Nova-WGBH

It seems difficult to believe that new information about the Coliseum, one of the great architectural gems of Ancient Rome, can still discovered at this stage. And yet this documentary shows exhaustive work being carried out that gives us new knowledge about the monument that is considered to be an example of the best artistic and constructive genius of the Roman Empire. Archaeologists and historians join forces to re-investigate the architecture and the use of this media tool for imperial power. Built in the 1st century A.D. by the Emperor Vespasian to legitimise the power of the new dynasty, the Coliseum had unlimited resources to seduce the people of Rome.

The city of Petra, which was the capital of a very wealthy kingdom, that of the Nabataeans, continues to offer new discoveries. Situated within the confines of three deserts, the Arabian Desert, the Syrian Desert and the Negev Desert, it was absorbed by the Roman Empire at the beginning of the Christian Era. During this period, a series of monuments excavated from local stone was created, giving it a unique personality. It was later abandoned and remained in the hands of the Bedouins, fading into obscurity until its rediscovery in the 19th century. However, as this documentary will demonstrate, Petra is part of a much wider cultural context, thanks to which we are able to understand many of its specific features.    

This documentary describes in great detail the artistic and architectural personality of Hagia Sophia, a 6th century church that is still standing, despite its location in an area subject to frequent earth tremors and it having fallen into Muslim hands in the late 15th century. Numerous computer graphics and 3D reconstructions make it possible to see the main features of this monument.