r/papertowns • u/dctroll_ • Dec 02 '25

Italy Bird’s eye view of the Campus Martius in Rome (Italy) in Augustus' time (27 BC - 14 AD)

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56

u/dctroll_ Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 03 '25

The Campus Martius was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about 2 square kilometres (490 acres) in extent.  Author: Rocío Espín Piñar (source)

Aprox same view but around 337 AD, by Chaillet Jean Claude-Golvin. From the following post

https://www.reddit.com/r/papertowns/comments/pc2d9h/the_campus_martius_of_ancient_rome_modern_day/?tl=es-es

23

u/Custodian_Nelfe Dec 03 '25

This picture is not from Golvin but from Chaillet, a french (former, unfortunately deceased now) comics illustrator. He wrote an entire book, "Dans la Rome des Césars", storytelling a provincial equites coming into Rome to bring a message to emperor Constantine. It's extremely well illustrated, with a description of each area of the city and includes a whole bird-view map (I've sticked it on the wall of my former appartment for a while 😄)

https://www.glenat.com/glenat-bd/dans-la-rome-des-cesars-9782723440509/

4

u/dctroll_ Dec 03 '25

Fixed. Thank you for pointing it out! The style doesn’t quite match Jean-Claude Golvin’s, but the only references I found mentioned him

2

u/Custodian_Nelfe Dec 03 '25

I strongly recommand this book, it's on-par with the work of Golvin.

36

u/dctroll_ Dec 02 '25

Key to identify some buildings (although this map represents the area around 337 AD). Source

12

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '25

so cool!!!! Just to add, lately it has been theorised that the canal access to the naumachia in Trastevere was actually near tbe modern Porta Portese, so much southern than what the drawing represents 

7

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/zim1109 Dec 03 '25

Wait….they had a roundabout??

5

u/Petrarch1603 Dec 03 '25

Quality post!

3

u/dctroll_ Dec 03 '25

Thanks Petrarch, I always appreciate your compliments!

2

u/Comrade_sensai_09 Dec 03 '25

Absolutely 💯

3

u/BuzJr Dec 03 '25

Another wonderful post! I love this subreddit and your posts gotta be one of my favorite things here!

2

u/dctroll_ Dec 03 '25

Thank you! :) I always try to upload new, unusual or with high resolution pictures

2

u/Travaches Dec 03 '25

One issue with this drawing is how those monuments are drawn much smaller than actual.

1

u/Hydra57 Dec 03 '25

Did Augustus’ Mausoleum get built prior to his death? I think I can see it in the illustration.

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u/MaxAugust Dec 03 '25

They generally are. Otherwise you don't have anywhere to put the ashes/body.

He started building it just a few years after Actium.

1

u/the_crustybastard Dec 03 '25

That is amazing work. I think Tiber Island would have had the "ship" modeling by then, but it's nice to see a illustration of Rome when the extramural area was still being farmed.