Audiovisual Tour Guides
ROME AUDIO / VISUAL
WALKING TOURS
A SELF-GUIDED AUDIO TOUR APP
Rome's Next Generation of Audio / Visual Tours
The BARDEUM Mobile App allows visitors to step inside a history lesson disguised as a great story.
DON'T JUST SEE THE SITES
STEP INSIDE THEIR STORIES
Bringing Rome's History Back to Life with Educational & Entertaining Audio Tours
Our name is a mash-up of the travelling BARD & the musEUM and our goal is enhance your travels through high quality educational & entertaining storytelling via our unique audio and visual tour app.
Written by New York Times, USA Today and Sunday Times Bestselling Authors & Narrated by Well-Known Actors of Television & Film.
Our Rome tour authors include eight-time New York Times bestseller Margaret George, Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller Simon Scarrow, and international bestseller Simon Turney. Our narrators include George Blagden (Vikings, Versailles) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Oz, Lost, The Mummy Returns, Farming).
Travel Back in Time to Ancient Rome
Step inside the story of true events and see the sites - not as rubble & ruins - but as places teeming with life. Our Rome sites include:
CIRCUS MAXIMUS
COLOSSEUM
PALATINE HILL
ROMAN FORUM
With many more to come!
LET'S MAKE YOUR TRAVELS HISTORIC!
Rome, Italy
As the legend goes…the founding of Rome, 2800 years ago, began with two brothers. The eldest was a king, the youngest coveted his throne. Over time, the younger brother’s jealousy grew so great that he seized his brother’s crown by force – killing his elder brother.
The eldest brother was survived by a daughter, Rhea Silvia. The newly crowned younger brother spared the life of his niece, but in fear of her having a male heir, he gave her the title of Virgin Priestess – and thereby forced her to accept a vow of chastity which would prevent her from having a son and a threat to his throne.
To her uncle’s vexation, Rhea Silvia became pregnant. Denying she had broken her vow of chastity, Rhea Silvia claimed that she had been impregnated by the God Mars. She gave birth to twin boys, whom she named Romulus and Remus. Her uncle, furious, ordered that the boys be taken from their mother and drowned in the Tiber River.
The terrified servants were unable to carry out the wicked deed. Instead, they left the babes in a basket at the river’s edge. As the tale goes, the twins were discovered by a wolf, who instead of eating the boys, nursed them until they were found by a shepherd and his wife.
The boys grew up to be strong courageous men and decided to begin a settlement of their own among the seven hills where they were raised. Romulus preferred the Palatine. Remus favored the Aventine. The brothers had a terrible fight. One version of the story has Romulus killing Remus; others say that augers, reading the flight of the birds, determined that the Palatine was a more auspicious hill - and, that Remus lived to a ripe old age. Either way, Romulus had won and the city was named for him.
This tale was told to Roman children for thousands of years – perhaps to give them pride in a divine ancestry as the twins were sons of the God Mars, perhaps to say that Romans could overcome any adversity, or even perhaps that Romans have the temperament of wolves.
No matter the truth of the tale - the city endured. And the stories are plentiful...many with characters with a very predatory nature...not entirely different from wolves...
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So, did you bet? Everyone does. It’s the Blues and the Greens who get all the attention. The Reds and the Whites are in their shadow. But these are fads. If someone like the emperor favors a club---and Nero favors the Greens---suddenly everyone else does, too.
You haven’t seen a race, have you? Well, each color club has a big pool of charioteers, and they wear tunics of the club’s colors, so the crowds can see which chariot is which. To show their loyalty, the crowd wears matching ribbons. Sometimes whole contingents of club fans sit together, cheering and making a ruckus. If another club’s fans are too close, a fight may break out. People are so passionate about their team they can’t bear to hear someone cheering for another or applauding if the rival team has an accident.
