Rome 2014

Another warm and sunny day in Rome. Perfect weather for roaming among the ruins.

The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre

I remember the first time seeing the interior of the Colosseum and being disappointed, I think because I had already seen the amphitheatre in Nimes which is in better condition. Nothing much has changed, of course, but they did have a great little exhibit on literacy in the Roman world, called La Biblioteca Infinita inside.

Circus Maximus

Site of chariot races, gladiator games, wild animal hunts and other spectacles, the Circus Maximus is Rome’s oldest public space dating from C6 BC. It could hold 250,000 spectators by C1 AD. In 10 BC Augustus took an obelisk dating from 1280 BC from Egypt and placed it in the circus. This was later moved (in AD 1587) and placed in the Piazza del Popolo where it is today.

Round Temple

This temple dates from the late C2/early C1 BC. Sometimes called a temple of Vesta, it is not known to which god or goddess this temple was dedicated. It may have been to Hercules. It survived because it was converted to a church known as St. Stephens in AD 1132.

Temple of Portunus

This temple replaced an earlier one on the site and dates from 80-70 BC. It survived almost intact because it was converted to the church of St. Mary in AD 872. This temple was located near the ancient Tiber port and is thought to have been dedicated to the harbour god Portunus.

Theatre of Marcellus

Julius Caesar planned this theatre to rival the one built by Pompey but was killed before it was completed. Augustus built it and named it for his nephew Marcellus who died in 23 BC. It once held 20,500 people and inspired theatre building around the empire. Now it contains a modern apartment building.

The Pantheon

This was the most impressive building to me the first time I came to Rome. It is almost 1900 years old (dates from AD 125) and still has its luxurious marble interior intact. Its dome held the world record for a concrete span until 1958, according to the Oxford Archaeological Guide to Rome. It is the third Pantheon (temple to all the gods) on this site and was built by Emperor Hadrian but was rededicated in the name of the first Pantheon builder, Marcus Agrippa. It was converted to the church of St. Mary of the Martyrs in AD 608.

Behind the Pantheon in the Piazza della Minerva in front of the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva is an Aswan Egyptian Obelisk from the 6C BC, held up by a little elephant carved by Bernini in AD 1667. The obelisk was found at this site where a Temple of Isis once stood.

Piazza Navona

This famous piazza was once the Stadium of Domitian built in AD 86 and held athletic and gladiatorial games. It still has the same shape as the stadium, curved at the north end and straight at the south. Seating for 30,000 would have been in the same place the surrounding buildings are in.

A warm and sunny spring day is perfect for walking around the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Museums.

The Roman Forum

There are so many things to see in the Roman Forum. Big iconic structures with lots of known history, and little bits of marble with their stories untold. The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina dates from AD 141 and was dedicated by the Senate first to Faustina, wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) and then to Antoninus when he died in 161.

An interesting piece of marble that caught my attention.

The cult of Vesta was one of the oldest and most important cults of Roman religion. Vestal Virgins tended the sacred fire of Rome, its life force. Except for the Pontifex Maximus, men were forbidden to enter the temple.

The House of the Vestal Virgins was attached to the Temple.

The women who became Vestal Virgins were chosen from aristocratic Roman families from the ages of 6 to 10. They served in this prestigious post for 30 years.

The Palatine Hill

This was the hill where the emperors lived in palatial palaces. 130 m long and once clad in decorated marble, the Neronian Cryptoporticus was an underground corridor that linked the huge imperial palaces of the Julio-Claudian period (1st century AD).

The Palatine Stadium, not its historical name, was part of the Flavian Palace (2nd half of 1st century AD). I was amazed by its size which I’m not sure the photo shows. The gardens and grounds covered an area of 160 x 48m, and the walls around it tower over it.

A view of the Roman Forum and the Capitoline Hill from the Palatine Hill.

Capitoline Museums

In Michaelangelo’s courtyard outside the Capitoline Museums is a copy of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius made in 1997.

Inside is the original dating from around AD 176-180.

I liked the statue of the Emperor Commodus (reigned AD 180-192), son of M. Aurelius, as Hercules. Commodus was not a popular emperor (Joaquin Phoenix played him in the film Gladiator), and he ended up being assassinated.

Another impressive statue was the Dying Gaul. It is a Roman marble copy of a Hellenistic bronze original which probably dates from the 2nd or 3rd century AD. Notice the Celtic torque around his neck.

Three thousand years of Roman history in nine days? Well, I did my best. Someone I met traveling once said you must leave something to return to see someday. I have left a few stones unturned in Rome. But this post is about the stones I did turn over and here is some of what I found under them.

Day One

Trajan’s Forum and Column – Trajan’s column tells the story of the conquest of Dacia in pictures. I saw a copy in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (and wrote a post about it no-tv-no-internet-trajan-had-an-app-for-that) but it’s amazing to see the real thing.

Across the street from Trajan’s Column is the Victor Emanuele Monument, a massive gleaming white landmark that serves well for navigating me back to my nearby hotel as I wander Rome. It celebrates the modern (re-)unification of Italy.

Down the street is the icon of Rome, the Colosseum. Or to be more historically accurate the Flavian Amphitheatre. Its most photographed side is covered with scaffolding so I took a photo from its other side.

These were the things I found on my first day in Rome. After traveling for 24 hours to get here, I needed rest for the next 8 days. Much more to come.