My "Survey of Art and Architecture" class
largely is done through excursions. The first of these was to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
Apparently, the only reason most of these ruins were dug up is because of Mussolini. The thing was a good chunk of WWII propaganda in Italy was to revive the Empire and "make the Mediterranean an Italian lake", so excavations were commissioned to prevent Roman glory from being kept out of sight and mind. To this end he also had a massive road constructed from the Palazzo Venezia (where he gave his speeches) to the Colosseum to further cement himself with Rome. This road actually split the Roman Forum in half ironically enough, but made it so they were found faster.
There are only two building that remain standing in their original form incidentally: the Curia Julia, the seat of senatorial power named after the man who rebuilt it after a fire (Julius Caesar) and the Pantheon which I've already put up pictures of.
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| Temple of Antonius and Faustina |
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| Arch of Septimius Severus (203 CE) depicting the Roman victory over the Parthians |
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| The portico of the Temple of Saturn and the Column of Phocas |
The Tabularium was the hall of records of Ancient Rome. The Renaissance Italians would just build on top of existing structures, so the top half (with the windows and the tower) was added on top of the Tabularium by Michaelangelo. Today, it serves a very similar function as a house of records as it is the town hall of Rome.
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| Everything in perspective |
This is the Rostra, where the Roman people could be addressed by the Senators. It was called the Rostra because after a naval victory the Romans would display the stolen decorative prows of the enemy ships (rostrum) as spoils of war.
The Curia Julia, where the senators would come to delegate. The original was destroyed in a fire and was rebuilt by he who owned the land, Julius Caesar. This was a political ploy however, as the Curia was used as an entrance to what became known as Julian Forum, which became the first of what are called Imperial Forums. The equivalent is a building burning down and Donald Trump rebuilding it as a Trump Tower.
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Santi Cosma e Damiano, originally the Temple of Romulus
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| Inlaid Art made from large pieces of colored granite; much rarer and more expensive than mosiac |
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| Arch of Titus (82 CE) depicting the Siege of Jerusalem |
Until finally, we saw the Colosseum. The weird thing is is that this
structure is completely falling apart; we take for granted that it has
that split level appearance, it was supposed to be an actual ring. For
scale reference, look to the people walking along the edge on the bottom right.
Fun fact: the term"arena" comes from the fact that the Colosseum had a sand floor to mop up the blood, the word for sand being "harena" in Latin.
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| One of the last remaining seat sections left |
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| Arch of Constantine (312) to commemorate the victory of the Battle of Milvian Bridge |
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| Il Colosseo |
Apparently, the only reason most of these ruins were dug up is because of Mussolini. The thing was a good chunk of WWII propaganda in Italy was to revive the Empire and "make the Mediterranean an Italian lake", so excavations were commissioned to prevent Roman glory from being kept out of sight and mind. To this end he also had a massive road constructed from the Palazzo Venezia (where he gave his speeches) to the Colosseum to further cement himself with Rome. This road actually split the Roman Forum in half ironically enough, but made it so they were found faster.
This is the Rostra, where the Roman people could be addressed by the Senators. It was called the Rostra because after a naval victory the Romans would display the stolen decorative prows of the enemy ships (rostrum) as spoils of war.
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