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Travel Blog of the Gaps
All of Rome, it seems, qualifies as an archeological site.
Some of the ancient architecture was buried by Rome's frequent, sludgy floods, but astonishingly, some of the ancient buildings are still in everyday use.
Much of today's city is built literally atop the sedimented-over remains of its own antiquity. Dig a bit and you may find the remains of a Roman general's villa ... or a goat herder's dung pile. Or perhaps both, for when a city has survived as long (and has flooded as often) as has Rome, you can be certain that the stratified history stretches many layers beneath your feet.
I began my exploration of the city by walking down to The Roman Forum. This 5-acre valley, between the Palatine and the Capitoline hills, served as Rome's city center, first during the Republic, and continuing after Julius Caesar established the Empire. Some of the structures remain intact, while others have been cannibalized for the stone to construct later buildings.
Despite the blatant disrepair, the Forum in impressive. Here you can see the origins of the basilica in the large Roman gathering halls and temples that were later emulated in Christian architecture in Rome and around the world. There are monuments to Roman polytheism, which has been said to comprise a sum of 30,000 gods.
And even until Rome's demise, this pantheon still accepted newcomers, for following their deaths, Roman leaders often were worshiped as gods. Thus, there are in the temples to Romulus, Caesar, and Antoninus, along with Saturn, Vesta, and Venus. (The parallels with Roman Catholic saints is hard to ignore, particularly with the longstanding tradition of naming churches after them.)
(I've included some photos, with additional information in the captions.)
Just beyond the Forum lies the Colosseum, the ancient city's imposing entertainment arena. Ancient Romans loved blood sport, so even as I admired the structure's tenacity, it is difficult to contemplate the human and animal slaughter perpetrated here, all for recreation.
That's now in the past, but as I said, some of the ancient buildings remain fully functional. For example, the Curia, which sits on the Forum and served as the Roman Senate's meeting hall, was preserved for centuries as a church. Today it provides space for museum exhibits.
Near my hotel and the train station, another church is housed in the ancient Baths of Diocletian. Its sheer enormity and architectural beauty testify to how seriously Romans took the baths. (See the photos again.) The entire site for the Baths of Diocletian covers 10 acres ... twice the size of the Forum.
I could go on and on, for that is exactly what Rome does. Wandering about often leads you past a fragment of the ancient city wall, a church or temple dating from the early Christian days, or often an archeological dig in progress. But next I will explore art that, oddly enough, seems more modern ... the Baroque art housed in the Borghese Gallery.
Blog to you later.
Ciao!
Some of the ancient architecture was buried by Rome's frequent, sludgy floods, but astonishingly, some of the ancient buildings are still in everyday use.
Much of today's city is built literally atop the sedimented-over remains of its own antiquity. Dig a bit and you may find the remains of a Roman general's villa ... or a goat herder's dung pile. Or perhaps both, for when a city has survived as long (and has flooded as often) as has Rome, you can be certain that the stratified history stretches many layers beneath your feet.
I began my exploration of the city by walking down to The Roman Forum. This 5-acre valley, between the Palatine and the Capitoline hills, served as Rome's city center, first during the Republic, and continuing after Julius Caesar established the Empire. Some of the structures remain intact, while others have been cannibalized for the stone to construct later buildings.
Despite the blatant disrepair, the Forum in impressive. Here you can see the origins of the basilica in the large Roman gathering halls and temples that were later emulated in Christian architecture in Rome and around the world. There are monuments to Roman polytheism, which has been said to comprise a sum of 30,000 gods.
And even until Rome's demise, this pantheon still accepted newcomers, for following their deaths, Roman leaders often were worshiped as gods. Thus, there are in the temples to Romulus, Caesar, and Antoninus, along with Saturn, Vesta, and Venus. (The parallels with Roman Catholic saints is hard to ignore, particularly with the longstanding tradition of naming churches after them.)
(I've included some photos, with additional information in the captions.)
Just beyond the Forum lies the Colosseum, the ancient city's imposing entertainment arena. Ancient Romans loved blood sport, so even as I admired the structure's tenacity, it is difficult to contemplate the human and animal slaughter perpetrated here, all for recreation.
That's now in the past, but as I said, some of the ancient buildings remain fully functional. For example, the Curia, which sits on the Forum and served as the Roman Senate's meeting hall, was preserved for centuries as a church. Today it provides space for museum exhibits.
Near my hotel and the train station, another church is housed in the ancient Baths of Diocletian. Its sheer enormity and architectural beauty testify to how seriously Romans took the baths. (See the photos again.) The entire site for the Baths of Diocletian covers 10 acres ... twice the size of the Forum.
I could go on and on, for that is exactly what Rome does. Wandering about often leads you past a fragment of the ancient city wall, a church or temple dating from the early Christian days, or often an archeological dig in progress. But next I will explore art that, oddly enough, seems more modern ... the Baroque art housed in the Borghese Gallery.
Blog to you later.
Ciao!
- comments
Henry Superb blogging. Wish I was there with you, yet feel like I almost am, thanks to your wonderful account. Look forward to more.
Richard What a great time you must be having. The history lessons from your trip and the wonderful photos. Are you planning to change professions?
dee tucker Hi Larry, I enjoy reading your travel blogs.