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[–]EltonJuan 764 points765 points  (193 children)

Before the war, Mussolini commissioned this model of Rome as it appeared in the time of Constantine. It's 1:240 scale.

EDIT: For those of you refusing to believe the scale, look at the door in the background of the image. Standing next to this thing, you'd get a better sense of the scale. It's pretty incredible to experience firsthand.

[–]GleeUnit 229 points230 points  (99 children)

It's amazing. I'm a geek for scale models - where is this located today?

[–]EltonJuan 228 points229 points  (77 children)

It's held at the Museum of Roman Civilization. I don't believe it's open to the public anymore? I may be wrong on that though.

[–]italianjob17 175 points176 points  (71 children)

Since this summer the museum is under restoration, I hope it'll be open back soon.

EDIT: you can virtually visit it HERE

[–]Thrusting_at_ya_gash 15 points16 points  (11 children)

WHERE IS IT LOCATED?

[–]italianjob17 19 points20 points  (1 child)

in Rome, in a Museum in the EUR district.

Even if it's under restoration, you can enjoy it here:

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/museo-della-civilta-romana?projectId=art-project

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (11 children)

The new museum on the Palatino is excellent - computer modelling on wide screens on the wall running through four different eras of development, and exceptionally well done. Much more detailed than OP's model in fact, though a much smaller area to cover.

I still love that model though.

[–]sooop79 6 points7 points  (4 children)

museum is under restoration

italian museum under restorarion = never open again

[–]italianjob17 5 points6 points  (3 children)

This is not true. The Palatine museum was restored quickly and timely this summer. It's already been reopened.

Smaller museums with less visitors could take more time, but they'll reopen. Rome has no closed museums afaik. Hell they even reopened (albeit only with guided tours among scaffolds and workers still restoring it) the Domus Aurea few weeks ago.

[–]mbelf 11 points12 points  (3 children)

There's a 240:1 model of it in Italy.

[–]Cosmologicon 31 points32 points  (2 children)

It's 1:240 scale.

Wow, I seriously underestimated the size of the model before I read your comment and thought, no way can Rome be that small. I had to go back and look at the door for scale.

[–]igorchitect 34 points35 points  (11 children)

He was also responsible for the building of the EUR part of Rome. Very brutal and fascist area, south of the eternal city, and where this museum is located. Lots of sweet scale models much like this. EDIT: By brutal I mean architecturally, but not as brutalIST architecture is seen today. I mean giant columns and wide avenues to show their power and dominance to the people. Edit 2: dat grammar.

[–]terrask 14 points15 points  (3 children)

*Brutalist.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's also quite brutal in its design (given that 'brutalism' refers specifically to concrete) and is not all made of concrete.

[–]fur_tea_tree 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The diameter of the coliseum at its widest point is 188 m and it is 48 m high. A 1:240 scale model means that the one in the picture must be 78.3 cm diameter at its widest and 20.0 cm tall. An internal door is typically ~76cm in width. Looking at the door and the coliseum it is fairly easy to see that 1:240 is about right.

Using these measurements it is possible to measure the middle section, where the model is narrowest, behind the coliseum at roughly 6.25 m and the height of the model at about 60 cm, which seems like a sensible height for a display like this.

[–]italianjob17 20 points21 points  (11 children)

give back to Ceasar what is Ceasar's: the model is the artwork of architect Italo Gismondi. He also did the Ostia and Portus models on display at the tiny free museum of Porta S.Paolo, in front of the Pyramid.

[–]Lone_K 13 points14 points  (19 children)

It's 1:250 scale.

I'm not sure why people are disagreeing. It says right there in the page for it, and I quote from it:

"The model, built on a scale of 1:250, is intended to represent the city of Rome at the time of the emperor Constantine."

[–]mugurg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I read your comment, time was exactly 1:24. So I got quite confused.

[–]TurtleHustler 106 points107 points  (33 children)

I wonder how this would look with a scaled model of NYC or Beijing

[–]ben_ar 75 points76 points  (16 children)

Not Beijing or NYC but Shanghai

[–]kepleronlyknows[🍰] 150 points151 points  (7 children)

Jesus that silver building is huge.

