A Triumphal Tour

Last Tuesday, we began our Journey in the Campus Martius and went along the putative triumphal route (the route taken by victorious generals during triumphs), visiting sites along the way. First we visited a set of manubial temples (temples vowed by a general in a battle) at Largo Argentina. It also happened to be a cat sanctuary. Apparently the Italians feed and vaccinate stray cats at the site, and people can adopt them if they want.
Above you can see part of a manubial temple. These temples happened to sit adjacent to the Theater of Pompey, which is where Caesar was assassinated. Somewhere under the modern road in the background, behind the concrete core, Caesar was stabed to death on March 15, 44 BC.

Here, is a picture of part of the foundation of the Theater of Pompey, now part of a restaurant. The net-like brick-work (opus reticulatum) is a fine specimen and was some of the first of its kind in the city of Rome.

Near the site of the Theater of Pompey is a modern market. I bought some grapes.

As we continued along the triumphal route, we walked by the Theater of Marcellus.Here, Professor Gregg is lecturing and gesturing (adlocutio?). These Manubial temples had been converted into a church. We had the chance to go into the crypt and see the substructures for temples of Spes, Juno Sospita, and Janus. After that, we met on the Capitoline (one of the seven hills) and went to the Capitoline Museum.This famous statue is actually the subject of much controversy. Although most Italian scholars date the wolf to the 5th century BC (the twins were added in the 15th century AD), a recent study has called this into question. As it turns out, the wolf may actually have been made in the Renaissance. If this is the case (which it may not be), we cannot know whether it is a copy of an earlier Etruscan work or merely a modern invention.

Here is a picture of me standing in the Tabularium (now part of the Palazzo Senatoro) overlooking the Forum Romanum. You may notice a pad of paper in my hand. Note-taking is an integral part of the centro experience (or college in general for that matter). I really enjoy

This is the "Dying Gaul" or the "Dying Trumpeter." A marble copy of a 3rd century BC bronze statue, this sculpture has many of the signature features of Hellenistic sculpture: intense negative emotions, torsion, historical subjects, chiaroscuro (deep shadows). One of my colleagues, Louis, believes that the original Gaul was not dying, but was merely suffering from a bad cramp. I cannot disprove this theory.

I thought that these Egyptian monkey statues looked funny. I'm not sure what they are doing or what their functions were. Perhaps they were cultic. Or maybe they were just decorative.

Epigraphy!

This Thursday, we went to an epigraphy (inscription) museum in Rome (Il Museo Nazionale dei Iscrizioni). In order to prepare for this excursion we read a book on inscriptions and had an epigraphy workshop. There were a lot of really exciting things in the museum.

This bust has nothing to do with epigraphy, but I thought that it was worthy of being photographed.
Here is a picture of me with a copy of the cippus found beneath the lapis niger. The inscription is truncated and archaic (older than the 6th century BC), so nobody knows exactly what it says. However, there is a mention of either a rex (king) or a rex sacrorum (a religious office in the early republic). This baffling inscription is the subject of much study, speculation, and debate. I have included this Julio-Claudian inscription because it is interesting. Mentioned along the bottom are "AETORES TUBICINES LITICINES CORNICINES ROMANI," which means something like "Roman trumpeters, tuba players, buglers, and horn players." Apparently, this inscription was purchased by ancient brass players to honor the emperor.
This was my groups inscription. 2 other students and I were given the task of translating one inscription and writing a short commentary. Here's a closer up view:

Part of the challenge of an inscription, besides it obviously being in an ancient language, is the use of abreviations. In this case, there weren't too many. I'll show you an edited version of the text and then a translation.

D(IS) M(ANIBUS) MAGNIA VENERIA [FECIT] T(ITO) MAGNIO DULITO PATRONO IDENQUE MARITO ET T(ITO) MAGNIO PHILOSTORGO FILIO QUI VIXIT ANNIS XII MENSIBUS V DIES VIIII DULCISSIMIS

"To the gods of the underworld, Magnia Veneria erected this for Titus Magnius Dulitus, her patron and also her husband, and for Titus Magnius Philostorgus, her son who lived for 12 most sweet years, 5 months, and 9 days."

It was a lot of fun putting together a translation and commentary. Even a seemingly insignificant grave marker can have a lot of meaning. Compared to literature, epigraphy is not too difficult; it just takes some getting used to.

The Fields of Gabine Juno

In Book VII of the Aeneid, Virgil describes the Latin peoples and mentions the arva Gabinae Junonis (the fields of Gabine Juno, 682-683). This past Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit those fields when we went to the site of Gabii, an ancient town outside of Rome which began to decline in significance and size as other cities became more important. At the site is a massive temple and sanctuary to Juno. The area was beautiful:
Well, actually, this photo is of nearby Palestrina (ancient Praeneste), but it gives you the idea. At Praeneste, we got to see a museum and the remains of some monumental architecture. Basically, the Romans built up a large temple complex using concrete and vaulted architecture. So resilient were Roman architectural methods and materials that, during the Second World War, when the allies bombed the Italians and Germans entrenched on the mountain, only the medieval, renaissance, and modern buildings were destroyed; the Roman concrete was by and large unscathed.Here is a picture of Scott (aka Professor Smith) giving a lecture in one of the crypts at Praeneste. I also have Scott for Latin and some have him for intermediate Greek.

