Our Traveling Exhibition Project
It’s been almost six years since we first started developing the concept for an exhibition that would, through new archaeological discoveries and reinterpretation of existing evidence, allow us to shed new light and reflect on the enormous achievements emanating from the Ancient Roman civilization. Every item in this Exhibition is based on factual evidence, historical accounts and faithfully reconstructed artefacts inspired by a number of important exhibitions staged in Italy in the past couple of years (see the reference list at the back of this book). What makes this exhibition ‘special’ is the Niccolai-Teknoart SRL© style and tradition – ‘interactivity’ – tried and tested in the famous ‘da Vinci Machines Museum’ (in Via Cavour, Florence).
The mechanical wonders recreated by the Niccolai Artisans were presented to the public for the first time in early 2010 in Rome, Italy, in a somewhat didactical exhibition entitled: ‘Machina – Tecnologia dell’antica Roma’. The machines caused a sensation; newspapers, magazines and even TV news reported and documented what they defined as “a new way to experience history.” In fact, the exhibition was awarded the Italian President’s Gold Medal for cultural innovation.
Ancient rome rent exhibition
Since we were contributors and the creators of the machines presented in this one-off display, we set about producing the ultimate ‘travelling exhibition’ to share the same pleasurable experience with audiences, worldwide. Our narrative covers a monumental era in history, from the triumphant victory of Gaius Julius Caesar over the Gauls (Celtic people from the ancient country of Gaul, today’s modern France, Switzerland and Northern Italy) that sparked the transformation of Rome from a Republic to the mighty Roman Empire.Besides the military ingenuity that we cover in detail, the Roman Imperial period was an era of massive construction and large scale technical innovation that brought unprecedented well being to the far corners of the Empire. Material inventions such as the book, windows, cement, ship building and improvements to large machineries (cranes for lifting, energy wheels for multiple kinds of milling etc.), continued to provide benefit well past the fatal date of 476 AD, the official day the Roman Western Empire ceased to exist.
Most certainly, with its demise, we witness the end of the largest globally integrated economy the world had ever seen and will only experience again, with the time of the industrial revo- lution of the 19th century. In our story of the Roman Empire, there are foundational figures that stand out.
roman empire rent exhibition
Their legacies linger on today in the fields of ArchItecture, Engineering, Military Leadership, Scholarship, Probity and Inspirational Vision. In learning more about them, I hope we have been able to pass on their truly inspiring nature: Gaius Julius – the first Caesar (and its derivatives – Czar & Kaiser), Vitruvius – Military Engineer and Architect, and Octavian Augustus – the first of many Emperors, 82 in fact – some good, some bad, who introduced advance- ment and enlightenment to the whole Roman World...In what has been an amazing journey for us over the years of developing this Exhibition is the discovery that so much of Ancient Rome’s technology and ingenuity is still connected to us, is present now, in our own age. The Exhibition brings to life one of the most technologically significant times in the history of humankind. We hope your experience to the Exhibition is as rewarding as it has been for us in creating it for you.
GALLERY CONTACTS
ARTISANS OF FLORENCE (AUSTRALIA)
Luigi Rizzo
Director and CEO
Tom Rizzo
Travelling Exhibitions Manager