Get ready to journey back in time! Flyover Zone, a company founded by archaeologist and digital humanist Dr. Bernard Frischer, has just released version 4.0 of Rome Reborn™, a captivating 3D reconstruction of the entire city of ancient Rome. This remarkable project, a landmark achievement in digital art and education, has been meticulously refined over decades to provide a stunningly detailed and immersive experience.
A Window to the Past
Today, the public can experience this breathtaking reconstruction through Flyover Zone’s virtual tour “Rome Reborn: Flight over Ancient Rome” on their streaming platform, Yorescape™. This virtual journey allows you to soar over the ancient city, marveling at its iconic landmarks. Yorescape offers thirteen other virtual tours, including visits to the Acropolis in Athens and the Tomb of Ramesses VI in Egypt, making it a treasure trove of historical exploration. To celebrate the launch, Flyover Zone is offering a free, one-week trial subscription to Yorescape. It’s the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonders of the ancient world!
Dr. Frischer shares his enthusiasm about the latest version of Rome Reborn, stating, “Yorescape Rome Reborn 4.0 is the result of over 27 years of international collaboration, using digital tools to research cultural history and bring it to life. Through the Flight over Ancient Rome tour, we hope to make learning about this fascinating city engaging and accessible for everyone.”
A Virtual Journey for Everyone
Rome Reborn 4.0 caters to a diverse audience. Teachers can take their students on virtual field trips, transporting them to the heart of ancient civilizations. Armchair travelers can explore the world’s greatest heritage sites from the comfort of their homes. Even those planning a trip to Rome can use Yorescape to prepare for their adventure, enhance their experience while exploring the city, and keep their memories alive long after they’ve returned home.
Dr. Frischer emphasizes that the goal isn’t to replace real-world tourism but to enrich it. Yorescape offers a unique opportunity to experience the magic of history in a way that’s both educational and entertaining.
Rick Steves: A Fan of Virtual Travel
Rick Steves, host of Rick Steves’ Europe on PBS, shares his appreciation for Yorescape and its impact: “We were so grateful to use Yorescape by Flyover Zone for our new public television art series. Their impressive animation allowed us to take our viewers back 2000 years for a vivid glide over ancient Rome. Yorescape helps travelers enjoy such a virtual experience to cultural heritage sites around the world.”
A Collaborative Masterpiece
Rome Reborn 4.0 is the culmination of decades of dedicated work and collaboration. Since 1996, under Dr. Frischer’s guidance, a team of experts in Roman archaeology, computer graphics, and Virtual Reality design have meticulously crafted each version of the project. Previous versions, launched in 2007, 2008, and 2018, have captivated millions of viewers worldwide with their stunning video fly-throughs.
This latest iteration, Rome Reborn 4.0, presents the city at its peak in 320 CE, just before the capital was moved to Constantinople. It paints a vivid picture of a bustling city with approximately one million inhabitants, making it the most populous city in Europe before the 19th century. Visitors to the virtual city will encounter around 7,000 buildings spread over 13.6 square kilometers, all beautifully rendered in dynamic visual splendor.
A Commitment to Accuracy and Innovation
The urban reconstruction is as scientifically accurate as the available evidence allows. The Flyover Zone team continually updates Rome Reborn with new discoveries and interpretations, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive representation of the city.
The “Flight Over Ancient Rome” tour provides a bird’s-eye perspective of the entire digital model, allowing users to soar over iconic landmarks and hear expert descriptions of over 43 monuments, temples, buildings, and sites. Six “Time Warps” are strategically placed throughout the city, allowing users to compare modern-day views with those from antiquity.
A Journey from Idea to Reality
Dr. Frischer’s passion for this project began in 1974 while he was a Rome Prize Fellow in Classics at the American Academy in Rome. During a visit to the Museum of Roman Civilization, he was awestruck by a physical model of ancient Rome. This experience ignited his imagination, and a few years later, he presented the idea of digitizing the model for a virtual tour at a private conference held at Apple Computer.
The project truly took flight in 1996 with the formation of an international advisory council. From 2002 to 2004, Dr. Frischer led a team to scan the physical model at the Museum of Roman Civilization. This data gave birth to the first version of Rome Reborn, which was launched in 2007 with great fanfare in Rome’s City Hall. Each subsequent version, launched in 2008 and 2018, brought further enhancements and refinement to the digital city.
Embracing New Technologies
Rome Reborn 4.0 is the result of advancements in computer graphics, allowing the Flyover team to achieve unprecedented photorealism. Recent archaeological discoveries have also enabled the team to enrich the city with new and updated recreations of important monuments, including the Baths of Caracalla, the Capitoline Hill temples, and the theater district’s iconic structures.
The project has been a true collaborative effort, involving renowned scholars from around the world. These experts, each with their unique knowledge and expertise, have contributed significantly to the authenticity and accuracy of Rome Reborn.
Flyover Zone: A Leader in Digital Archaeology
Flyover Zone was founded by Dr. Frischer in 2015 with the goal of bringing the wonders of digital archaeology and virtual tourism to a global audience. Dr. Frischer, a respected scholar in Classics, has a long and distinguished career in academia, having served on faculty at UCLA, the University of Virginia, and now at Indiana University, where he founded the first doctoral program in Virtual Heritage in the United States.
His passion for the ancient world and innovative use of technology have made him a true pioneer in the field of digital archaeology. He has played a significant role in making historical knowledge accessible to everyone, paving the way for future generations to engage with the past in new and exciting ways.
Rome Reborn 4.0 is a testament to the transformative power of digital technology. This groundbreaking project invites us to explore the wonders of ancient Rome, fostering a deeper understanding of its history, culture, and enduring legacy.
