Classics Foreign Study Program

Nov. 18: Ravenna It feels so strange to be writing this, but...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:47:15 +0100

Nov. 18: Ravenna

It feels so strange to be writing this, but we’ve all been saying it, so I guess I have to…today was our last lecture, our last day of class, our last day on the road of the FSP. It’s a little bit surreal; I can’t believe how fast nine weeks has gone by. It seems like just yesterday that we were romping around the tombs of Cerveteri and Orvieto and learning about the wonders of hut-urns (sigh)—and now here we are in Ravenna talking about a completely different kind of mausoleum!

This morning—brilliantly sunny but very cold; we’ve discovered that Ravenna fall feels a lot like Hanover fall—we took the bus out of Ravenna proper to the town of Classe (Latin Classis), the Adriatic dwelling-place of the Roman fleet (and the Roman port). In the 6^th century, the Byzantine emperor Justinian took back Ravenna for the “Roman” empire (now run out of Constantinople; the Western Roman empire is sadly in shambles, and Rome itself is, I think, pretty grim), and built a bunch of new churches in the city. This morning we saw the second of the two, San Apollinare in Classe.

Now I have to admit (this is a big admission of nerd-hood, which I have to make fairly regularly these days) that I’ve been hoping to come to San Apollinare in Classe since my senior year of high school when we discussed the mosaics of the church in AP Art History. I was particularly fascinated by what seemed to me to be horribly inaccurate sheep. The church did not disappoint; not only were the sheep just as silly as I remember them—they have ridiculously long tails! Sheep don’t have tails!—but the other mosaics were just spectacular. The colors—the green and blue—were beautiful, and (as usual) the use of gold was very impressive. What I think is so cool about this particular church’s mosaics is how they create a visual representation of the hierarchy of the church: you’re there, looking up at the altar, where your local priest would be; above him is the flock of lambs, the church; standing amongst them is the local saint, Apollinaris; above him is the cross flanked by three sheep (who we think are apostles); above that is the hand of God flanked by Moses and Elijah (the two Old Testament figures who were sent to heaven and became angels); and finally, above the hand of God, is a rather severe-looking Christ. You can trace the hierarchy of the church through the decoration—it’s so cool. (And the sheep are pretty great too).

I can’t believe the term is over—of course, we have an “in-class” essay tomorrow that will wrap up our work—but I’m so happy we got to end it in Ravenna, away from Rome. Now I can remember Rome as a glorious ancient city and not the rather decrepit one it became after the 4^th century CE. We were all so happy to be back in Rome this evening, and it’s really started to feel like home. It’s been a great place to spend nine weeks. And now that I’ve been all sentimental about how attached I’ve grown to the city, I’ll add this: I will NOT miss traveling through Termini. That place is a mess.

-Bailey

Nov. 17: Ravenna Today, we visited several early Christian...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:43:07 +0100

Nov. 17: Ravenna

Today, we visited several early Christian buildings. We first visited the Basilica of San Giovanni Evangelista. The church, dating back to around 425 A.D. was constructed by Galla Placidia, the sister of Emperor Honorius. The basilica featured several features that we would see later, including a colonnade on each side, covering the side aisles, a central nave culminating in an apse, a clerestory as an upper level and mosaics (in this case floor mosaics). Next, we visited the Neonian Baptistry. Constructed in the early 5th century, during the time of the Ostrogoths, the octagonal room featured lovely mosaics along its upper level and ceiling. The depiction of Jesus’s baptism by John, overseen by the Holy Spirit and the River Jordan, and framed by a procession of apostles was repeated and refined in the Arian Baptistry (late 5th century). At the Arian Baptistry, established during the time of the Roman emperors, we talked about some of the finer details of early mosaics including the beautiful gold leaf pieces, the use of the false oculus or tondo surrounded by an oak leaf (symbolizing triumph), the nimbus (halo), and the solium (throne).
Next we went to the Basilica of San Apollinare Nuovo (dedicated to the saint who brought Christianity to Ravenna). Built between 493 A.D. and 526 A.D., the church featured beautiful mosaics. Along the wall underneath the clerestory, a religious procession (of martyrs and saints) moves towards Christ and the Virgin Mary (respectively). Atop the procession, between the clerestory windows are images of important religious figures while at the very top are scenes of Christs’s life (following in the Roman narrative tradition).
Finally, we headed over to the Museo complex. We quickly looked at the Ravenna Relief before going over to see the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. The tomb was AMAZING. The walls and the ceilings were covered with beautiful mosaics of wildlife, and zodia, and stars. It was outstanding. Afterwards, we spent a little while in the Basilica of San Vitale which had a very interesting polygonal shape, two story colonnade, and presbytery. However, the most amazing part of the church were the mosaics in the presbytery and apse. Featuring stories of saints, depictions of the emperor and empress, and Christ seated atop a globe in the apse, the decoration was splendid.
Overall, a day filled with beautiful mosaics!

