Sicilian Expedition - Syracuse

Our next stop on our trip to Sicily was Syracuse, the most important Greek colony on the island. Founded in 733, the colony went through various phases of democracy and tyranny over the course of its history. Finally, at the end of the 3rd century BC, the city fell to the Romans. Marcellus, the Roman general, reportedly wept as watched the fallen city burn. Due to its important location along the coast of Sicily, holding Syracuse was key to holding Sicily, just as Sicily was the key to holding the Mediterranean. A common joke among us students is that, unless you hold Sicily, you're not a real empire. I guess Athens was aware of this fact, and, in 415, during a brief respite from the Peloponnesian war, they sent an expedition over to Sicily. The campaign ended in disaster. Above you can see the Great Harbor of Syracuse. Just off to the left, some 50,000 Athenians were killed or captured and sold into slavery.

We had a "Franco Surprise," a welcome break from a morning of lectures. Franco, the large Italian man in the black hat, led us through a Sicilian market. I bought some cherry tomatoes from one vendor.

We then went to see a number of sites in another part of the city. This theater could seat 15,000 spectators and would have been the site of Greek dramatic performances and, possibly later on in the Roman period, gladiatorial spectacles.

This geological feature, possibly the result of quarrying activity, is where thousands of captured Athenians perished from disease or starvation. It also had some interesting acoustics.

We ended our day with a trip to the Euryalus fort, part of the defensive works guarding the approach to the city. We got to climb all over the walls, which was fun. The fort never was taken by force, though, because some Syracusans betrayed the city to the Romans, and the city fell without much of a fight.

Sicilian Expedition - Cefalu and Taormina

The journey continued as we boarded the ferry and spent the night crossing the Tyrrhenian Sea. Some snacks kept me company: Then we arrived at Palermo where Fabio valiantly resumed our journey.

We stopped in Cefalu, the site of a Norman church built in the 12th and 13th centuries. It was a fine example of a fusion of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Islamic architecture.

Here's the interior of the church. Notice the Byzantine-style mosaics.

Here is the Theater at Taormina. Situated atop a mountain, we had a superb view. Curiously, the backdrop of the theater (scaenae frons) would have obstructed the spectators' sight of the beautiful landscape.

Here we are standing in the center of the the Theater (the orchestra). The acoustics were amazing, the product of painstaking calculations by ancient architects.

At the end of the day, we went to Syracuse and checked into our hotel.

Sicilian Expedition - Paestum and Velia

Two weeks ago, we went to Sicily as part of our coursework at the Centro. On the first 2 days of our "Sicilian Expedition" we journeyed down the boot of Italy and took a ferry from Naples to Sicily. Along the way, we stopped at two sites: Paestum (where we stayed a night) and Velia. The first day in Paestum (the ancient Greek Poseidonia), we visited a museum where we had a number of interesting lectures about ceramics, metopes, and tomb-painting. Above you can see a curious donut-shaped jug. This is one of 3 Doric temples we saw at Paestum. Constructed around 500 BC, this archaic temple (dedicated to Athena) has many innovative features, such as entasis (a slight outward curving of the columns) and the mixing of Doric and Ionic columns. Here we are on Fabio bus, traveling from Paestum to Velia.

Here, you can see a view of some of the ancient city of Velia (founded in 540 BC) and its acropolis in the background.

Machicollations, holes built into the tops of fortifications so that things can be dropped on attackers. This medieval tower was built atop the ancient acropolis.

Augustus!

I just got back from Sicily, and I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. So, let me begin with Tuesday, two weeks ago, March 1. The theme of the week, for our lectures and readings, was Augustus and the transformation from Republic to Principate. This statue (The "Prima Porta Augustus") is of Rome's first emperor, Augustus Caesar. Born Octavius, he changed his name to Octavianus when he was adopted by Julius Caesar (assassinated in 44 BC) in his will. Finally, after bringing an end to the civil wars, Octavianus consolidated his power and took on the title "Augustus" (the august/venerable one). Augustus' building program supported his "propagandistic" aims. We had the chance to visit Caesar's and Augustus' fora. We had special permission to enter areas of the Imperial Fora that most tourists only dream of entering.

