Curiosities of ancient Rome (Reconstructions)

Recreated Roman bust of a man

Circus Maximus was a stadium for chariot races, located in the valley between the mountains of Aventine and Palatine. It was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome. Its length was 621 and width 118 m. The facility could accommodate up to 150,000 spectators.

Music experts recreated the Celtic war horn from the Iron Age. Carnyx was used during the battles between 200 BCE and 200 CE. As Polibius claims, playing the instrument was aimed at increasing the morale of the warriors and intimidating the enemy army.

In Mas des Tourelles, in the south of France, a group of archaeologists has spent 20,000 dollars to restore the 1800-year-old largest winery in Gaul. It was opened in the early 90s of the twentieth century. Today a bottle of wine is sold there for around $12.

Painted bust of Marcus Agrippa – a friend and general of Augustus.

In Sydney, Australia, the great LEGO fan, Ryan McNaught made a model of Pompey from LEGO. He needed over 500 hours and over 190, 000 blocks to create his project. This is one of the largest historical model made of LEGO. The mock-up shows an ancient Roman city from the year 79 BCE, from the moment before the Vesuvius eruption.

An attempt to reconstruct the image of Publius Quinctilius Varus, who commanded three Roman legions (XVII, XVIII and XIX) destroyed in the Teutoburg Forest by the Germans under the command of Arminius. As a result of the defeat, legionary eagles were lost, what was a disgrace to the Romans’ honor.

Reconstruction of a Roman mill used for the production of olive oil – known as trapetum. The machine consisted of a large bowl (mortarium), into which olives were falling, which then were crumpled by two half-round stones (orbes).

Using computer technology, the moment of the Vesuvius eruption in 79 CE was recreated – a tragic event during the reign of the Emperor Titus.

Reconstruction of the Roman inkwell and the rilca (stilus). The writing instrument was based on a find from Vindolanda, a Roman camp located in Britain, between the rivers Tyne and Solway. The simplest Romans usually wrote on wooden tablets covered with wax. The wooden plates found in Vindolanda are considered the oldest handwriting in Britain.