SPQR Fellowship

As Jenna mentioned, yesterday we visited the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the ancient Roman Forum.  I had been to these places before on our first visit to Rome but was eager to revisit them. After a wet morning walk, we arrived at the site, now fully equipped with colorful umbrellas and ponchos that we were assured, “weren’t made in Chine”. Rain certainly had not held back the crowds but we were able to use an “all access” pass we had bought to circumvent the ticket line and start exploring the building.  One of the things I realized as we were coming back to visit these sites, is that even though I had learned about them in class (and I swear I was paying attention) I didn’t know that much about their origins, and how they changed over time.  Between reading everything I could at the sites (the colosseum had a nice exhibit) and digging around on the internet, I’m starting to get a little better idea of what went on.

The Colosseum was begun around 74 AD by the emperor Vespasian.  He chose to locate the site at the end of the Roman forum where the previous, and crazy emperor Nero, had his own private lake. The information suggested that Vespasian was making a gesture to the citizens. Originally called the Flavian Ampitheatre (after the ruling Flavian dynasty), the Colosseum name is likely due to being nicknamed that after a colossal bronze statue that was located just outside the building. I also started learning info on what the Colosseum was used for, where different classes of people sat, and how it changed over the eras. All very interesting stuff that I will let you explore on your own. The experience of walking around this 2000 year old building was powerful. Not only is the size still impressive (it could hold 87,000 people) but there is a beauty in the rhythm of the arches used as the structure of the building and now exposed today. I wondered how many of those long, flat, Roman bricks were used in the massive structure. Looking at them, there was something powerful about the idea that such a grand building was made from objects that could be held in the hand.  After getting our share of the Colosseum we walked a few blocks and found a place to eat. As we sat in ate, we watched about 20+ locals come in and order food so we felt that we had done well with our pick.

After lunch, we made our way to the entrance to the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. Flanked on the West by the Circus Maximus, in ancient times the Palatine Hill was covered by emperor palaces and/or wealthy peoples residences. North of the Palatine Hill is the Capitoline Hill which in ancient times housed the most important temple, the Temple of Jupiter.  It was the swampy lowland in between these two hills, that would slowly get filled in and become the Roman Forum. For centuries, the Forum acted as the heart of public life and you might argue, embodied the idea SPQR. It was filled with banks, markets, judicial buildings, and temples. Walking around ruins can be difficult at times. It really takes some imagination on the part of the observer to understand what the pile of ruins were really about. In the case of the Forum, there are still some massive structures standing, if only in bits and pieces. These pieces help to imagine the scale and epic-ness of what would have existed 2000 years ago.

In undergrad, I spent a semester doing research on the Roman Triumph event. Triumphs were used to celebrate great military victories of commanders. To get a picture, one can imagine an incredibly lavish parade-like event that started outside the city gates in the Campus Martius, wound its way around the south side of the Palatine Hill, moved through the Forum proper, and eventually up the hill to the Temple of Jupiter. The reality of the Roman Triumph was much deeper and more ritualistic. In ancient Rome, the city walls (boundary lines) and gates were extremely important. The very idea of the Roman Senate (SPQR again) was that matters in the city were conducted in a non-military fashion: military was to be housed outside the city proper. The Triumphal celebration was a ritualistic act where for one day, the city (the senate and people) gave up their power and authority to the triumphant commander who was allowed to enter through the city gates in military garb, make his way through the city collecting gifts, and finally climb the Capitoline Hill and symbolistically capture the city.  In short, the triumph was a significant Roman event that took place right on the very paths we were now walking on. Imagining the ancient grounds in this light was a great way to bring the ruins to life for me.    ** I should note that I did my best to summarize the triumph form what i researched and that there is still plenty of debates on the exact proceedings and meanings behind it.

Anyway, I hope this gives you an okay idea of our experience at the colosseum and ancient forum.

david j