Those of us who are in this peculiar world of ancient history know that in ALL countries and cultures in the ancient world, color was adored. Greece, Rome, Babylon - color meant wealth, it meant beauty. So it's fascinating, when you think of it, to realize that the archeologists of the 18th and 19th centuries, who dug up all those weathered columns in pure white, had it utterly wrong and that most people STILL think of Rome as a city of white, full of people in white togas (in fact, the only men who wore pure white togas were running for office).



Just for a comparison! - here's a well-known "recreation" of ancient Rome which you can find all over the Internet. Followed, by a shot used by HBO showing the poor quarter, the Subura:



Their designers seem to have realized that Rome looked a lot more like Bombay than Washington's Capitol Building!