-Chelsea

Nov. 15: Firenze After a free day in Florence yesterday, we...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:40:00 +0100

Nov. 15: Firenze

After a free day in Florence yesterday, we woke up this morning and headed over to the Archaeological Museum of Florence. On the way, we stopped at the Foundling Hospital, an early work of Filippo Brunelleschi. Currently the headquarters to the Italian version of “Occupy Wall Street,” the building originally functioned as a children’s orphanage in the 15^th century. Professor Ulrich talked about the building’s classical influences, highlighting how Brunelleschi created new spins on traditionally Roman architectural features. We took some notes, snapped some pictures, and rushed into the Archaeological museum to escape the brisk morning chill.

The museum held a lot of wonderful objects. In the Etruscan gallery, we saw an ivory writing tablet, bronze armor, and a particularly puzzling display on tomb paintings with “Etruscan-style” music playing in the background. There was a lot of Egyptian material on the second floor, including wooden sarcophagi with mummies. We also saw a lot of Hellenistic sarcophagi that looked very similar to the ones we saw in Volterra. We admired the bronze statues of Minerva and a man in the orator pose (creatively titled “The Orator”) and quizzically examined the bronze chimera statue (lion’s head + goat’s head emerging from the back + a snake for a tail = a very odd combination). On the uppermost floor, Professor Ulrich pointed out an Etruscan sarcophagus decorated with scenes of Greeks fighting Amazons. Since Greek paintings are very rare, the sarcophagus gives us an idea of what Classical Greek painting styles looked like. In a room near the Amazon sarcophagus, we saw the Francoise Krater, one of the earliest examples of Greek black-figure pottery. The krater features many different scenes from the life of the legendary Greek warrior Achilles and also provides the earliest known representation of Doric architecture. After some concluding comments, we were set free from our classwork for the day.

With so much free time on our hands, we grabbed some lunch and ventured off into the city. Some people checked out some of the numerous stunning churches in the area while others shopped at the leather market or perused the galleries in the Uffizi (home of many famous Renaissance paintings, including Botticelli’s Primavera and Birth of Venus). Florence has such a rich history, so we had plenty of things to see and do!

In the late afternoon, most of us met up with Professor Ulrich for an optional trip to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito (“St. Mary of the Holy Spirit”). The church was a later work of Brunelleschi and we saw a lot of forms from the Foundling Hospital repeated in Santo Spirito. Although the façade is pretty plain, the interior is elaborately decorated with paintings and sculptures. As we walked around the church, Professor Ulrich pointed out some of the important architectural features. After saying goodbye to Professor Ulrich and Imo for the evening, we wandered around the city some more, grabbed some dinner, and retired to our rooms for the night to escape the cold.