There’s a big turnover in chariots, as so many get wrecked, and even the ones that survive have a limited life span. They are lightweight, flimsy, and wear out quickly on those murderous turns. As for the charioteers, they too have a limited life span. It’s a dangerous sport and most charioteers don’t live past twenty-five. They’re almost exclusively slaves or ex-slaves, freedmen. Despite the danger, as long as they are winning, the rewards are great, and they are honored and fawned over by the public. Why, one fan threw himself into the funeral pyre of his favorite deceased charioteer, because he couldn’t bear living without him! That’s how passionate people are about their charioteers.
The year is 65 AD and the controversial Emperor Nero has spared no expense to fulfill his promise to the people of Rome. The Circus Maximus has been rebuilt following the great fire and is now the most impressive track ever constructed. While this endears Nero to charioteering fans, discontent grows among the Senators over his frivolous spending.
Follow along with our intrepid chaperon, Appius Teretina, as he guides you through these true events on the final day of the festival of Ceres. Place bets on your favorite Charioteer team and find out if the Blues, Reds, Whites or the Emperor’s favored Greens, carry the day!
And, if you’re lucky, the Emperor himself will appear before the final race of the day. You’ll discover that even amongst civil unrest and treasonous plots of murder, the show must go on!
Learn about the Circus Maximus, chariot racing, and the real-life murderous plot against Emperor Nero as you Step Inside the Story of The Charioteer.
MARGARET GEORGE
AUTHOR
New York Times, Wall Street Journal and London Times bestselling author of eight historical novels.
GEORGE BLAGDEN
NARRATOR
Actor best known for his roles as King Louis XIV in Versailles, the monk Athelstan in Vikings and Grantaire in Les Miserables.
"Ancient world goddess Margaret George's gossipy Roman guide takes us on a fun and informative tour so immersive you'll be looking over your shoulder for the emperor and passionately cheering for imaginary chariot teams as the golden dolphins fall to a surprise ending."
Testimonials
“The Charioteer will have you breathing the dust, feeling the marble, hearing the whinny and stamp of horses, and joining the roar of the crowd as if you'd been transported by a time machine.
Download the BARDEUM app for your next trip to Rome!”
The Roman Colosseum is the largest amphitheater ever built. It stands as the most iconic symbol of Ancient Rome and is indelibly linked to the celebrated gladiator shows that took place within its walls. Imagine traveling back in time to the year 85 AD and seeing this architectural wonder - newly built - hosting Emperor Domitian's' Great Games.
You stand among the crowd of excited spectators just outside the colosseum in the shadow of the enormous bronze statue of the sun god Solis. Stretching up against the clear azure midday sky, bright streamers of blue, red, yellow and green ripple from the tops of the poles that ringed the top of the oval structure. It was completed barely six years earlier - paid for with the treasure looted from the temple of Jerusalem by Emperor Vespasian's Legion of soldiers.
Statues of sundry divine figures gaze down from the arches on the two tiers above the entrance arches. At street level, the air is filled with the hubbub of the crowd on the open ground surrounding the amphitheatre. The cries of street-hawkers selling their wares, and bursts of laughter and shouts of those calling out to their friends pierce the steady drone of voices. The crowd presses towards the entrances to hand over their terracotta tickets and climb the steps to try and find some place to sit for the afternoon’s gladiator fights.
Our audio / visual self-guided tour of the Roman Colosseum - allows you to experience the amphitheater as it was in its heyday - and learn of the seedy underworld of gladiator fighting as you wander through the site. Blood and Sand is written by Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author Simon Scarrow (Eagles of the Empire Series) and narrated by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Oz, Lost, Games of Thornes). The experience includes digital reconstructions of the colosseum.
The year is 85 CE and Emperor Domitian is celebrating the achievements of Governor Agricola’s victorious campaign in Britannia with ten days of games in the Great Amphitheater.
Follow Marcus Venutius into the arena’s seedy underworld of betting, bribes, blood and betrayal. From the marble seats of the wealthy to the hot sands and hidden hypogeum of the gladiators, Marcus must determine friend from foe before he ends up more than a spectator of Domitian’s great games.
Step back in time to experience the Colosseum as it was 2000 years ago. Includes digital reconstructions.
