Roma Victor still on track for 2005 release

ROMA VICTOR: "Roma Victor, a non-fantasy MMORPG (Massively-Multi player Online Role-Playing Game) based in the Roman Empire, circa 180AD, is still on track for an early 2005 release.

Most of Europe is in the clutches of the Roman Empire. Commodus has succeeded his father Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher Emperor and is exerting tyrannical influence. The Praetorians keep a strict and oppressive rule over the entire Empire, which is defended and (outside Rome) largely policed by the Legions. Many Barbarian outposts and enclaves exist peacefully outside Imperial rule particularly in Britannia, Gaul and Germania. These people however always live in fear of the Legions, which threaten their culture and their very existence. If they stand united, they may just hold them off.

Roma Victor is the pilot project of RedBedlam Ltd., a Brighton-based development company set up with the express purpose of building compelling and exciting virtual worlds. Since it's inception back in May 2001, RedBedlam's ethos has been one of community involvement, with the belief that the best products are those that are built with the player in mind. To this end, each and every aspect of this game's development has taken place with direct participation from the online gaming community."

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Model

"The approach to the Garden sloped like a hillside and the several parts of the structure rose from one another tier on tier... On all this, the earth had been piled... and was thickly planted with trees of every kind that, by their great size and other charm, gave pleasure to the beholder... The water machines [raised] the water in great abundance from the river, although no one outside could see it."

Diodorus Siculus

The name of the Gardens is actually incorrect. The name comes from a mistranslation of the Greek word kremastos or the Latin word pensilis, which does not mean "hanging", but "overhanging", as in the case of a terrace or balcony. This means the gardens were literally spilling over the walls. Of all the Ancient Wonders, the Gardens of Babylon remain the most mysterious. In fact, it's the only Wonder that's very existence has been called into question There are records and contemporary images of each of the other six wonders and even archaeological remains, but none have been found for the Gardens. Most historians believe that members of Alexander the Great's army brought the stories of the gardens back to Greece. Were they accurate descriptions of a real place or the tall tales of returning soldiers?

The gardens were said to be located on the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 50 km south of Baghdad, Iraq. King Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens. The story says that Nebuchadnezzar built these elaborate gardens to please his wife Amytis who had been "brought up in Media (a mountainous region) and had a passion for mountain surroundings".

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Free Great Pyramid model

"The
oldest Wonder and the only one still standing is the Great Pyramid of Khufu,
built in 2560 B.C. presumably to serve as a tomb for the Pharaoh. This
Wonder is often thought of as a sandy golden color, but for the first 3,000
years of its existence it was white. In 820 A.D. the Arab Caliph Abdullah
Al Manum decided to search the pyramid for the fabled treasure of Khufu, and
when he did not find it his men stole the limestone covering instead. "

Free Pharos Lighthouse Model Available

"It was a monument, a tourist attraction, a brilliant business venture and a wonder of the ancient world. In many languages Pharos is still the word for lighthouse. The tiny island of Pharos was chosen by Ptolemy Soter around 290 BC to construct the great tower that would guide ships safely into the harbor of Alexandria (his capitol). It took twenty years to build and by the time it was completed Ptolemy Soter had died and been succeeded by Ptolemy Philadelphus The architect was Sostratus, a contemporary of Euclid. One of the many legends surrounding the Pharos says that Sostratus wanted to have his name engraved on the monument but Ptolemy (which one?) said his name and only his was to be engraved upon it's base. Sostratus got the last laugh by engraving his own name then covering it with plaster and engraving Ptolemy's name over it. Long after the death of both men the plaster chipped away as Sostratus knew it would leaving his name for history."

Free Downloadable Model of King Maussolus' Tomb

"The wonder of King Maussolus tomb was not so much in it's size but in it's hundreds of beautiful sculptures. Conceived of and possibly even started during his lifetime by his wife/sister Artemesia it was completed in BC 350, three years after his death. In some ways it was a very different wonder than so many of the religious structures on the list. This was a tomb dedicated to one man and the decorative sculptures by Bryaxis, Leochares, Scopas, and Timotheus, were of people and animals rather than Greek gods. All four sides had continuing friezes depicting the mythical battle of the Amazons which was supposed to have been won by the King's ancestors."

Temple of Artemis Paper Model Free to Download

"Known to historians as the Artemisian, this giant Greek temple was a wonder in it's time not, just because of it's size but because of it's beautiful decoration and statuary. Other temples were built hoping to emulate it's beauty but none ever really achieved the same notoriety as the Artemisian. This quote was written by Antipater of Sidon, "But when I saw the sacred house of Artemis that towers to the clouds, the [other Wonders] were placed in the shade, for the Sun himself has never looked upon its equal outside Olympus."

This model is 1/3000 scale and is assembled from seven pieces.