The Round Temple- Part IV of 10 Ancient Roman Sites to Visit in Rome

After a brief detour to Ostia, I’m once again starting off with my 10 ancient(not-so-visited) Roman sites in Rome.

The Round Temple is a structure that survives in Rome from very ancient times- it is thought that this could have been constructed in the late 2nd or 1st century BC. Of course the structure we see today does not survive completely from its original state 2000 years ago but parts of it are preserved.

The Round Temple is located at a stone’s throw from the Theatre of Marcellus, along the River Tiber. It can also be reached from the other end coming from the Circus Maximus. One of the primary reasons why this temple survived intact whilst others were destroyed or built up over was because it was converted into a church. Sometimes the only way to survive is to be flexible.

We do not know the original deity to whom this temple was dedicated- (people think of it as a temple to Vesta- goddess of the hearth) but it is more thought to be a temple to Hercules.

Round Temple Along the Tiber

Apart from being an ancient structure that survives to this day, the Round temple is also located in a very historical area close to other monuments that I will be speaking about in the future. It is a stone’s throw away from other major sites but is hardly crowded and is a good place to relax and take in the history of a very ancient city.

 

More Mosaics from Ostia

It’s raining mosaics from Ostia- a few more from the merchant square

What trade could this have represented?

A Pair of Sailing Ships

What’s a Sea without a Dolphin?

A Sailing Ship and Something Else I can’t quite place

More Ships

I give up on trying to figure this out

Remember these mosaics helped give the individual shop offices a little bit of character and helped each one of them set themselves apart from the others. The more unique the mosaic, the easier it became a landmark.

Ostia is renowned for its black and white mosaics.

My Photography

In my article on Ostia that was published in the newspapers yesterday (link here) I talk about a mosaic that was a representation of an elephant and I wonder what it stood for. I did a bit of research and found that this was actually a shop for ivory traders from Sabrata in Libya.

This is not a good photograph as there was only so much I could do in 20 seconds ( I was in a rush), under bright sunlight and sharp shadows- not that this should be an excuse but I do hope you are able to get my idea of the elephant.

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A Theatre & A Temple- Part III of Ancient Roman Sights in Rome

So you are walking on a road in Rome and you suddenly come across this building on your left. What do you think of immediately. “Oh! It’s the Colosseum!” you remark, only slowly realising that the building while looking a lot like the Colosseum from some points is also quite different from it. Congratulations! You have found your way to the Theatre of Marcellus- in its heyday – one of the three main theatres of Rome.

 

Its not the Colosseum silly!

The theatre of Marcellus does not have a beautiful story. It was originally started by Julius Caesar who wanted to build a theatre that would rival/ outshine another theatre in existence in Rome- the theatre of Pompey (Caesar’s rival- not to be confused with the town Pompeii). But Caesar was assassinated and the theatre stood incomplete. Augustus started the project once again- for Marcellus- his nephew, son-in-law and one-time heir apparent. Except Marcellus died (as did a lot of heirs of Augustus- conspiracy theories abound that Augustus’ wife Livia poisoned them all in favour of her own son but I have not read enough to make up my mind one way or the other). But the theatre was completed anyway and inaugurated in around 13-11 BC. It was capable of seating 20,500 people (ref: Amanda Claridge, Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide).

The Theatre of Marcellus

Today the outer structure of the theatre has been carefully integrated into a residential building with actual people living inside it. How cool would it be to have an address which read, Theatre of Marcellus, Rome on it?

Almost adjoining the Theatre are three Corinthian columns which stand out. These mark the corner of the building that was once the temple of Apollo Medicus Sosianus. As in the history of many ancient temples, the temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt with the final version that we see now having been built somewhere around the 1st century BC.

The Columns of the Temple of Apollo

Both these buildings are located a mere 2 minutes away from the base of the Capitoline hills (or even the Victor Emmanuel Wedding Cake monument) but not many tourists make it to this site. It is a beautiful place to catch your breath and ponder at the ruins and listen to the the silent history that the travertine blocks whisper to you.

