• University of Reading

Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City

Explore Ancient Rome’s architecture, history, and society through a 3D digital model in this online ancient history course.

67,566 enrolled on this course

A 3D digital model of the ancient city of Rome

Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City

67,566 enrolled on this course

  • 5 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    5 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Explore Roman history, architecture, and society as you’ve never seen before

From gladiators to empires – join expert Professor Matthew Nicholls on a transformative guided tour through the Eternal City: Rome.

Using his award-winning 3D digital model, you’ll gain a unique perspective on Rome’s architecture and infrastructure.

From grand temples to historical places, you’ll explore how the Romans worshipped their gods, governed their empire, and built the city that has influenced the world for centuries.

Discover how Ancient Rome was built

You’ll begin this course by exploring the foundational architecture of Ancient Rome.

From the city’s earliest structures to its monumental landmarks, you’ll discover how the Romans designed and built iconic buildings like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Wander through Italian history and politics

You’ll then dive into the political evolution of Rome, examining its transition from monarchy to republic to empire.

Discover how the Roman political system shaped the Roman Empire’s growth and influenced leaders and citizens alike.

Learn more about Roman society and daily life

Next, you’ll explore Roman society, delving into the lives of its citizens, from the elite to the common people.

You’ll understand their social structures, cultural practices, and the entertainment that defined Roman daily life, such as gladiatorial games and chariot races.

Unpack Ancient’s Romes influence and legacy

Finally, you’ll reflect on the lasting legacy of Ancient Rome. From its engineering marvels to its political systems and cultural contributions, you’ll uncover how Roman innovations continue to influence modern civilisation.

The next time you walk the streets of Rome, you’ll see it’s landmarks with a new perspective and recognise the ancient foundations that continue to shape our world today.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds Welcome to the city of Rome. This beautiful city has been inhabited by humans for three millennia. And on this course, we’re going to be looking at Rome at its pomp, at its height about 2,000 years ago, when the emperors here ruled a vast swathe of territory from Hadrian’s Wall to the Nile Delta.

Skip to 0 minutes and 25 seconds You might well think of Rome as a city of monuments, the Colosseum, the Fora, the arches, the columns, these grand statements of power and wealth, the busy arterial roads, all those roads leading to Rome and from Rome. But while we’re doing that, we’re going to be looking at it as a working city, a living city, trying to tease out the evidence for those non-grand monuments, the aqueducts, the sewers, the street fountains, the apartment blocks, the warehouses, all the stuff that sustained the life of the city, that made possible that lovely veneer of grand monuments on the top.

Skip to 0 minutes and 56 seconds We’re going to be looking at a huge, 3D digital model of the ancient city that I have built over the last few years at the University of Reading for teaching my students. And by flying around this model or walking through it, we can get a glimpse or a sense of how the city may have appeared all those years ago.

What topics will you cover?

Week one: Ancient Rome location and infrastructure

  • Geographical and historical overview
  • Introduction to the digital model
  • Roman building materials and techniques
  • The importance of aqueducts and sewers
  • Using coins to illustrate ancient architecture

Week two: Political architecture in Ancient Rome

  • The Imperial Fora
  • The function and development of the Forum
  • Types of monumental architecture
  • Using poetry as evidence to investigate the past

Week three: Religious architecture in Ancient Rome

  • Overview of Roman religion
  • The architecture of the Capitoline Hill
  • Developments in Imperial temple architecture
  • Worshipping the gods

Week four: Life and death in Ancient Rome

  • Overview of Roman housing
  • Food supply in the ancient city
  • How the Romans liked to be remembered
  • Using inscriptions as evidence to investigate the past

Week five: Bread and circuses (entertainment architecture) in Ancient Rome

  • The importance of entertainment for Rome’s rulers
  • The architecture and function of theatres and circuses
  • Roman baths and bathing
  • Using evidence to understand the Colosseum

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explore different categories of building within the city, and the functions they housed
  • Investigate a range of evidence including archaeological remains, coins, literary texts, and inscriptions to learn how we can understand and interpret the ancient past
  • Discuss the way the rulers of Rome used architecture to adorn the city and keep it functioning
  • Experience digital modelling as a way of presenting the ancient past, exploring models on screen and in videos and discussing what they can show us

Who is the course for?

This course is open to anyone curious about ancient Rome – whether you’re a history enthusiast, a traveller, or considering studies in archaeology or classics.

No prior knowledge is needed, just a passion for exploring the past.

What do people say about this course?

"Diving in those marvellous virtual tours was something new for me and also very informative. Thank you very much."

"A very interesting, engaging course. Thank you, Matthew! I hope to find many of these sites when I am in Rome for the first time in October. As for the "eternal" question of which emporer had the biggest impact, my initial thought was Augustus and I'm even more sure of my answer having completed the course. He not only built many great structures but set the standard that others followed in building and growing this great city."

Who will you learn with?

Matthew Nicholls

Dr Matthew Nicholls is a Roman historian at the University of Reading, specialising in the 3D reconstruction of ancient spaces. He also directs the University's Open Online Course programme.

Who developed the course?

University of Reading

University of Reading

The University of Reading has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and enterprise.

Ways to learn

Buy this course

Subscribe & save

Limited access

Choose the best way to learn for you!

$109/one-off payment

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Free

Fulfill your current learning needDevelop skills to further your careerSample the course materials
Access to this courseticktick

Access expires 12 Mar 2025

Access to 1,000+ coursescrosstickcross
Learn at your own paceticktickcross
Discuss your learning in commentstickticktick
Certificate when you're eligiblePrinted and digitalDigital onlycross
Continue & Upgrade

Cancel for free anytime

Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 12 Mar 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Get a taste of this course

Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #FLvirtualrome to talk about this course on social media.