Ciao,

Katelyn

Nov. 12: Tivoli We boarded our trams, metros, and buses to...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:37:07 +0100

Nov. 12: Tivoli

We boarded our trams, metros, and buses to Tivoli with zeal, eager to see Hadrian’s Villa, one of the greatest sites of Imperial Rome. Fortunately, before we broke down the gates in enthusiasm, Prof. Ulrich gave us a thorough overview of the site’s history and layout. He discussed the layout of the site, which scholars subdivide according to function and allusions to different geographic parts of the Roman Empire. Throughout his lecture, Prof. Ulrich underscored that Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE) traveled extensively and loved architecture. His villa reflects these interests, with well-placed allusions to Athens (Stoa Poikile) and Egypt (the so-called Canopus) as well as through innovative areas such as the Maritime Theater and the Piazza D’Oro. Furthermore, Prof. Ulrich deemed Tivoli an architectural playground or laboratory. Hadrian, uninhibited by finances or public demands, experimented with conventional forms, such as the Doric Order. The space also reveals his fascination with water and his interest in the interplay between exterior and interior space. While, Apollodorus of Damascus, the acclaimed architect of Hadrian’s predecessor Trajan, ridiculed Hadrian’s designs (and was soon executed for his criticism), students, scholars, and artists continue to flock to the Villa to study Hadrian’s designs.

Armed with this comprehensive introduction to the Villa, we set out for the Stoa Poikile region, a peristyle courtyard surrounding a long pool (housing turtles and ducks!) in the middle. The original Stoa Poikile, or painted porch, sat on the north side of the Athenian Agora and featured artistically significant (and now-lost) paintings of the Battle of Marathon. While the paint has faded from Tivoli’s walls, we nonetheless enjoyed ambling around the serene pool. Next, we visited the (so-called) Sala dei Filosofi, an apsidal room, and the Maritime Theater (or Island Villa), a wondrous dining room surrounded by water. Although the Maritime Theater appeared confusing at first, Prof. Ulrich emphasized the axiality of the space, if we stood at the end of the axis. Unfortunately, restoration work and our fear of guard prevented us from experiencing this great view for ourselves. We continued our adventure at the guest house, where Hadrian housed some of his guests (in style, I might add). The uniformly sized rooms featured exquisite black and white mosaics, possibly (and probably) contemporaneous with those we had seen early this week at Ostia.

Of course, a day at Hadrian’s Villa would not be complete without a visit to the Piazza D’Oro, the famous Canopus (where we lunched and admired copies of to-scale copies of Caryatids). Mid-afternoon, the group split up to explore the site on its own. Several of us enjoyed visiting another bath complex before wandering back to the bus stop to return to Tratevere, where food, papers, and packing awaited. Check back soon for our updates about Florence!

Ciao,
Anna Leah

Nov. 11: Via Appia Antica Today was our day on the Via Appica...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:26:00 +0100

Nov. 11: Via Appia Antica

Today was our day on the Via Appica Antica, the old road lined with tombs that was one of the main entrances into the city. We all made our own ways there this morning, with Emily leaving early to meet with Professor Ulrich in preparation for her presentation today, and with some of us choosing to walk to the site and others choosing to take the bus. Many of us arrived very early, and had the pleasure of petting a cat that crawled into our laps and sat on our bags and rather interfered with journal writing that people were trying to do. We then ventured into the expansive Villa of Maxentius on which Emily gave a most excellent oral presentation, most notable for its circus, complete with starting gates, pivoting dolphins and dropping eggs to measure the number of laps the chariots made, and a judge’s box, for the performance of games (which no one would go to because this place is rather far out of town, as we discovered in getting here). The walls of the circus were also built with amphorae embedded, which lightens the structure without sacrificing integrity. The Villa also features a basilica, a hallmark of palatial-type architecture, and the 4^th century masonry technique of opus vittatum. After the Villa we took a lunch/cappuccino break at a nearby bar and a park-type setting, and then headed (we thought) to the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, notable as the first example of the use of brick-faced concrete. Unfortunately, before we had the pleasure of entering the Mausoleum (which also featured some interesting Greek inscriptions that had letters inside of other letters), Kasia gave us an open-note pop quiz on the past few days. After that unpleasant endeavor and the much better Mausoleum, we entered the catacombs of San Sebastiano, early Christian tombs that were spooky and looked incredibly easy to get lost in (thankfully we had a guide); while down there we saw gorgeous wall paintings, floor mosaics, and stuccoed ceilings in rooms beneath the church. We also were able to go up into the church, which held a reliquary full of artifacts like one of the arrows that allegedly pierced Saint Sebastian, who was martyred by being shot full of arrows (which didn’t kill him) and then being clubbed (which did), in addition to the apparent remains of the saint (which had been in the catacombs underneath the church but were brought up because of the rising water table). Afterward, we made our way back into the city proper, some of us choosing to simply return home, and others venturing out to St. John Lateran and its associated baptistery, the church of the pope when he preaches in Rome, which was awe-inspiring, particularly because a mass was being held during our visit. Needless to say, today was a very good day in the neighborhood, surrounded by villas, mausoleums, catacombs, and churches.