We then went to a boat museum (shown above). There we got to see reconstructions of Caligula's (Gaius Caesar) pleasure boats. The model that you see here is only 1/10 the size of the original ships. Originally, the museum was meant to house the two ships, but during WWII, retreating Nazis burned down the museum and the boats were lost (forever!). The ships must have been remarkable to behold, but alas, they are no more.

Then we visited what once was a sanctuary to Diana. We are told in a number of ancient sources that the Rex Nemorensis (king of the grove) was a priest here. Strabo says that "the people set up as priest merely a run-away slave who has slain with his own hand the man previously consecrated to that office; accordingly the priest is always armed with a sword, looking around for the attacks, and ready to defend himself." How are we to explain this strange story? Did the Rex Nemorensis really exist? If so, was he constantly in danger of being killed by a runaway slave and replaced? I am inclined to believe that the stories are real and that the practice was some sort of pseudo-human sacrifice, based on earlier religious beliefs.

And, after a truly long day of lecturing and traveling, we stopped on our way back and bought some gelato. Here is a photo that I took of some of the other Centristi. All in all, I enjoyed our trip to Gabii, Praeneste, etc. Our week long trips in Campagnia and Sicily will probably be similar - characterized by many wonderful sites, numerous lectures, and a lot of time spent on the bus - but for 7 days a week, and not just 1.

Tiber, Soccer, etc.

I'm going to quickly wrap up what I've done over the remainder of last week. Then I'll be caught up on everything and will be ready to blog about our trip to Gabii tomorrow.



On Thursday, we went to the Forum Boarium (between the Tiber, Capitoline, and Palatine). There, we saw a number of sites and temples, including a round temple (to Hercules?) and a temple to Portunus. I, unfortunately, forgot my camera, so I don't have any lovely pictures. If you're really interested in seeing pictures, let me know, and I can try to get some from other people. We also visited Tiber Island and heard a student presentation on the role of the island and its connection to Asclepius, the god of healing. After that trip and an afternoon Italian class, I was done with classes for the week!



On Saturday, a number of us students went to go see a soccer game between Roma and Napoli. But first, as all good sports fans should, we had a barbeque. We bought hamburgers, hot dogs, and vegetables and had a nice meal in the Centro's garden. It was quite an experience seeing Franco (the director) use a ping pong paddle to shovel and fan the coals. In the end we had a wonderful meal (Franco Barbeque), and, after getting our faces painted, we were off to the game!
Some Centristi with their war paint.
The players were far away, but fun to watch. Roma is red, and Napoli is blue.

The Roma mascot (a wolf) leading cheers. (e.g. "Non siamo Napoli!" or "We are not Napoli!")

I bought a scarf and jersey. Here, I am holding a little wolf stuffed animal that Franco let us bring.

But alas! Rome lost by 2 points. Although I had no stake in the game, having cheered for Roma, I could not help but feel slightly dejected. Such is the nature of sports. Once you get your mind set on a particular outcome, any alternative leaves you unsatisfied.

Alba Fucens

On Tuesday, during our weekly day-long field trip, we went to visit Alba Fucens, a Roman Colony 68 (Roman) miles north-east from Rome. The colony sits at a stategic point along the Via Valeria and was built in 303 BC in order to help control the Aequi. About a century later, the colony was contributing about 2,000 men a year to fight against Hannibal in the Second Punic War.



That said, the colony and the surrounding area are beautiful. We were told that it would be very cold (possibly even with snow!), but it ended up being in the 50's, which was very nice (even though a snowball fight in a Roman amphitheater would have been fun).

Here's a picture of me standing at a rest stop. We were not far from Alba Fucens, it was just another short drive farther up into the mountains.

Here's a picture of Professor Serfass (Adam) and Louis. You can sort of make out the modern community behind them.

This is an amphiteater. There were many epic gladiatorial battles in this place, and we Centristi, myself included, had some excellent wrestling matches/footraces in the arena.

I apologize for this photograph. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a picture of the whole colony. I hope that this gives you some idea of what it looked like.

A student attempts to read a Latin inscription, a daunting yet exciting task.

The remains of a bath house. Notice the hypocaust system. They would warm the bath by channeling hot air from a fire under the floor in the area with the brick pylons.

Here we are eating our cestini. Apparently playgrounds can also function as cafeterias.

