In our most ambitious hosting a marathon historical reconstruction in miniature, we’re rebuilding Rome in a day with the 24-Hour Roman Reconstruction Project.
This project traces the built evolution of the ancient capitol from 753 B.C. to A.D. 410. Working with salvaged building supplies and an archive of reference material, participants (a.k.a. you!) from a variety of backgrounds will recreate the major monuments and public buildings in historic order. The project begins on Friday at midnight with the thatched hut of Romulus and ends twenty-four hours later in the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths. In the meantime, the Roman Forum will be built over an old Etruscan cemetery, and the Colosseum will be erected on the grounds of Nero’s Golden House. Parts of the city are destroyed by fire or invasion, and yet the capitol continues to develop through reconstruction, renovation, and new building projects. When the empire is driven toward expansion, the able-bodied workforce marches off to battle, or in the case, Greco-Roman wrestling. Highlights include a guided tour of the ruins led by Professor Judson Emerick of Pomona College, and LA-based performers My Barbarian as the Visigoths. Free classes on basic construction techniques will be offered throughout the day.
