Head of Archaeology Professor Simon Keay will feature alongside TV presenter Dan Snow in the prime-time BBC One documentary ‘Rome’s Lost Empire’ on Sunday 9 December at 8.40 pm.
Simon has spent fifteen years excavating Portus, the ancient port of Rome and his research has attracted widespread media coverage since 2009, with the discovery of an amphitheatre, imperial palace and later a ship shed at the site.
This latest documentary attempts to use satellite technology to reveal the secrets of the Roman Empire. Dan Snow and space archaeologist Sarah Parcak set out to identify and track down lost cities, amphitheatres and forts in an adventure through some of the most spectacular parts of the vast empire. Cutting-edge technology and traditional archaeology help build a better understanding of how Rome held such a large empire together for so long.
Portus was a crucial trade gateway linking Rome to the Mediterranean throughout the Imperial period and Simon and his team have been exploring the site through traditional excavation, land and underwater surveying and computer graphic visualisations – produced by the Archaeological Computing Research Group led by Dr Graeme Earl. The makers of ‘Rome’s Lost Empire’ speak to Professor Keay and draw on this research to produce their own vision of Portus and explain its significance in the Roman Empire.
To find out more about the programme, ‘Rome’s Lost Empire’, visit:
http://www.portusproject.org/blogs/2012/11/rome-what-lies-beneath/
For more information about the Portus Project: http://www.portusproject.org/