanseatic city. The authors of the video, archaeologist Ragnar L. Børsheim and historical visualization specialists Arkikon, superimpose the modern city on the medieval one to show how over the past centuries Bergen has moved towards the sea with the help of alluvial territories. The video also shows in detail the medieval wooden houses, which are not at all similar to those that have survived to this day, temples, streets, and, of course, the port.
Paris
At all times
The history of Paris goes back more than two millennia. During this time, the city has come a long way of development from a small Celtic and Roman settlement called Lutetia to a modern metropolis, one of the most important cities in the world. One of the most beautiful virtual tours covers the most significant stages in the development and formation of Paris for all centuries. Starting with a tiny village of 52 BC, the filmmakers have consistently recreated the Gallo-Roman period, the Middle Ages, New and Modern times. The three-dimensional reconstruction allows you to see with your own eyes how the Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre, Bastille, and the Eiffel Tower were built. The film was created by the Paris 3D team. And the film itself can be look here.
*** A separate three-dimensional reconstruction of historical cities is also devoted to selection of videos on one of the Youtube channels.