SIMON SCARROW
AUTHOR
Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of over forty novels including the acclaimed Eagles of the Empire Series.
ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE
NARRATOR
Actor & Director known for his roles in Oz, The Bourne Identity, Thor: The Dark World, Suicide Squad, Lost, and Game of Thrones.
The Palatine Hill is at the center of the seven hills of Rome. It is the legendary site of the cave where the twins Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf Lupa and is the mythological location where Hercules' defeated the fire-breathing monster Cacus. The fable tells how Hercules struck the giant so hard with his wooden club that it formed a cleft on the southeast corner of the hill.
From its earliest days, the Palatine represented the heart of the ancient empire where the wealthiest Romans built their homes. It then became the site where the very first emperor - Augustus - built Rome's first imperial palace.
Between 81 and 92 AD, Emperor Domitian built a massive palace on the eastern side of the hill - both with public and private structures. The ruins of that palace remain today.
The imperial palace that Domitian built remained the home for subsequent Emperors for another 225 years. The last night an Emperor resided there was the 27th of October, 312 AD - the night before the battle of the Milvian Bridge between Emperor Maxentius & Emperor Constantine and the start of our tour...
It is nightfall on the 27th of October in the year 312 A.D. Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius Augustus, known to history simply as Maxentius has been named Emperor by an ineffectual Senate. He has made his court on the Palatine Hill as did the first true Emperors of Rome. The usurper Constantine has claimed himself Emperor and now sits with his army on the far side of the Tiber river, just beyond the Milvian Bridge. A battle is coming.
On the eve of this defining moment, Maxentius seeks to understand Rome’s future through ancient prophecy and ceremonial offerings to the gods. The only thing certain is that the morning will herald great change amid disaster and bloodshed, and Maxentius is challenging fate and the will of gods as he prepares for the dawn.
Step Inside the Story of this true event and learn about Emperor Maxentius, this critical turning point in Rome’s history and its reliance on prophecy & sacrifice. Walk through the Palace grounds with Maxentius as he prepares for the dawn. Envision the palace through his eyes and watch as he hides a secret that lays buried for almost 1700 years. Includes digital reconstructions.
SIMON TURNEY
AUTHOR
International bestselling author of over thirty historical novels including The Damned Emperor Series & Marius Mules Series.
PHILIP STEVENS
NARRATOR
Award winning Actor, Director, Writer & Producer at Urban Apache Films. Also known for audio book narration on numerous bestselling books
The Roman Forum sits in the valley beneath the Palatine and Capitoline Hills and for centuries was the center of day-to-day life in Rome. It has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all of history.
The Forum was also the focus of Roman political and religious activity. The monuments memorialized its great leaders and its temples were central to maintaining relationships with their Gods.
It is the 844th year since the founding of Rome - renamed by Christians as 91 A.D. The Forum is the focus of Roman political and religious activity. Rituals and traditions, are considered critical to keeping advantageous connections with the Gods.
One of the oldest and most important priesthoods of Rome is the Vestals - the female representatives of the Goddess Vesta. Their purity is a central tenet to appeasing the Gods. Nine years into the reign of the Emperor Domitian, rumors swirl as to his cruelty and instability. He has ordered the execution of the Vestal Maximus Cornelia, the highest female priest in Rome. It is a dangerous time.
Step inside these true events and follow the Vestal Ravinia whose secrets may reveal the reasons behind Cornelia’s horrifying execution. Let us help you imagine this site as it was two-thousand years ago – not merely as cold marble and stone, but as a place teeming with life. Includes digital reconstructions.
AMANDA MERCER
AUTHOR
Amanda is the founder of Museum Edutainment and the creator of the mobile app BARDEUM: Where Great Storytelling Meets the Museum.
DAN JOHN MILLER
NARRATOR
An Audie award-winning voice-actor and audiobook narrator, Dan has been named a “Best Voice” by Audiofile magazine 5 years running. He has also had roles in acclaimed movies such as Walk the Line and Leatherheads.
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