Augustus’ solar meridian functioning and the birth of the western leap year

The video presents the geometrically rigorous three-dimensional reconstruction of the Meridian of Augustus — the monumental solar instrument built in the Campus Martius of Rome around 10 BC. Using cutting-edge geomatic survey techniques, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from five Italian universities and the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma — coordinated by the Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering (DICEA) of Sapienza University of Rome — has brought back to life one of the most ambitious astronomical instruments of the ancient world.
The reconstruction draws on the findings of a study published in Scientific Reports, entitled "Augustus' solar meridian functioning and the birth of the western leap year", which reveals how this extraordinary structure played a pivotal role in shaping the Julian calendar reform — the timekeeping system that laid the foundations for the calendar we still use today.
A journey back in time, to the very origins of how we measure time itself.
To watch the video, click here. For further reading, visit the scientific article page: Augustus' solar meridian functioning and the birth of the western leap year
This video was produced entirely without the use of artificial intelligence.