Recreating historical sites can be done in many ways – structures or parts of cities have been constructed in programs such as Second Life and many other 3d programs. Now, Google Earth has released a new beta version of their interactive mapping and visualization software that includes a reconstruction of Rome, circa 320 A.D.
Ancient Rome 3D was created in conjunction with the Rome Reborn Project 2.0 at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. The virtual reconstruction includes major structures and even interiors for some buildings.
Ancient Rome 3D is available in Google Earth 4.3 (beta).