Rome Reborn: Basilica of Maxentius

An achivement worthy of its subject

The Basilica of Maxentius is perhaps the most imposing monument in the Roman Forum area, but it also the most enigmatic: as an archaeologist and university instructor, I regularly take students into it but struggle to convey its importance in the urban fabric of the early 4th century because there is hardly anything left to see. The Rome Reborn app brings the building to life in an immediate and impressive way, allowing the user to appreciate the soaring vaults, lavish decoration, and massive acrolithic statue of Constantine (in the Capitoline Museums) in its original setting. Two suggestions for improvement: (1) add at least one user position on the north and south second-floor terraces, allowing views over the city in both directions and (2) add commentary by archaeologists, historians, and/or architectural historians to replace the Smarthistory conversation-commentaries, which fall far short of the intellectual level of the model.

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