With the approach of the 2,000th
anniversary of the death of Augustus, the storied ancient Roman
emperor, historians, archaeologists and technicians have come
together to take the public inside his world.
Forum of Augustus, A Journey Through History, which opened
this week and continues until September 18, also comes as Rome
marks its 2,767th birthday.
The event aims to illuminate Rome's ancient Forum of
Augustus through film, animated images, and sound three times
nightly.
The show involves a system of projectors casting images of
ancient structures onto the marble and stone walls which are
still standing in the Forum, with narration via headphones in
six languages: Italian, English, French, Russian, Spanish and
Japanese.
"Stones can talk and tell many stories," that will be rich
in scientific and historical detail illuminating the period,
promise organizers.
Part of the 40-minute presentation will focus on the
ancient temple dedicated to Mars the Avenger, constructed by
Augustus to honour the memory of his great-uncle Julius Caesar
following his assassination in 42 BC.
Images will recreate this temple that stood as tall as a
nine-storey building and dominated the Forum, while nearby stood
an enormous statue of Augustus himself, which likely soared 12
meters high, although only a small part remains.
"The temple was dedicated to Mars Ultor (the Avenger), the
god of war, who represented peace through power," said Claudio
Parisi Presicce, Rome's superintendent of archaeology.
"The work of (technical creators) Paco Lanciano and Piero
Angela, the visual and virtual reconstruction of the Forum and
all its decorations, reconstructs the daily life of ancient
Romans in a public space like this," he added.
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