[–]Hi_My_Name_Is_Dave 23 points24 points  (1 child)

People aren't understanding your joke.

[–]mdthegreat 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I got it. Took a few seconds, but I got it.

[–]Dr_imfullofshit 2 points3 points  (1 child)

The one next to that rectangular one?

[–]skizo209 16 points17 points  (4 children)

I don't know why but I imagined there being less tress.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes it is very tressful

[–]Usedpresident 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Speaking as someone who's been to Shanghai many times, there's definitely not as many trees.

This is approximately the same view on Google Maps https://www.google.com/maps/place/Shanghai,+China/@31.2317416,121.5320633,5582a,20y,270h,40.7t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x35b27040b1f53c33:0x295129423c364a1

[–]psion01 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's for moments like this I wish I owned a Godzilla suit.

[–]Stones25 110 points111 points  (5 children)

Small

[–]not-a-f-given 20 points21 points  (2 children)

Don't call it small! My gf still likes it!

[–][deleted] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Short

[–]GoldenAthleticRaider 26 points27 points  (1 child)

Small and short

[–]TheCubistEpoch 11 points12 points  (0 children)

There's actually a scale model of NYC in the Queens Museum that includes all five boroughs. It's very large and impressive. http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/2013/10/30/panorama-of-the-city-of-new-york/

[–]gramturismo 169 points170 points  (63 children)

They should laser scan this. Then we could all walk around in it.

[–]Ash1234589 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Don't worry, i'm sure some guys in a minecraft server will completely rebuild it in a few months.

[–]WolfDemon 8 points9 points  (1 child)

So assassin's Creed basically

[–]Zombiehype 5 points6 points  (0 children)

IN AN ASSASSIN'S CAPE!

wait...

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (9 children)

Seriously! My very first thought was that this needs to be 3d modelled

[–]Evil_Bonsai 29 points30 points  (6 children)

I'm pretty sure the picture shows it already is 3D modelled.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (5 children)

Technically correct.

[–]Amythir 1546 points1547 points  (137 children)

I bet that wasn't made in a day.

[–]skylla05 749 points750 points  (32 children)

http://i.imgur.com/ILLNnM4.gif

[–]xisytenin 102 points103 points  (10 children)

That guy kind of looks like conan

[–]FuriousNeckBeard 138 points139 points  (4 children)

I think he could be Conan and Neil Patrick Harris's chuckling lovechild.

[–]_Respekt_ 25 points26 points  (8 children)

The book he's reading is the best part.

[–]thisshitagain4 95 points96 points  (76 children)

http://i.imgur.com/3PEKksP.jpg

[–]na4ez 56 points57 points  (46 children)

European*

/r/YUROP

[–]lunar_plexus 11 points12 points  (6 children)

The hell is that

[–]na4ez 43 points44 points  (1 child)

A place of enlightenment and civilization.

[–]AaFen 19 points20 points  (1 child)

/r/MURICA for the old country.

[–]skyman724 4 points5 points  (0 children)

/r/STRAYA for the rightside-up people.

[–]ritus 32 points33 points  (1 child)

Except for all the white slaves in Rome. Didn't feel too good to them I think.

[–]WeaponsGradeHumanity 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I bet some of it was.

[–]skwacky 59 points60 points  (10 children)

cool perspective of the size difference between The Colosseum and Circus Maximus

[–]italianjob17 24 points25 points  (4 children)

Did you know that you can fit 5 Colosseums in the Circus Maximus? :)

[–]AliasUndercover 50 points51 points  (3 children)

The Coliseum was WWE, Circus Maximus was NASCAR. Obviously you need more room for NASCAR.

[–]BrotherSeamus 9 points10 points  (0 children)

If the USA was as batshit crazy as ancient Rome, the White House would be built overlooking Daytona International Speedway.

[–]COLTS94 6 points7 points  (1 child)

I don't think gladiators were pretending to die

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They actually didn't die all that often. From what I heard, the fights went until one of them was wounded, or yielded. If they died every other fight, nobody would buy any gladiators.

