Time Scanners: Colosseum

Gr 10 Up—This series applies digital mapping software to ancient sites. Scientific crews use data scanners to visualize 3-D contours of archaeological ruins, creating a "point cloud" map that digitally reproduces the ruins in fabulous detail. Engineer Steve Burrows brings his expertise to the design and function of these ancient sites. Colosseum looks at the amphitheater's subterranean chambers, from where the gladiators, animals, and sets were lifted onto stage, as if by magic. Burrows also presents a novel idea regarding the placement of the Colosseum's awning system, claiming that the awning was not perched above the colosseum but rather set below in the seating, shading the upper classes seated near the action. A computer simulation reveals that the ancient building may have actually cleared its crowd traffic faster than modern stadiums. This episode has a heavy focus on a few engineering questions, which will engage some students, while others may find the emphasis tedious. Jerusalem highlights the Temple Mount and Herodium, King Herod's mountain palace, and handles effectively very complicated and sensitive history. This program also examines how ancient builders transported megaliths from quarry to construction site. The 3-D "point cloud" reconstructions of Herodium, which reveal the water cisterns within the mountain, are particularly impressive.