Listen to the Tale of the Stones

 

The Ara Pacis Augustae Museum- Part II- 10 Ancient Roman Sites to Visit in Rome

Note: Someone pointed out to me that all sites in Rome are Roman and hence I have added the adjective ancient- I hope this clarifies the point I am trying to make if the posts don’t by themselves

In the second part of my ancient Roman sites to visit in Rome, I will describe the monument of the Altar of Augustan Peace located on the Lungotevere. This monument is quite special in my perspective because the entire reconstructed monument is located within a modern museum- thereby forming once again that overlap of different eras that is so unique to Rome but more on that further down.

Frontal View of the Ara Pacis

The Ara Pacis Augustae or the Altar of Augustan peace is quite literally an altar, but a massive altar constructed entirely out of Luna Marble and adorned with intricate carvings. The altar was consecrated by Augustus in 13 B.C and the construction completed in 9B.C.  The structure is open to the skies.

To give you a better perspective

Steps Leading to Altar Framed with Winged Lions

 

 

Essentially the altar is shaped like a U and is placed within a raised 4 walled structure. There are two doors to the interior altar possibly referring back to the Shrine of the two headed God Janus in the Roman forum- the significance of which was that if the doors to the shrine were closed then peace prevailed in the empire- and the concept of Pax Romana was itself conceived in the Augustan age so it is probably a fair notion that Augustus was proud of his achievements for the Empire. Interestingly the altar was commissioned on the occasion of a successful return by Augustus from Spanish and Gaulish provinces where there had been disturbances. And so the Altar of Augustan Peace.

Acanthus Leaves and Frieze

The decorations are lavish- on the exterior- acanthus plants – so prominent in Roman sculpture (Remember the Corinthian capitals with their rolled acanthus leaves?) is once again present in a larger background- beneath the processional figures. There are also mythological decorations on the sides with the doors- though a bit more fragmentary in their preservation. On the inside you see decorations of strung garlands interspersed with skulls of bulls that have been sacrificed – a theme popular in Roman painting as well.

Garlands with Bucrania or Skulls of Sacrificial Bulls

The Interior with Steps Leading to Altar

 

 

There are two friezes on the exterior side of the marble structure (the ones without the doors)- we can see Augustus and a procession of people from his court- Livia, Marcus Agrippa and the like along with numerous other people. Ironically the figure of Augustus is a bit battered whereas those of the others are a bit better preserved. To go into a bit of context again- the current location of the Ara Pacis was not the same as the ancient one.  Over the course of time the altar had fragmented but Mussolini had the surviving parts all put together and placed in a location that was quite significant for the Ara Pacis is now right opposite the Mausoleum of Augustus thereby forming an Augustus zone. The Mausoleum itself is currently closed – unfortunate- but to glimpse it from inside the Ara Pacis museum is a treat.

Augustus is the Half Invisible Figure

The structure of the museum itself has been a controversy. As I had mentioned earlier the Ara Pacis is located inside a modern museum constructed by Richard Meier in 2005. It is the first new museum within central Rome after the early 20th century and it has drawn a lot of opinions both for and against it. The glass and concrete casing of the museum has drawn a lot of critical review for not being in character with the rest of the location. But if you asked me, I loved the concept- here was a 2 millenium old marble altar enclosed in an aesthetic modern enclosure that allows people on the inside to feel that they are still in open air (which was how the Ara was originally meant to be). But for people on the outside as well it can provide a glimpse into the altar inside. The outside wall of the museum has a further reference to Augustus- with the entire text of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Deeds of the Divine Augustus)- his autobiographical listing of achievements in his life- inscribed on the wall.

Res Gestae Inscription on the Exterior

Visiting Tips: The entrance to the museum is a bit steep, so the better value would be to get hold of a Roma Pass. Technically the Roma Pass allows free entrance only to the first two monuments and reductions thereon but the counter staff just waved me in without scanning my card – not that I was cheating- the Ara was the second monument I was visiting- but I’m just telling you that you could get lucky and not have to pay anything (if you’ve already covered a few monuments) or worst case scenario- shell out a reduced price. There is a nice giftstore within the museum (like all good museums) and a temporary exhibition space as well.

