Emperor Constantine the First was an ancient Roman ruler who welcomed Christianity. He helped spread the religion throughout the Roman Empire. Recently, a large, rebuilt statue of Constantine was introduced to the public in Rome. Officials revealed the 13-meter copy of the statue that Constantine had built for himself. Special technology known as 3D modelling permitted the statue’s makers to create the work from scans of the nine large original marble body parts that remain. The result: a large statue of the seated emperor. Constantine is wearing special clothing and holding a scepter and orb. He looks over Rome from a side garden of the Capitoline Museums. The rebuilt statue is close to the area where the original pieces of Constantine’s giant feet, hands and head are kept. Artists in Rome created the original about 1,700 years ago. Rebuilt to its original form, the statue creates wonder in people who see it. This feeling is just what Constantine wanted from his subjects, officials said at the statue’s public introduction. “In this statue there’s not just beauty, there’s the violence of power,” said Salvatore Settis of the Fondazione Prada, the cultural and educational arm of the fashion house which financed the project.