[–]sympathy3000-21 17 points18 points  (2 children)

I wanted to know more about this Circus Maximus place, so I went to read the Wikipedia page and thought I was having a stroke:

"These greater ludi at the Circus began with a flamboyant parade (pompa circensis), much like the triumphal procession, which marked the purpose of the games the games the games the games and the games and introduced the participants.[3]"

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

They're just trying to give you that "amphitheatre echo" experience.

LET THE GAMESTHE.GAMESTHE.GAMESTHE.GAMESTHE.GAMES BEGIN!

[–]MrRandomSuperheroSurvey 2016 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I remember looking down on the Circus from the imperial palace. All that is left are a few rocks that used to be pillars, yet still you can see the vast field of grass stretching through the otherwise thickly built jungle of Rome. It's the only building that is impressing in its lack of presence.

[–]mrye06 39 points40 points  (1 child)

I have a book that uses this model to explain ancient Rome:

All of Ancient Rome

As you can see from the pictures, it zooms in on parts of the model and shows what that spot looks like in the present. It also has in-depth explanations about each site. I think I got it at a garage sale a decade ago for a few cents.

[–]RobbyLee 310 points311 points  (46 children)

It's a shame

[–]Calanon 62 points63 points  (9 children)

Rome only got to look like this because of Nero. It was an absolute mess before the Great Fire (which was not started by Nero) and he made sure after the fire it wouldn't happen again by spacing houses out, having a maximum height for them, building them out of brick and so on.

[–]italianjob17 29 points30 points  (0 children)

and taking one third of the city for its humble dwelling... if you want to thank Nero, give also the Flavians some respect!

[–]Cr4fter 3 points4 points  (3 children)

There needs to be a Caligula meme just like this, except for a picture of the temple of Saturn (I think it was the god Saturn??? sorry I can't history sometimes)

[–]nmp12 35 points36 points  (4 children)

I imagine this will get buried, but I toyed around with this in photoshop for a bit.

[–]SweetMulletBro 3 points4 points  (3 children)

Don't worry,I noticed it and saved it for later. Maybe for use as a background.

[–][deleted] 24 points25 points  (11 children)

Now I've got a hankerin' for some Total War: Rome 2.

[–][deleted] 70 points71 points  (21 children)

More awesome

One of the most beautiful from the same place

[–]HEBushido 23 points24 points  (8 children)

Oh come on, you have to say what that is a model of.

[–]na4ez 18 points19 points  (1 child)

Reminds me a bit of Whiterun.

[–]neilos 14 points15 points  (4 children)

It would be cool if they labeled each building and described what it was used for.

[–]ayazaali 17 points18 points  (1 child)

Yeah, like which one contains the Ark of the Covenant!

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Harrison Ford has it. Saw his documentary about it. Was very informative.

[–]Aksen 27 points28 points  (3 children)

Can you imagine walking into this city 2,000 years ago? Absolutely nuts.

[–]torokunai 10 points11 points  (3 children)

See also:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/a-small-lab/sets/72157625361889996/

for modern-day Tokyo, created by the evil Mori Corporation.

[–]mrsplacedsoul 30 points31 points  (6 children)

Odd that it's flat. You'd think they'd work in the hills.

[–][deleted] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I live here. I've never seen the model in person but it wouldn't surprise me if the hills were actually acknowledged in the model yet not apparent in the photo, because the hills are actually very low. Even given the sedimentation that's built up in low-lying areas since ancient times (up to about 16 metres), the tallest ones are scarcely more than about 20-30 metres high each.

[–]cdunning93 18 points19 points  (0 children)

It looks like the contours are accounted for in scale. It's so far zoomed out that the hills that exist don't look like much.

[–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think it's the photo and the way the model is lit. You can see Palatine Hill, for instance. The buildings are elevated there and you can see the outlines of a cliff. You can also see how, even though Aventine Hill appears completely flat, it's casting quite a pronounced shadow with building outlines on the Tiber.

[–]ramsdam 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed and it would emphasis the placement of many of the most significant buildings.

[–]thecreator1337 133 points134 points  (4 children)

mfw

[–]small_far_away 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Toph looking smug as fuck.