~Kyle

Nov. 10: S. Sabina, Arch of Constantine, Churches Today was a...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:17:00 +0100

Nov. 10: S. Sabina, Arch of Constantine, Churches

Today was a day full of monuments from early Christianity - we visited two churches, a triumphal arch, and a mausoleum!

We started out the day by meeting at the Church of Santa Sabina. Some of us decided to get there by walking down by the river, while others of us opted to take the bus and walk up the Aventine. I did the latter. Even though the hill was a little steep, the Aventine area was truly beautiful in the morning. It actually reminded me a lot of the area in Las Vegas where I live (suburban, lots of trees), but with fewer Starbucks and soccer moms.

The early 5th century CE Santa Sabina was lovely, with a sort of milky white light coming in through the selenite windows in the clerestory. On the far wall, Prof. Ulrich translated an inscription which described the man who donated the money for the church. We also learned that Santa Sabina was a woman who had a titulus, (a secret Christian meeting place/center of worship) in her house back when the religion was still illegal; after she died, she donated the site to the Church, which is why the building is now named after her.

After our introduction to early Christianity, we hopped on a bus and went over to the Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum. Constantine (emperor from 306-337 CE) built the arch largely from spolia (art appropriated from other monuments), including friezes attributed to Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius. However, rather than simply moving their reliefs to his arch, he actually removed their heads and added his own to the scenes (oh look, Constantine conquering the Dacians! Constantine sacrificing to Mars! etc.). Interestingly, there is no overtly Christian iconography on the arch at all, only some images that one can assign Christian meaning if one tries very hard.

Our next two monuments were definitely Christian, however. We visited the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, whose transept is actually the frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian. The vaulted ceilings were so incredibly tall, it definitely gave us a visual of what a building like the Basilica of Maxentius might have looked like. The marble floors and Egyptian granite columns, along with the beautiful baroque trompe l’oeuil wall painting, also added to the ambience of the church.

Finally, we trekked out to the 4th c. CE Mausoleum of Santa Costanza, built for Constantina (daughter of the emperor Constantine) who wanted to be buried near St. Agnes. The mausoleum is domed, with an ambulatory around the perimeter and an inner colonnade. There were some incredible ceiling mosaics depicting Christian iconography and biblical scenes. There were also copies of the wonderful red porphyry sarcophagi made for Constantina and her sister. We saw the originals in the Vatican Museum! Although the lights in the mausoleum were on a short timer (and cost 50 cents every time we wanted to turn them on!), we really enjoyed taking in the atmosphere of the building at sunset.

-Torrey

Nov. 9 Roman Forum Today we had our last forum visit. This was...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:08:18 +0100

Nov. 9 Roman Forum

Today we had our last forum visit. This was our third time in the forum, and thinking back to where we were for our last two visits made me realize how much we’ve done so far, and also start to realize how soon the program is going to be over.

First, Chelsea gave a presentation on Domitian’s palace on the Palatine. The complex was absolutely enormous. One part that was really interesting was the sunken garden that was shaped like a hippodrome, or horse-racing stadium.