For some reason this relief was covered by pigeons.

It was a rainy day, and my umbrella was in a sorry state. Fortunately, later on, I figured out how to fix it. Taking notes while holding an umbrella is difficult.

Here, Adam gives a lecture on the Temple of Mars Ultor (Mars the avenger) built in the 1st century BC, a massive structure central to Augustus' forum. Augustus' building program was quite extensive, and we got to see a number of structures associated with Rome's first emperor, including the Temple of Bellona, the Temple of Apollo Veiovis, the Theater of Marcellus, and the Porticus Octaviae. Many of these projects were in fact tied to Augustus' dynastic aims. Augustus did not have any male offspring, so he ended up going through a number of possible heirs (Marcellus, Drusus, Lucius, Gaius) before finally settling upon Tiberius. If you would like any insight into the complex social relations of the Julio-Claudian family, you can follow this link. The family's marriages, divorces, adoptions, remarriages, and murders could surely be the topic of a soap opera, or, at the very least, a good book.

Here are some busts of members of the Julio-Claudian family. Notice the characteristic wide forehead and triangular face, traits brought on partly by extensive intermarrying.

When Augustus died, he had the Senate read aloud three documents publicly. The first two were his financial records and personal will, but the last, and most significant, was a document entitled the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (The Deeds Accomplished by the Deified Augustus). This was put up in various public places in cities throughout the empire. The inscription glowingly reports Augustus' works and deeds, at home and abroad.

A copy of the document was displayed outside of Augustus' Mausoleum (visible on the far left). Augustus' choice of this site for his burial underscored his desire to be seen as a true Roman, in opposition to the Hellenized Mark Antony. In the center of the model, you can see the original site of the Ara Pacis (altar of peace). You can see a reconstructed version in the picture below.

The Horologium Augusti was basically a giant sundial built made from an obelisk. This particular building project emphasized the extent of Augustus' authority. He commanded not just nations but time itself! Of course, this was far from true, and, in 14 AD, Augustus himself died, and, within 55 years, the Julio-Claudian dynasty was no more.

The Forum Romanum II

Last Thursday, we went to visit the Forum for the second time. A number of the sites we visited were off-limits to the average tourist, but, then again, we are not average tourists.
We had special permission to enter the Basilica Julia. Above you can see students climbing over the fence. A basilica was a multi-purpose public building whose functions did not include religious activities. Initially the site of the Bailica Sempronia, Julius Caesar began construction of the building in 54 BC (possibly a reaction to Pompey's construction of the Theater of Pompey in 55 BC) while he was off campaigning in Gaul. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Augustus finished his adopted father's work.

This student decided to wear a toga during his site presentation as he described the function's of the rostra (situated at the far right). The rostra was basically a speaker's platform which got its name from the prows of ships mounted upon it. Caesar had it moved from the comitium to a position between the Curia Julia, Basilica Julia, and Basilica Aemilia.

After Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators, his body was displayed in the Forum by Mark Antony. Mark Antony whipped the crowed into a frenzy with a passionate funeral oration. The crowd, amid Antony's protestations, lit a pyre in the forum and cremated Caesar. Later, a temple to Divus Julius was built on the site of his cremation. To this day, people honor the man's memory by putting flowers on the site.

Here, Professor Adam (Serfass) gives a lecture in the Basilica Aemilia, across from the Basilica Julia. Although the Basilica was erected by the Aemilii, Julius Caesar financed its renovation in accordance with his other construction projects. You may notice that Professor Serfass is wearing a scarf and hat. It was a surprisingly cold day, and most of us students were unprepared for the unexpected blasts of cold wind.

Here, 3 students are standing in front of the forum. Notice the Curia Julia (senate meeting house), the big square building in the background. After Clodius' supporters burned down the Curia Hostilia in a funeral gone awry, Caesar paved over the comitium and built a new Curia. Caesar's changes to the Forum Romanum parallels his demolishment of the old political order.

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.