article_snippet: But new research by historians at the University of California Los Angeles California has now cast doubt on this boast.
article_snippet: This reconstruction by historians at the University of California Los Angeles California shows how Rome would have looked under the rule of Emperor Augustus and reveals that many of the buildings were made from brick (shown in grey) while only a few temples were constructed from marble (pink)
article_snippet: The team found that in fact only a small proportion of the buildings in Rome at the time were converted from brick into marble.
article_snippet: Indeed, the few buildings that were built from marble were hidden from view within the city landscape, meaning many historical discriptions of the city's beauty were perhaps exaggerated.
article_snippet: Given the literary descriptions and artwork, I thought these glittering marble temples on high would be very visible, but these glittering marble temples on high were not.'
article_snippet: Buildings constructed from marble were shaded with pink while those that were made from brick were shaded brown.
article_snippet: Dr Favro Dr Favro found that when viewed from the street level, however, just a few buildings were not widely visible.
article_snippet: Marble-paved public spaces, which used to only be found in sacred temples and houses of the elite, were also added throughout the city.
article_snippet: But in reality, the city did not greatly transform.'
highlights_snippet: Historians at the University of California Los Angeles found that most of the buildings were built mainly from brick and only a few temples were made from marble .
  
highlights_snippet: Those that were made from marble would have been difficult to see from many parts of the city, say the researchers .