10 Roman Sites to Visit in Rome- Part I

Rome- the eternal city. When we think of Rome we tend to immediately conjure up popular images in our head- St Peter’s Square and the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Colosseum. Out of all these monuments only the Colosseum is a monument from Ancient Rome. And yet Rome is and was principally a Roman city so there is no dearth to the number of Ancient Roman monuments you can see in Rome- some better preserved than the others.  Because Rome is a city of different time capsules with one often overlapping the other, it is often easy to overlook how a structure over 2000 years old coexists with something from the 17th Century and that with something from the past century.

In this series I hope to highlight a few Ancient Roman sites that do not often make it to the traveller’s to-do list. Every one of these sites is unique in my opinion and I hope that some of you who will be travelling to Rome in the future would be tempted to visit at least one of them. I do not list them in any order of preference or importance-  merely in the order of my convenience.

So the first site to make it to the list

Porta Maggiore and the Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker

This site is one of my favourites not just because it houses what must be one of the quirkiest tombs ever in the history of humankind but also because it is a site where different layers of time intersect and reside with one another.

Porta Maggiore used to be called Porta Prenestina and was one of the gates that led into the town of Rome. This was originally constructed in the time of  the emperor Claudius (around 50AD). The gate has an interesting structure which is provided by two aqueducts running one on top of the other bringing water into the city- the Claudia and the Anio Novus. These aqueducts facilitated the construction of an arch like gate below them.

Aqueducts One on Top of Another

The architecture of the columns and other decorations of the arch are interesting as they are a style unique to the Claudian period called the rusticated style. We can see how the triangular pediments are clearly sculpted whereas the columns look like blocks of stone just heaped one on top of another with little or no styling. This was the rusticated style- it is thought that this referred back to Claudius himself- who became an emperor almost by accident- for he was ignored for most of his life as a worthless stammerer thereby saved from the power politics race in the imperial family. Claudius was however, well learned in history and languages. Robert Graves’ I Claudius and Claudius the God are both great books to read about this period.

Rusticated Style

Just outside the gate we find one of the most intriguing tombs ever in Roman civilisation. This tomb (which looks nothing like a traditional tomb from contemporary or even modern times)  was built by a wealthy freedman (a slave who managed to obtain his freedom) who must have been a big name in the bakery business.

Here lies the Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker

 

For a bit of context- in most of the ancient Roman cities tombs for the dead (which contained ashes) were not allowed within city limits, they clearly demarcated the city of the living and the dead. For this reason roads coming into the city outside the gates are often lined with tombs. The closer to the city, the more important or wealthy the occupant of the tomb or his/ her relative. So getting a spot right outside the city gate must have been a feat of some sorts for someone who was only a baker. In fact the tomb was primarily for the wife of Eurysaces – Atista. But the nature and the decorations of the tomb leave no doubt as to who is making a statement. There was a habit in Rome of doling free bread to the poor and it is thought that Eurysaces may have had a large contract of sorts from the Roman administration for this and other government contracts.

The tomb is amazing to look at- mainly because it looks so bizarre. It rises to a height of about 30 feet and looks like a weird collection of open cylinders heaped together. These cylinders are representations of grain measurement units. Running around the entire length of the tomb on the top are friezes with depictions of people involved in activities related to baking- grinding the grain, kneading the dough, baking and so on. If the essence of a tomb is to remind humanity of the lives of the occupants- I can’t think of anything more striking or successful than the tomb of Eurysaces the Baker.

Details of the Frieze

Note: Porta Maggiore is definitely not a tourist hotspot- it is located right in the middle of a busy tourist intersection with even trams running through one of the arches. But it is definitely worth a visit- if not for anything than for bragging rights- Eurysaces would completely agree.