Once we got back to Rome, we stopped by some important sites. This tomb, belonging to a man named Eurysaces, commemorates the life of a baker, contractor, and public servant. The presenter (the first student presenter), argued that he was a freed slave (on account of his Greek name, his profession, and the lack of a patronym). I am not so convinced. While he could have been a slave, he very well could also have been the son of a freedman, an orphan, the son of an immigrant, or an immigrant himself.
This is Porta Maggiore (in Latin, Porta Praenestina). Originally the terminal of the Aqua Claudia, this became incorporated into the Aurelian wall and was later refurbished by a pope. This marked the end of our long Tuesday; I was quite tired during this presentation yet somehow managed to pay attention. As much as I enjoy our site visits, I think that Tuesdays will be particularly difficult. I'll be sure to bring more snacks and things next time to help make the 10 hour days more manageable (we left at 8:00 a.m. and got back by 6:00 p.m.)

On a side note, at dinner, we got to celebrate Professor (Scott) Smith's birthday!

Trip to the Vatican

On Fridays, I have no class, since I am not in art history. However, last Friday (February 4), I elected to go with the art history class to visit the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. We had to get to the Vatican on our own, so we grabbed our cestini (sack lunches) and got on the bus. This is the view of Saint Peter's Basillica as we approached from the bus stop:

Once inside the museum (around the wall of the Vatican to the right), we got to see a number of marvelous works of art. Paul, the art history professor, is able to talk for extended periods of time on individual pieces of art. Consider this sculpture, a copy of Michaelangelo's Pieta:

Paul - I don't know his last name. We are supposed to address our professors by their first names, and it takes some getting used to. When possible I tend to avoid using the vocative. This is also true of other students, whose names I have not yet fully mastered - gave a 45 minute lecture on this one statue. I now know a great deal of information about this pieta, and I can more fully appreciate the detail and rigor of the art history class.

Here is another piece of art. This painting is by Raffael, and is the last he ever painted. It portrays Christ's transfiguration. I was initially confused by the number of figures in the foreground. According to the gospels, only three disciples, Peter, James, and John, were present at the event. Eventually (this too was a very long lecture!), Paul explained that Raffael had fused two stories back-to-back in the gospels, the transfiguration and the healing of a demon-possessed boy, into one painting, emphasizing the connection between Christ's divine status (as portrayed in his transfiguration) and his miracles (such as his healing of the boy). We heard a number of other lectures before finally making our way over to the Sistine Chapel.

Above is the hallway we walked through to get to the Chapel. It was lined with ancient statues. Other hallways held tapestries and frescoes.

This fresco of Plato's Academy is my favorite work which we saw (besides maybe the Sistine Chapel itself).

Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photographs in the chapel. Nevertheless, it was marvelous to see (mirabile visu!). I did not get to hear Paul's lecture on the chapel, but I can only assume based upon other students' reports and my own intuition, that it was gruelling and packed with information. The chapel's art is much more extensive than the typically featured image of God reaching out for Adam. Frescoes on the right and left depict corresponding scenes in the lives of Jesus and Moses (for instance, Moses giving the Pentateuch from Mount Sinai is paired with Jesus delivering the sermon on the mount.) Along the top are a number of prophets, and finally on the roof is the scene of creation. On the back wall is a scene of the last judgement. The entire chapel is a bit overwhelming (by the end, my neck was sore from looking up), but it was a wonderful experience.

This trip impressed upon me the desire to learn about the past and to appreciate art's role as a means of expression. However, it also confirmed in my mind that I do not want to be an art history major. As much as I find art thought-provoking and fun to look at, I cannot imagine myself spending hours analyzing a single painting or statue. I'm glad I went on the trip.

Etruscans!

Yesterday, we went to visit the Etruscan sites of Tarquinia and Caere. Below you can see a picture of Fabio's bus, the means by which we take our trips. I used the time on the bus to sleep. Once we reached Tarquinia, we saw a museum and had lectures on pottery and sarcophogi. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs inside the museum, so I can't show you all of the wonderful red and black figure pottery we saw.


Once we finished at the museum, we left the modern town and went to visit a necropolis (city of the dead). After a brief lecture (it was very windy, so I had trouble keeping my notes in order), we had the chance to go explore the tombs in pairs and analyze their art.

The above two photos are of some of the tombs we had the chance to see (from behind glass to protect the tombs from condensation). My partner and I decided to write our assignment on the second tomb shown. The two figures flanking the false door are probably Etruscan deities. That fact, along with the curious placement of the door above a stairway leading to another chamber, suggests that doors were particularly significant to the Etruscans as liminal spaces, possibly connected to the afterlife. After finishing our assignment, we got back on the bus and left for Caere (modern Cerveteri). When we got there we visited another necropolis. This one had no extant paintings, but it was much more extensive and exiting than the first. After a short lecture on the evolution of tomb practices, we got to explore the surrounding tombs on our own.

This is one of the circular tombs which we visited. Notice the corbeled archway. The dromos (narrow entryway) leads into a tomb chamber, such as the one pictured below.

It was fun exploring several dozen tombs. This picture is deceiving; the tombs were actually quite dark! But, thanks to the wonders of modern flash-photography, you can see them in colorful detail!

You may be able to make out a hand in this photograph. No worries; no students were harmed in the making of this blog.