On Thursday, Rome authorities inaugurated a new archaeological park and museum near the Colosseum, featuring an original marble map of Ancient Rome that visitors can literally walk over.
The unveiling of the Archaeological Park of the Celio and the new Museum of the Forma Urbis is part of a broader initiative to develop the hilly area surrounding the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Colosseum, housing the remains of ancient temples and gymnasiums.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri presided over the opening of the archaeological garden and museum, walking across the preserved map fragments of the renowned Forma Urbis Romae.
The colossal marble plan of Ancient Rome, originally measuring about 18 meters by 13 meters (18 yards by 13 yards), was engraved between 203 and 211 A.D. during Emperor Septimius Severus’s reign, the Associated Press reported.
Initially displayed on a wall of the Roman Forum, only around a tenth of the map survives today, with its last public viewing occurring roughly a century ago.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 