Becoming a Roman

Since we got back from San Marino, life has not slowed down.  During the following week, the school took us to the Colosseum and Roman Forum, both of which were totally unreal.  I feel like I devoted so many years of my life to studying these things, and the fact that I finally get to see them in real life blows my mind a little bit.

There was  a constant recognition of the fact that we were standing on ground with history older than anything in America.  So many people and animals fought to their death in this amphitheater.  It acted as a political tool too when it was used to keep the people from rioting.  The concept of bread and circuses managed to keep everyone under control. The amphitheater itself was built as a piece of political propaganda.  Nero's golden house and the giant colossus statue used to stand here.  Nero set Rome on fire at the end of his days, and as you may guess, he was no longer a favorite of the Roman people.  The next emperor decided to close the golden house, tear down the colossus, and open the door to a new political age, in which the Roman people wouldn't have to fear a totalitarian regime (at least that's what he wanted them to think). They used to fill it with water sometimes, to reenact popular naval battles - it was in vogue to be historically and politically educated.  The ancient Roman morning would begin with animal vs. animal fights.  Around lunch, unlucky men, with or without criminal histories, would face the animals that had survived the morning's battles.  Then, in the afternoon, came what everyone waited for - the superbowl of Colosseum events - the gladiatorial fights.  And they fought right there, before our eyes ages ago.  We walked where the Romans walked, we stood where they stood, sat in the same bleachers where they lived and died in the moments of their most prized sporting events.  How amazing is that?

From the Colosseum, you can see the Arch of Constantine, which is one of my most favorite pieces in art history. It's this beautiful big square of marble with three arches cut into it, and amazing sculptural reliefs.  Back in the day in ancient Rome, when a leader led a successful conquest and conquered an enemy, they weren't immediately allowed to come back into the city.  They camped just outside the city walls until the Senate decided they could have a triumphal procession.  They would march down the Via Sacra, the main road in the Roman Forum, with all of their spoils of war, whether that be treasure, slaves, or a number of other things, and finally pass through a triumphal arch, which depicted scenes from the battle and the procession.  The parade would end there, but an inscription below the attic story of the arch ensured that the leader or general would be immortalized in stone forever.

The Roman Forum.  The Basilica is the arched building on the right.

When you pass by this arch, you see the first buildings of the forum.  These first glimpses don't do justice to how big the forum really is, or how much is still being recovered.  The ground level of Rome has risen dramatically since ancient times, and buildings were built on top of the old Rome.   There's still so much digging going on - so much that people don't know yet, or haven't seen in thousands of years.  Isn't that wonderful?  There's even ruins underneath modern buildings.  There is so much in the Forum to talk about, and it's completely overwhelming to see.   I think it's something you have to see for yourself.  The building that struck me the very most in the forum was the basilica.  A basilica, in those times, was not a religious building.  The one in the forum functioned as a space for a market and legal proceedings.  I stood in the middle of it... and it was completely huge.  The size of the thing is ridiculous - I've never been in a space that large (and enclosed, in ancient times). There's not a whole lot left of it.  Only about one third.  The third gives you quite the idea of how it looked way back when though.

Arches are a product of the Roman architectural revolution.  The ancient Romans developed concrete, and thus were able to perfect the concept of the arch and the dome to create large enclosed interior spaces.  Like in the top of the Pantheon, the ceiling of the basilica makes use of coiffers, or sunken shapes, to redistribute the weight of the building over the open space.  They are practical, but also usually beautiful.

After we left the forum, we walked around on the Palatine Hill.  There were gorgeous views and lots of ruins, including those from the house of Augustus Caesar.  By the time we got to the bottom, Sarah and I were exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, and decided to stop by a cafe.  After all, how many times in my life will I be able to say that I ate next to the Colosseum?  The cafe was wonderful.  We each had a Margherita pizza, and I had a rossini ( which is a strawberry mimosa).  Then we followed up with Tiramisu.

 It was all completely surreal.  Modern Roman life colliding with ancient Roman ruins still blows my mind.