Streetmuseum Londinium will direct users to locations across London where they can immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and remains of Roman life. At the citys peak in AD 120 approximately 25,000 Romans lived in London, leaving much behind to explore today.
Users can digitally excavate Roman artefacts, including leather bikini briefs and an ancient manicure set, which tell the stories of life in Londinium. Using their finger to dig and by blowing on their iPhone, users will gradually reveal the objects where they were first found in the capital.
Key Roman sites in London, such as the amphitheatre at Guildhall, will be brought to life through augmented reality video produced by HISTORY which will overlay scenes of Roman London against todays modern backdrop. Soundscapes will also allow users to listen to the hustle and bustle of the forum or the sounds of ritual incantation at the Temple of Mithras.
All these immersive experiences will be brought together on a new map of Roman London compiled and produced by Museum of London Archaeology which will be superimposed on a modern map of the capital, allowing users to see how the city has changed and grown over the last 2,000 years.
Vicky Lee, Marketing Manager for the Museum of London, said: The success of Streetmuseum has shown that museums can bring history to life in new and exciting ways, taking their collections to the streets rather than relying on visitors coming to them. Now, with the launch of Streetmuseum Londinium, were going a step further, allowing iPhone users to unearth evidence of Roman London as if discovering these artefacts for the first time.
Kiera Doherty, Digital Marketing Manager from AETN UK, added: HISTORY is an exciting TV brand that brings history alive in peoples everyday life in entertaining and engaging ways. Through Streetmuseum Londinium, we wanted to inspire people to know more about their city and to have fun with history.
To celebrate the apps launch, HISTORY is dedicating a whole day of programming to Roman history with Roman Empire Sunday, taking place on Sunday 31 July, 6am 8pm, with the premiere of How Nero Saved Rome at 7pm. Key programmes includes Roman Invasion of Britain The True Story, Gladiator, Gladiators: Back from the Dead, Cities of the Underworld, Romes Hidden Empire, Colosseum: Romes Arena of Death, Romes Lost Legion and How Nero Saved Rome.
Both Streetmuseum and Streetmuseum Londinium were produced by creative agency Brothers and Sisters. Kevin Brown, Digital Director for Brothers and Sisters, said of the new project, The new application builds on Streetmuseum’s ground-breaking innovation with the introduction of experiential firsts: a unique augmented reality video experience and virtual artefact excavations. Once again, we’ve redefined the parameters of experiencing history beyond the traditional audio tour or exhibition, giving users a taste of Roman London, either on location or from the comfort of their own home.
Launched in May 2010, the original Streetmuseum brings the Museum of Londons extensive art and photographic collections to the world, guiding users to over 200 sites across London where hidden histories of the city dramatically appear.
Users can look through their phones and see the past emerge, locked as an overlay across the present scene. These can be viewed as ghostly alignments, or the archive images can be brought up and explored in detail, along with information about the Museums photographs and paintings. So far 200,000 people have downloaded Streetmuseum worldwide, from Argentina to New Zealand.
Streetmuseum Londinium will be free to download for iPhones and iPads worldwide from 25 July 2011. Visit www.museumoflondon.org.uk for more information.
Streetmuseum is available internationally and is free to download on iTunes and Android Market.