8 Well Preserved Roman Cities

In this video we will take a look at some of the best preserved Roman Cities around the old Roman Empire.

On this channel we focus on Roman History and right now we're doing a video on every Roman Emperor, if you're interested in that subscribe or watch the playlist here:

Narration by: Alexander Dobby

[TheNAWorks]

man just drops in no intro. mad respect

[everready]

I was stationed in Madrid Spain back in the early 80's. The Roman ruins there blew me away. They still use the aqueduct in Segovia. Just incredible.

[massinissaziriamazigh]

I am Algerian and I think I am very lucky because I always visit Timgad and Djemila, believe me you will feel as if you are in the Roman era

[wijzijnwij]

0:04 Djemila, Algeria (Cuicul)
1:19 Dougga, Tunis (Thugga)
2:33 Ostia Antica, Italy (Ostia)
4:05 Jerash, Jordan (Γέρασα/Gerasa)
5:25 Ercolano, Italy (Herculaneum)
6:43 Timgad, Algeria (Thamugadi)
7:47 Al-Khums, Libya (Leptis Magna)
9:22 Pompei, Italy (Pompeii)

[jrthiker]

Herculaneum (or Ercolano in Italian) is stupendous and well worth a long visit when you see Pompeii. And it has a fraction of the hoards of tourists that invade Pompeii. It's just a stop or two on the train back towards Napoli. When you get off at the station, it's a short walk down to the excavation site. The narration didn't quite get it right, it survived well-intact because it escaped the hot pyroclastic blasts that destroyed Pompeii, which wiped out all the upper stories and roofs of the buildings. In Ercolano it was more cooler and slower mud flows, so you see complete houses and can better understand the Roman architecture on the upper floors and ceilings. You are walking streets as they would have looked back then and are allowed to walk into houses. See Pompeii first, then go back to Ercolano. You'll then understand what Pompeii looked like and have a better (and cooler less crowded) time.

[danielconde]

Eight cities is just not enough for a list like this - fortunately. In my country, Portugal, there are more than a few Roman cities that emerged and are still excavated, like Conimbriga, Cetobriga, Mirobriga (the word "briga" comes from the Celtic language, and means a "fortified place"), Amaia, Centum Cellas, _São Cucufate_, _São Miguel de Odrinhas_, etc...

You can also discover monuments inside modern cities, like Lisbon itself with its theater, Chaves (Aquae Flaviae) and its baths where hot waters still flow and with its iconic Roman bridge, _Tróia_ at the mouth of river Sado with its well preserved garum tanks.

And this is but a fraction, regarding all that is left from Britain to Egypt, and from Petra and Armenia to Portugal. Treasures, all them, despite dimension and number and type of monuments.

[davazno]

imagine that, london, algiers and damascus were part of the same country, the same official language and currency . All without electricity, internet

[flamencoprof]

Mérida, Spain was the first place I encountered with a Roman bridge, theatre, Trajan arch, circus, aqueduct, amphitheatre, and a nice villa. In 26, 00km of touring Europe in 1996 only Herculaneum and Pompeii surpassed it.
The name is a worn-down form of "the name that the city received after its foundation by the emperor Augustus in 25 BC, Augusta Emerita, a colony in which veteran soldiers or emeritus settled." (Thanks, Wikipedia)

[shemaagh]

Paestum, an overlooked Greco-Roman gem about an hour's train ride south of Salerno.

[YoussefAboDahab]

I grew up in Libya and I visited Leptis Magna serval times when I was a kid. I was so fascinated by it, and I was amazed at how big its building was especially the Roman Colosseum and Victory Arch. I did not understand its importance until today almost 15 years later when I read about Roman history as history nerd

[nazeem]

North Africa has impressively preserved roman/romano-berber ruins. It is sad that most sites are left to depridation and/or are unexcavated due to lack of funding/interest from both the public and the international community.

[Kramazovbrothers]

"Ephesus" in Turkey is a beauty and must see as well. Especially the library of the city.

[zatoichi]

Might I suggest Nimbus which is now Nîmes, France... Amazing aquaduct outside the city, gardens and fountains around and in the city. A smaller but better preserved coliseum than Rome and a temple in amazing condition.

[mikfermi]

You forgot to mention “Aosta” in Italy, the regional capital of the tiny region val d’Aosta, next to Piedmont. I still remember during the ancient Latin classes our teacher keep mentioning as the best city rebuild on top of the Roman grid, other cities were rebuilt next to the ancient ruins or on top of the city completely destroyed but Aosta preserved the famous grid.

[jimr]

Good lord all these are simply breathtaking. Absolutely incredible.

[MrWelshJoe]

Visited Ostia in 2019, really interesting to explore

[oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin]

In a thousand years, I wonder if there will be more Roman ruins than ruins from our modern age.

[mattc]

I've been to Ostia, the brickwork there is outstanding, as are the insulae. It's the closest you can get to standing under a towering Roman apartment building.

As for Herculaneum, it almost overtakes Pompeii for its level of preservation. The preserved wood is amazing, and you can very clearly see the old beach with its boathouses were residents took shelter. They also have the most intact Roman bathhouse anywhere in the world, which I believe has only recently opened to the public. The famous popina, essentially snackbars or fast-food joints, can also be seen.

[bceydt]

Trier has a number of well preserved Roman buildings and may be worthy of Part 2, perhaps alongside other living cities

[ciccioqueso]

I have been in Leptis Magna in 2006 and it is by far the most fascinating archeological site I have seen so far