The Canopus fron Hadrian’s Villa

I write about the Canopus in my article on Tivoli  To those who had difficulties visualising the Canopus- I present the photo below

Canopus at Hadrian’s Villa

Yet another bit of Roman History featured in the papers

It was a happy Saturday for me as one more of my articles dealing with Italy was published in the Metroplus Saturday edition. This article was about my visit to Tivoli. I hope you will enjoy the article. My thanks once again to the Hindu Metroplus for publishing this.

The Aura of Rensaissance

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article3722287.ece

(Copy Pasted from the site)

With its architecture, gardens and fountains, this town near Rome takes Sukanya Ramanujan to another era

It is not often that we think of anything in Italy as being more ancient than Rome. But the city of Tivoli, to which I am headed on a bus with a group of other tourists, has traces of settlement dating to the 13th Century BC and was also once a rival of Rome. It is almost unfortunate that today most of us only know Tivoli as a software created by IBM!

Tivoli is about 25 km from Rome. It takes us just about half-an-hour to reach the town, and yet the landscape has changed immeasurably. Situated around hills, Tivoli (or Tibur as it was known in ancient times) has always been a quick summer getaway from Rome. Castel Gandolfo — the Pope’s summer residence is also not far from the town.

Our first destination in Tivoli is the Villa d’Este. A magnificent residence of palatial dimensions, this building exudes the aura of Renaissance. Commissioned in the late 16th Century by the Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este who failed to become the Pope, the villa stretches over the terraced slope of a hill. The series of rooms in the villa is beautifully decorated with paintings by prominent painters such as Federico Zuccari. From the suite of rooms we move to the terrace and it’s at this point we realise that the uniqueness of the villa is the beautiful layout of the gardens and fountains along the slope of the terrace.

The fountains are no ordinary ones. The nearly-a-minute concert of the Organ Water Fountain plays once every few hours because of the water’s pressure. We then make our way through the meandering paths full of waterways and grottos to reach the Hundred Fountains area — there are literally a hundred small fountains installed along the wall! There are many more — the fountain of Neptune, the fountain of Ovato (shaped like an egg) and so on…

Inspired by an ancient palace

The magnificent Villa d’Este and its baroque garden with fountains were all inspired by the grandeur of an ancient palace that existed in Tivoli and it was to the remains of this structure that we head to next. Built by Emperor Hadrian over two decades in the 2nd Century AD and spreading over an area of about one sq.km, the Hadrian’s Villa today survives only in fragments. This is because a lot of the marble and construction materials from the buildings were reused notably in the Villa d’Este itself.

The Roman Emperor Hadrian — builder of the wall across Great Britain and of the Pantheon in Rome — had a keen interest in architecture designing. What is special about the villa is that he took architectural styles from different parts of his empire that he went to and put them together.

We first come across Pecile. Inspired by Greek architecture, it is a large pool surrounded by a colonnaded and once covered walk space where people could walk after their meals. Beneath this space are a large number of rooms — the Hundred Chambers, supposed to have housed the slaves that worked to maintain this palatial villa.

The highlight of the visit is looking at the structure the Canopus. Built to resemble river Nile, this is a long canal lined with statues ending in a grotto-like structure called the Serapium. Hadrian supposedly had a fondness for building dome-like structures — the Pantheon being the most famous. The Serapium also has a domed structure resembling a pumpkin. A small museum in the compound has an exhibition on Antinous — Hadrian’s lover whose death caused the emperor immense anguish, so much so that he found a number of cities in different parts of the Roman empire with the same name: Antinopolis.

It is a strange experience visiting two palaces in the same city that are so different yet linked to each other through history. The Villa of Hadrian — a resplendent building in classical times has faded and remains in ruins but the building has contributed to the design of the Villa d’Este not just in terms of design but also in terms of materials.

Tivoli has a few other spots of interest to the tourist — the Villa Gregoriana, a scenic park with a waterfall and the ruins of the Roman sanctuary to Hercules Victor, amongst many others. One can spend an entire day discovering in the city. But then, it’s time for us to take the bus back to Rome.