Part of our fourth series of City Plates. The theme of this fourth collection is "Empire Building" and looks at the global impact of empires on settlement patterns, national borders, cultural identity, and modern city form.
Rome - Rome holds a unique place in history as a single city that became a world empire. The Roman Empire extended its power by planting new cities, a practice that made land surveying and city planning essential as parts of the imperial process. After the fall of the Roman Empire, a period of infamous debauchery and decay, Rome was rejuvenated and rebuilt by the Catholic Church as a symbol of the empire of Christianity. The resulting Vatican City (in green) and St Peters Basilica (in persimmon) are seen on the left of the plate. The Baroque city planning established a new order on top of the historic Roman core (in white), which includes the distinctive ruins of the Coliseum (in persimmon) and the Circus Maximus (in green). Today, Rome's historic symbolism is a defining characteristic of the modern city. Most of Romes economy is derived from tourism that celebrates its past, rather than its future.
The City Plates measure 12 across. Key buildings are represented with persimmon icons, while rivers and public spaces are shown in blue and green.