reporter: russell scott an ameran history professor has been digging around in the foru for over 20 ars and is ju as frustrat. >> it's surpring what you may be able to find, but then t question is can anying beone to help preser it, to treat it? and the answ here is there's no money for it. >> reporter: coving thins up agn protects watever has been exposed from poution and the weather, but it means what you see here today is probably what yore going to getfor a lo time to come. physal reconstruction is just tooexpensive. but what about virtual reconstrucon? this is a sophisticated computer modelnd the experts say it's prettylose to what the city looked like at the height o the roman empire. me reborn 'salled and now available on google earth. so you d't just fly over the cosseum, you fly into it. >> our model includes many of the interrs of t great public buildings and certainly of the colosseum. and the chambers you s behind me. >> reporter:t is hoped that tools like at from the digital world will gerate interest and ultimately lead to more funding so that archaeologists c reveal and p