The Rome in 3D project, a virtual reconstruction of ancient Rome at its architectural maximum in the 4th century, has released two new engrossing videos: a flythrough of the Circus Maximus and of the center of the Eternal City after it was sacked by the Visigoths under Alaric in 410 A.D. Both of these videos are unusual among the Rome in 3D oeuvre.

The Circus Maximus has a voiceover narration (a transcript accompanies it in the YouTube description) describing what we know about the great arena and its use. It’s still a work in progress, so there are some areas and textures that aren’t quite finished. Even so, it’s a magnificent Ben-Hur-from-the-sky turn around the top sports arena in the ancient world. The main features — like the obelisks on the spina — are beautifully detailed.

The Rome in 410 video is the first Rome in 3D video to shows the enormous damage Rome suffered when things went wrong instead of showing the city at its brightest and shiniest. It is a slower walk through the Roman Forum that shows how selected sites looked before and after the Visigoths tore through them.

This video is the premiere episode of a larger planned series dedicated to the destruction of Rome in the end times of the Western Roman Empire. It will illustrate how the city’s public buildings crumbled and were rebuilt in new form, transitioning into the medieval city.

Rome in 3D is part of a wider History in 3D project that has been many years in the making. It is continually expanded and revised as the creative team keeps pace with technology. Their ultimate goal is to create the most detailed and accurate 3D reconstruction of Ancient Rome that can be used as an interactive application on your phone as you walk the streets of Rome today. An animated version will be transformed into a game engine.