Where: Rome, Italy
When: May 9, 2015
With: Mom, Bobby, Ashley
As noted in my Colosseum post, my first trip to Rome had been preceded by a rare snowstorm that caused many of the sites to shut down. One of these sites was the Roman and Imperial Forum. While I did a great job of photographing the rare snow-on-the-ruins shots and documenting what I was seeing, I didn't actually get to enter them. Anyway, that post is linked here and is way more informative than this one.
Not that I didn't want to suck in every single column, stone and building I saw when I finally got to walk in the footsteps of the great Roman emperors. I really did. But the combination of the heat of the mid-afternoon sun (I melt easily) plus the wear of jetlag had mixed inside of me to result in that sort of drunken dream-like state of being that only a red-eye flight can provide. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, talking like a fool, and each limb of my body weighed 100lbs as I shuffled down the ancient, dusty roads.
Therefore, while I think I got a couple great shots and did some good post-visit research, I'm slightly disappointed in myself I didn't have it all together a bit more. Let's see what you think.
The first thing you see when you walk into the Roman Forum is the Arch of Titus. Despite touting themselves as "benevolent conquerors", the Romans required that conquered civilizations accept the emperor as one of their gods. This was fine for the many polytheistic people they conquered, but was quite a problem when they sacked Israel in 70AD. As the Jewish people only recognized one god, they were not ready to accept another one. So the "benevolent" Romans desecrated the Jewish temples (thus disbanding the only Jewish state until modern-day Israel was created 2,000 years later) and took 50,000 Jewish slaves to Rome. As though that wasn't devastating enough, those slaves were tasked with building this Arch, commemorating the Emperor Titus on his victory over Israel. Talk about salt in the wound, jeez.
After passing the Arch of Titus, the Roman Forum spreads out in the valley below. To the left sits on of Rome's seven hills: Palatine Hill. This was home to the emperor Augustus and legendary birthplace of Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus.
The main road through the Forum is the Via Sacra, or "sacred route". This street was the lifeline of Rome. Victorious generals returning home from war would parade themselves (and their booty) down this road to the roar of cheering Romans. Chariots, postman, and strolling lawyers in togas walked along this way. This is even where Julius Caesar was rumored to walk when he received his ominous warning to "beware the Ides of March". Even more crazy is that some of the stones that remain along this way are the originals.
Another major site of the Forum was the temple and home of the Vestal Virgins. Nine women were selected before they were 10 years old to keep the flame of Rome burning always. If they could keep their purity for a 30 year term, they were provided a huge dowry and allowed to marry. If they failed, they were paraded through the streets on a funeral pyre before being sealed in a tomb with a loaf of bread and a lamp.
After the fall of the Roman Empire and the onset of the Dark Ages, Rome was basically abandoned. Its population dropped from one million to about 10,000. Over the next 1,000 years, the forgotten Forum slowly filled in with dirt and debris. By the 1700s, all that remained of this vast expanse of building were a few column heads poking up above the dirt. However, the Renaissance had brought back interest in the Roman culture, and soon, excavations began to unearth this great site. A clear indication of just how different the streets are today as compared to originally is that this temple used to be at street level. Now, the start of the steps sit ten feet above the Via Sacra.
When: May 9, 2015
With: Mom, Bobby, Ashley
As noted in my Colosseum post, my first trip to Rome had been preceded by a rare snowstorm that caused many of the sites to shut down. One of these sites was the Roman and Imperial Forum. While I did a great job of photographing the rare snow-on-the-ruins shots and documenting what I was seeing, I didn't actually get to enter them. Anyway, that post is linked here and is way more informative than this one.
Not that I didn't want to suck in every single column, stone and building I saw when I finally got to walk in the footsteps of the great Roman emperors. I really did. But the combination of the heat of the mid-afternoon sun (I melt easily) plus the wear of jetlag had mixed inside of me to result in that sort of drunken dream-like state of being that only a red-eye flight can provide. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, talking like a fool, and each limb of my body weighed 100lbs as I shuffled down the ancient, dusty roads.
Therefore, while I think I got a couple great shots and did some good post-visit research, I'm slightly disappointed in myself I didn't have it all together a bit more. Let's see what you think.
The first thing you see when you walk into the Roman Forum is the Arch of Titus. Despite touting themselves as "benevolent conquerors", the Romans required that conquered civilizations accept the emperor as one of their gods. This was fine for the many polytheistic people they conquered, but was quite a problem when they sacked Israel in 70AD. As the Jewish people only recognized one god, they were not ready to accept another one. So the "benevolent" Romans desecrated the Jewish temples (thus disbanding the only Jewish state until modern-day Israel was created 2,000 years later) and took 50,000 Jewish slaves to Rome. As though that wasn't devastating enough, those slaves were tasked with building this Arch, commemorating the Emperor Titus on his victory over Israel. Talk about salt in the wound, jeez.
After passing the Arch of Titus, the Roman Forum spreads out in the valley below. To the left sits on of Rome's seven hills: Palatine Hill. This was home to the emperor Augustus and legendary birthplace of Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus.
Ahead lies the majority of the forum, with Capital Hill in the background, marked by the bell tower.
The main road through the Forum is the Via Sacra, or "sacred route". This street was the lifeline of Rome. Victorious generals returning home from war would parade themselves (and their booty) down this road to the roar of cheering Romans. Chariots, postman, and strolling lawyers in togas walked along this way. This is even where Julius Caesar was rumored to walk when he received his ominous warning to "beware the Ides of March". Even more crazy is that some of the stones that remain along this way are the originals.
In the heart of the Forum is a giant piazza, really the one that started them all. This was the heart of the Forum. Everything happened here, from the mundane to the epic, from fast food stalls to the funeral pyre where Julius Caesar's body was burned.
At the far end of the forum, the Arch of Septimus Severus, another emperor of Rome.
After the fall of the Roman Empire and the onset of the Dark Ages, Rome was basically abandoned. Its population dropped from one million to about 10,000. Over the next 1,000 years, the forgotten Forum slowly filled in with dirt and debris. By the 1700s, all that remained of this vast expanse of building were a few column heads poking up above the dirt. However, the Renaissance had brought back interest in the Roman culture, and soon, excavations began to unearth this great site. A clear indication of just how different the streets are today as compared to originally is that this temple used to be at street level. Now, the start of the steps sit ten feet above the Via Sacra.
While I feel like I need another day to just wander these streets and truly appreciate all the history that took place right in here, I'm nonetheless amazed by the time I had there. I'm quite glad those Renaissance guys knew what they had and dug this all up!
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