Virtual Field Trip: Colosseum and Capitoline Museum

Ready to travel? To virtually explore the world? Join us on a virtual field trip to the Colosseum and Capitoline Museum!

This two-part adventure will take us into the history of ancient Rome. Ancient Rome saw many ruling periods from a kingdom (753-509 BC) to a republic (509-27BC) to an empire (27 BC-476 AD). Within this expansive time in history came amazing pieces of stone art, useful tools and customs we still use today. And don’t forget about the impressive amphitheater, the Colosseum, where Romans went for entertainment.

See our video tutorial on using Google to explore the Colosseum and Capitoline Museum. Below is the process step-by-step, along with additional activities and library resources.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Google Colosseum. Click on the map view.

Zoom in close to the amphitheater and pick up the street view tool and select a location to drop.

Explore by clicking on the arrows and x’s to virtually explore the amphitheater. Use the back arrow at top left to go back to the map and drop street view tool again in another part of the amphitheater.

For the second part of the trip, either Google Capitoline Museum or click and drag to the west – past the Roman Forum.

Zoom in close to the museum and pick up the street view tool and select a location to drop.

Explore by clicking on the arrows and x’s to virtually explore the museum. Click on any of the blue dots to find out more about the artifact. Use the back arrow at top left to go back to the map and drop street view tool again in another part of the museum.

Guided Activities

1. Creative writing activity – A day at the Colosseum. After using the library’s databases to learn about the Colosseum, imagine you are spending the day at the Colosseum in Ancient Rome. Journal about your experiences – what you see, what you heard, and how you felt walking around the theater watching the entertainment events of Ancient Rome.

2. The Romans worshipped gods and goddesses like the ancient Greeks. In the worksheet below and using the word bank, can you fill in the blanks for either the name of the Roman god/goddess or the Greek name and what was their domain? Answer key attached to check your work.

3. Two hours south of Rome is the town of Pompeii. Once a thriving ancient Roman city, Pompeii is most widely known for the volcano eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed everything around it, including the whole city of Pompeii. Create your own volcano at home following these instructions from PBS.

Virtual Field Trip Colosseum and Capitoline Museum Download