After Chelsea’s presentation, Torrey gave a presentation on the Basilica Nova, or the Basilica of Maxentius/Constantine, which was also absolutely enormous and impressive. From a reconstruction of the basilica, we also saw how elaborately colorful and decorated the space would have been, but I had a hard time imagining in real space how that would have looked.

We then looked at the Arch of Titus, which definitely displays the “exuberant” style we associate with the Flavian period. What I thought was especially interesting about this arch was that it has the first examples of composite capitals. The elaborateness and details of the friezes inside the arch were also very impressive, particularly in the scene of the spoils of Jerusalem. The depiction of the menorah in this scene is actually the one used on Israel’s coat of arms.

Ben then presented on the Arch of Septimius Severus. It was interesting to be able to compare the arches and the development of their artistic and architectural styles.

-Emily

Nov. 8 Ostia

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:51:02 +0100

Nov. 8 Ostia

Nov. 5 Patheon

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:38:00 +0100

TODAY WE WENT TO THE PANTHEON!!! And a few other places… but the greater portion of our time was spent at the Pantheon for Kaitlyn’s presentation on its architecture. So as not to exclude the rather less imposing sites we also visited, I might as well start from the beginning. We met at 1 pm at the Column of Marcus Aurelius. It bears a great deal of similarity to the Column of Trajan, from its toris base to the gigantic egg and dart molding at the top, but the sculptures tried to counteract some of the issues Trajan’s column encountered. It is deeper so that the figures can be seen more clearly, and the scenes are somewhat larger with fewer people crowded in together and less scenic elements. Unfortunately the column has endured a great deal since its construction in 180 A.D. by his son Commodus. The base was completely replaced, and the figures along it cut out by a pope, and the column drums are no longer held with metal pins. Weathering has obscured many of the scenes, and earthquakes have misplaced a few of the drums. Like Trajan’s column, it is possibly to climb up through the interior of the column, though we did not. Afterwards we walked over to the PANTHEON, taking a brief coffee break in between.

We’ve walked by the exterior of the Pantheon many times, but this was my first time going inside, and it was fabulous! Katelyn gave a wonderful presentation, starting with the exterior and explaining the three main parts; front porch, rectangular intermediate block, and rotunda. The Pantheon was first built by Agrippa in honor of Augustus, but the current structure is the remains of the Pantheon rebuilt by Hadrian that was later converted into a church. As a result, the building is very well preserved from Hadrian’s time, except for the decorations which were largely stripped off and replaced with new ones. Very little is known about the original Pantheon built by Agrippa, or even what the Pantheon was used for. It might have been a temple, or a meeting place, a combination of the two, or something else entirely. In any case, it is a spectacular feat of architectural engineering, with a dome 43.3 meters side and an oculis in the center 8.3 meters wide to let in height. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, so we weren’t able to fully appreciate the dome’s spectacular open air roof, but it was a truly beautiful building!

After the Pantheon we headed for Hadrian’s Mausoleum and stopped at Piazza Nevona on the way. The piazza is on the site of Domitian’s stadium, and still holds its shape. The stadium had a travertine exterior with arcades that would have looked a great deal like the coliseum. At Hadrian’s Mausoleum we talked about its architecture, and how he imitated Augustus’s mausoleum but raised it to a greater scale.

It was a great day! At the end we walked back to the apartments along the river, and thanks to good old daylight savings time, although it was just past 5 pm, it was dark out and the river looked much nicer than it’s daytime sickly green.

-Catherine Darragh

Nov. 4: Baths of Trajan & Baths of Caracalla Today...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:33:58 +0100

Nov. 4: Baths of Trajan & Baths of Caracalla

Today was Imperial Bath Day! But seriously, all we talked about were the great Imperial bath complexes. It may sound boring, but it’s really pretty fascinating. First of all, the Romans were a shockingly hygienic people who really loved their bathing, as we discovered in Pompeii, where there are three major public bath complexes. The emperors, on the other hand, love to facilitate the bathing of the Roman people. So just about every emperor built a public bath complex for the Romans. I guess a clean people is a happy people?

