Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City Course - University of Reading
DURATION
5 Weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
Key Summary
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Introduction
Explore the architecture and history of Rome, walking around a 3D digital model of the ancient city, with this free online course.
Explore ancient Rome through a unique, historically accurate 3D model.
Take a guided tour around ancient Rome with expert Professor Matthew Nicholls, using his detailed and award-winning 3D digital model of the city. Explore Romeโs architecture and how it was used - how did Romans worship their gods and meet their political masters? How was drinking water supplied to the cityโs million inhabitants? Moving seamlessly between footage of contemporary Rome and the digital model (including interactive elements), youโll explore these questions and much more.
Use this insight to inform your own encounters with the eternal city and the study of ancient history more generally.
When would you like to start?
Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts.
- Date to be announced
Who will you learn with?
Matthew Nicholls
Dr Matthew Nicholls is a Roman historian at the University of Reading, specialising in the 3D reconstruction of ancient spaces. He also directs the Universityโs Open Online Course programme.
Who developed the course?
University of Reading
The University of Reading has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and enterprise.
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Ideal Students
Who is the course for?
This course is open to anyone with an interest in discovering more about ancient Rome. You might be: planning a visit to the Italian capital; an avid watcher of documentaries on Roman history; or considering studying archaeology, classics or history at university.
Curriculum
What topics will you cover?
Week one: Ancient Rome location and infrastructure
- Geographical and historical overview
- Introduction to the digital model
- Roman building materials and techniques
- The importance of aqueducts and sewers
- Using coins to illustrate the ancient architecture
Week two: Political architecture in Ancient Rome
- The Imperial Fora
- The function and development of the Forum
- Types of monumental architecture
- Using poetry as evidence to investigate the past
Week three: Religious architecture in Ancient Rome
- Overview of Roman religion
- The architecture of the Capitoline Hill
- Developments in Imperial temple architecture
- Worshipping the gods
Week four: Life and Death in Ancient Rome
- Overview of Roman housing
- Food supply in the ancient city
- How the Romans liked to be remembered
- Using inscriptions as evidence to investigate the past
Week five: Bread and circuses (entertainment architecture) in Ancient Rome
- The importance of entertainment for Romeโs rulers
- The architecture and function of theatres and circuses
- Roman baths and bathing
- Using evidence to understand the Colosseum
Program Outcome
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, youโll be able to:
- Explore different categories of building within the city, and the functions they housed.
- Investigate a range of evidence including archaeological remains, coins, literary texts, and inscriptions to learn how we can understand and interpret the ancient past.
- Discuss the way the rulers of Rome used architecture to adorn the city and keep it functioning.
- Experience digital modelling as a way of presenting the ancient past, exploring models on screen and in videos and discussing what they can show us.