The Ancient Splendours of Rome

Centers on the single cultural artifact which best embodies the very pinnacle of Roman ingenuity and ambition - it is the great Colosseum itself. Standing 52 meters tall, with a circumference of 527 meters and a seating capacity of 50,000, and requiring 1 million bricks and 30,000 slaves to complete, it was an architectural miracle that required cutting-edge innovations.

It had been almost like a benevolent guardian, holding the bustling sea port of Pompeii in its strong embrace and sharing its mineral wealth with the farming community, until one day Mt. Vesuvius erupted in a paroxysm of fire and fury, wiping this coastal outcrop of Roman civilization off the map for all eternity. Or so it seemed.