We started the morning at the Baths of Trajan, up on the Oppian hill (a sub-hill, if you will, of the Esquiline Hill). We had a permesso to go see the great sette sale, the cistern system that fed Trajan’s baths; however, according to our rather lackluster custode, all our permesso entitled us to was the ability to buy tickets to enter the site—not to go into the cisterns themselves, as we’d thought. So we didn’t get to go in but we did get pretty close—and we saw inside the massive water storage chambers, all lined in waterproof cement (and still holding a little water!). The building is actually really beautiful—seven large barrel-vaulted chambers cut into the hillside—and the park where they’re located is very quiet.

From there we walked down through the public part of the park and through the remnants of the rest of the Baths of Trajan. There are only pieces of the brick structure left, amidst a massive Roman park complete with homeless people and playgrounds, but even these little tiny pieces give you an idea of how huge the scale of these buildings was. I’d look down at my plan, thinking that I’d found where we were, and the scrap of building we’d found was about half the size of what I thought we were looking at! Having the plan was integral in imagining the space, but you really need the massive leftover chunks to help you really understand how huge these bath halls were.

The main event of the day was the Baths of Caracalla, a really well-preserved complex on the other side of the Caelian hill. Talk about scale! Surrounded by a massive outer precinct wall, up on a platform looking out over the Via Appia as it enters Rome, the baths are just gargantuan. Inside the buildings, there are really tall arches and huge piers—and they’re only the first story, the beginning of the roofing system! It must have been quite the out-of-body experience, coming in and bathing here. Every Roman citizen must have felt so small (which is the point of a lot of Imperial architecture—I guess in this case you never forget who gave you hygiene, who’s bringing the water into the city, etc.). After a great tour of the baths by Catherine (her final oral presentation—the beginning of the end!) I sat out in the park and ate my lunch where all the buff Roman men would have exercised. It was a stunning day—and there’s no better way to spend a Friday afternoon then napping on a huge granite column in the Baths of Caracalla. Life is good.

-Bailey

Nov. 3: Imperial Fora and the Markets of TrajanToday, we looked...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:24:32 +0100

Nov. 3: Imperial Fora and the Markets of Trajan

Today, we looked at the various imperial fora. We first talked about the Templum Pacis, the Forum of Vespasian. Today nearly all of the structure remains underground so we couldn’t see much. However, we did talk about what the Forum would have been like. The area would have been like a museum, complete with a library and Vespasian’s spoils from the Sack of Jerusalem. The area also housed the HUGE marble plan of Rome, known as the Forma Urbis. I found it particularly interesting that Vespasian chose to name the forum, “Templum Pacis” as it is a clear reference to Augustus’ Ara Pacis.
Next, we looked at the Forum Transitorium, which also known as the Forum of Nerva even most of the project was completed by Domitian. The forum featured some unusual structural details like columns en ressaut (after the Temple Pacis) and a temple to Minvera Ergane, Domitian’s patroness as well as the patroness of craftsmen. I was especially struck by the narrowness of the Forum. It was clearly squeezed between the Forum of Augustus and the Templum Pacis.
Afterwards, we went to the Markets of Trajan, which we AMAZING. We had talked about them in CLST25 but it was so helpful to actually visit the site. The layout of the structures is rather complex., complete with three independent levels, six floors, and six buildings. The design was complicated and used unusual techniques (such as brick ribbing) and details (such as cross vaults) These architectural points strengthened the structure and allowed light and air into the complex. It was great to see all of the structures and to walk through all of the buildings.
Finally, we talked about the Forum of Trajan. The Forum is rather unique imperial Forum as it lacks a temple. but instead substitutes a basilica (named after Trajan’s family) in its place. Overall the Forum is less ornate (more Augustan than Flavian) and featured testaments to his military success. I found it really interesting that some scholars consider the reliefs on the Column of Trajan as a illuminated manuscript, wrapped around and around the column. The magnificent column was rarely emulated (except by Marcus Aurelius), likely due to the fact that it was a work intensive project and was difficult to see all of the details. Overall, a cool day, especially since we had talked about all of these structures in CLST25.

