Thursday, May 7, 2009

SOMETHING "REALLY" DIFFERENT TODAY!!!

Most of you who know me know that I'm a history buff extraordinaire. I've taught it, read it, watched it, you name it. I just can't get enough, so. . . when I saw this highlighted on Breaking Christian News this morning, I just had to show it to you! The short article is under the video screen. You can follow the link to the full BBC article, which gives permission to share the video far and wide! (Sorry it's taking up some of my side panel, but this was too good NOT to post!!!)




Rome's Largest Catacomb Digitally Documented; Results "Astonishing"
Teresa Neumann (May 7, 2009)

(Rome, Italy)—Until now, Rome's many 1,800-year-old underground catacombs have never been fully documented. But, following a recent 3-year project by a team of Austrian and Italian archaeologists, architects and computer scientists working to create the "first fully comprehensive three-dimensional image" of the largest catacomb, Saint Domitilla, that has changed.

According to a BBC report, the new, moving, images of this entire underground system have opened up the "beautiful subterranean world in a way that it has never been seen before." (Photo: BBC)

The report notes that the final result of the scans are astonishing. Says reporter Duncan Kennedy: "On a computer screen, you can now see the whole underground complex. Using different buttons on the key pad, you can zoom in on the tunnels. You can travel 'through' walls, down corridors and into chambers, giving the first real sense of its beauty, scale and detail. Paintings on walls, which have not been seen in nearly 2,000 years, are now visible—their colours vivid and clear."

Follow the link provided to read this article in its entirety.

Source: Duncan Kennedy—The BBC

2 comments:

  1. How cool is that? What were the catacombs for?

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  2. Catacombs were to hide in during (in this case) the Roman persecution of Christians. It was also a safe burial ground. This one, in fact, is mainly a burial ground. I will post a follow-up here in just a second.

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