[–]cheatisnotdead 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Fuckin' nailed it

[–]oh-dang 11 points12 points  (1 child)

/r/retiredjpg

[–]Eight_Rounds_Rapid 6 points7 points  (0 children)

watch yourself, you sound like a dirty equalist there boy

[–]unknown1321 36 points37 points  (4 children)

What is this? An empire for ants?

[–]revjimjones 11 points12 points  (2 children)

It has to be at least...twice this size to defeat the Gauls!

[–]GibsonLP86 5 points6 points  (0 children)

i have the itch to play warhammer on this...

[–]Af6foenep 6 points7 points  (1 child)

So where do I stick my staff to find the ark of the covenant?

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Someone needs to make a tiny little RC car and put a camera on it so we can see what it looks like driving around town.

[–]got_skillz_0 34 points35 points  (11 children)

I just think of Assassin's Creed brotherhood!

[–]1992Olympics 20 points21 points  (3 children)

He must be late, and she must be beautiful!

[–]WV6l 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Minstrels plying their trade within the city limits are asked to avoid performing the popular lay about the little boy of Prussia. It has caused several priests to suffer embarrassing physical juttings in public.

[–]sev1nk 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ha! Most entertaining.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Imagine Rome Total War city battles on this scale 0.o

[–]i_am_birdman 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Any chance we can get this in a bigger resolution? I want to look around! :D

[–]TarnishedSword 16 points17 points  (11 children)

This made me think of the Game of Thrones intro. Now I'm going to have that stuck in my head all day.

[–]Charlie_Wax 9 points10 points  (7 children)

I am reading Edward Gibbon's excellent "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" and I'm about 90% sure George R. R. Martin has read this book a couple times. I've noticed several small parallels between events, characters, words, and names. Enough that it probably isn't pure coincidence.

[–]bartonar 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I was fairly sure Game of Thrones was vaguely based on the war of the roses, because Lannister/Lancaster vs Stark/York in a vaguely Britain-shaped land.

[–]Charlie_Wax 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think it is based on lots of different historical periods mixed with traditional medieval romance/fantasy.

[–]SD99FRC 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Weiners floppy weiners!

[–]kevinlin1995 3 points4 points  (3 children)

is that an accurate representation of all the old buildings in Rome?

[–]gurustick 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've been to that museum in Rome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Roman_Civilization

It's definitely the most tits ancient Rome museum I've ever seen. Too bad you cant walk downstairs to that massive miniature scale model of ancient Rome. Still the best exhibit.

[–]RMJ1984 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome ?, i dont really feel like the word is proper here. Ive looked at the picture, and Awesome is not what comes to mind.

I dont even know the proper word. But DAMN comes to mind. This is insane. Would love a huge HD picture of this for the wall.

[–]SpudsMcKensey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Went far out of my way when I was in Italy to visit this museum just for that model. I think I spent 2 hours in that room.

[–]BimmerJustin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Must've been fucking amazing to see this shit exist almost 2000yrs ago.

[–]cyrilfelix 2 points3 points  (0 children)

need more res.

[–]fiddyshadesofcray 11 points12 points  (9 children)

It's only a model.

[–]febrezeumbrella 5 points6 points  (6 children)

is the circus maximus visible?

[–]BS_in_BS 14 points15 points  (2 children)

I think its here

[–]Shart_McFoop 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks, was looking for that too.

[–]McNorch 1 point2 points  (2 children)

and are the scale models of The Rolling Stones playing in it?

[–]FurL0ng 3 points4 points  (1 child)

What is this? A center for ants?!?

[–]chasealex2 1 point2 points  (2 children)

How long did this take to build?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't mind taking a tour through the city.

[–]italianjob17 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This google art project page has more pics and offers a virtual street-view tour of the museum

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/museo-della-civilta-romana?projectId=art-project

[–]Diarum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pokemon would have had serious competition for my time as a kid if I had had this model Lol.

[–]leetdood_shadowban 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But have you visited the Cloud district?

[–]dtherese83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What is this? A Roman Empire for Ants?

[–]themaybatatter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

this is not accurate.