-Chelsea

Nov. 2: Vatican Museums This morning we ventured on over to the...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:15:00 +0100

Nov. 2: Vatican Museums

This morning we ventured on over to the Vatican Museums to check out the numerous examples of ancient artwork in the collections. We had an early appointment to get into one of the closed wings of the museum and, as a result, we got to skip the long lines and enter in through the group entrance section (being an FSP student really does have its perks). After venturing through security, we made our way to the Museo Gregoriano Profano. Currently closed off to the public, the wing features a large collection of ancient sculpture and artwork, including the Cancelleria Reliefs, the Ara dei Vicomagisitri, mosaics of athletes from the baths of Caracalla, and a wide variety of sarcophagai with mythological scenes. There was so much amazing artwork, but we only got to see a relatively small amount of what was actually on display due to time constraints. After taking a look at a few Paleochristian sarcophagi, we thanked the guard for his time and made our way over to the Museo Chiaramonti to see some of the most famous pieces of ancient sculpture in the museum.

In the Museo Chiaramonti, we talked for a little bit about the iconography on the chest plate of the famous Augustus of Prima Porta before taking some free time to walk around the gallery. We snapped some pictures of different Roman portraits for an upcoming assignment and, when we reunited, we took another little break to get some coffee and use the facilities. Professor Ulrich then took us to see the sculpted base of the column of emperor Antonius Pius and his wife Faustina. The column base depicts the best example of the apotheosis (i.e. the transformation of a mortal being into a god) that we have in regards to the deification of Roman emperors. Afterwards, we made our way into the Etruscan Galleries of the museum, admiring the numerous funerary urns and precious findings from the unlooted Regolini Galassi tomb in the Cerveteri cemetery.

In the rooms next to the Etruscan collections, we got to see some amazing examples of painted Greek pottery, including the famous amphora by Exekias depicting a scene of the Trojan War heroes Ajax and Achilles playing a game of dice. We ended our day at the famous Laocoon group sculpture in one of the museum’s courtyards. During the Trojan War, Laocoon tried to stop the Trojans from bringing the Trojan Horse (which contained the Greek army) inside the city walls. While he was sacrificing a bull to the god Apollo, two snakes emerged from the water and strangled him and his two sons to death (ouch babe). Although the subject of the scene is very gruesome, the sculptor of the Laocoon group did a beautiful job rendering the figures. The courtyard also contained other amazing Roman sculpture, including the Apollo Belvedere. At this point, we had spent over 3.5 hours in the museum and were officially released for the day.

Most people stuck around the museum to check out the numerous other galleries that we never made it to as a group. On the way out of the museum, we made our way through the Sistine Chapel, marveling at one of Michelangelo’s most famous works. Some people used their free time in the afternoon to work on their upcoming oral reports; others seized the opportunity to check out the Piazza in front of St. Peters and explore other churches in the area. At the end of the day, we were all tired from our exiting wanderings and settled down for an evening of work on our upcoming papers and oral presentations.

Buona notte,
Katelyn

Nov. 1 Servian Walls, Porta Maggiore, Minerva Medica

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:04:32 +0100

Prof. Ulrich granted us a merciful late start today. While some of us recuperated sleep from the paper-writing and Halloween extravaganza of the weekend, others took the opportunity to chip away at their looming Oral Presentations (They begin Thursday). Regardless of our divergent morning schedules, the intrepid FSPers convened by Stazione Termini for our afternoon lesson on Roman walls. Imagine, right by the train station stands one of the best preserved section of the so-called Servian Walls. While some might contend that the Servian Walls date back to the 6^th century, wise Prof. Ulrich suggested that the Romans actually constructed this wall circuit in the 4^th century to defend the city from the vicious Gauls. The circuit protected not only important landmarks, such as the Capitoline and the Palatine Hills, but also the outer reaches of Rome. The Republic expended an incredible amount of time, money, and energy to build these walls. While the walls may have protected Rome, nothing can shelter these exiguous remains from the mighty pens of academics.

Having finished discussing our segment of the Servian Walls, we hopped on a tram to journey out toward the Porta Maggiore for Lecture Part 2. The Porta Maggiore marked the entry of the aqueducts to the city. While it currently sits nestled between massive walls, it originally stood on its own (or if you’ll indulge me: res ipsa statitur). Inscription-Nerds that we have become (Thanks in large part to Prof. Stewart), we eagerly deciphered the inscription identifying the Porta Maggiore as the work of mighty Claudius (with repairs from Vespasian). We also inspected the Tomb/Monument of Eurysaces, a freedman and wealthy baker. The reliefs on the tomb are particularly important for showing one of the earliest representations of an industrial assembly line in Western civilization! Perhaps Eurysaces inspired Henry Ford?

We ended our day at the so-called “Temple” of Minerva Medica, which, as Kasia explained in a lovely report, most likely served as a garden gazebo for ‘refined aristocrats.’ The 3^rd century CE structure featured an early form of buttressing (I was thrilled; I love Gothic Architecture!) its innovative brick ribbing construction (think: umbrella) that allowed for a lighter, airier interior. The space also exemplified the Roman ideals of molding elastic space as well as bridging the bounds between the indoors and outdoors. I, for one, am excited to see the ways buildings reveal, rather than hide, their interior designs in imperial architecture. Stay tuned!

Until next time,

Anna Leah

Oct. 30: Alatri & Return to Rome After a lovely breakfast at...

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:08:00 +0100

Oct. 30: Alatri & Return to Rome

After a lovely breakfast at our hotel in Terracina (full of delicious cakes) and a morning walk on the beach for some, we began our return to Rome. But first, we visited the little hillside town of Alatri, with impressive Roman walls. Unfortunately, of the two primary artifacts Prof. Stewart wanted us to see at the Museum in Alatri—a fragment of a terra cotta ritual calendar found by a restaurant owner of uncertain provenance that nonetheless names a god named Sumanus who is also known at Rome and Praeneste, and a small bronze statue of an Italic-type Hercules—neither was on display. We consoled ourselves with analyzing several inscriptions, such as one by a freedman who gave money to his town so that on his birthday people could eat, causing him to be remembered in perpetuity but establishing conditions out of worry that communities will not respect his memory by spending the money in some other fashion.

On the bus Professor Stewart also wove together everything we had experienced with her into a larger overarching thematic structure. Among other things, she brought together different sites that we visited where we could see the political in the landscape, how sanctuaries show shared resources and shared purposes, how the people of central Italy show a hybridity of culture (and are more complex than just savage baby-eaters), how Rome exported its culture and politics and separated citizenship from place of origin, how Rome needed local elites to be invested in cities in the process of competitive benefaction called oergetism, how states function as patrons of the arts, how democracy does not mean that everyone participates, how Roman walls make people run obstacle courses, and perhaps most importantly of all, how she sees a primary purpose of education as training students to think beyond their teachers, to not just use the teacher’s models but to create their own and maybe even someday prove their teachers wrong, to in essence think for themselves. It was with great sadness but fuller minds (and notebooks) that we bade farewell to our dear Professor Stewart, who began her trek back to Hanover.

After our obligatory bus naptimes, we finally returned to Rome. Back in the apartments, we undertook a whirlwind of activity, getting our luggage, getting our luggage up to our apartments (which are the same as last time, just with people switches), getting unpacked, going to the grocery store, going to the Porta Portese market, and generally settling back in to our rooms. The rest of the evening was generally spent working on the Pompeii papers for Professor Stewart.

-Kyle

Oct. 29: Terracina & Sperlonga After a wonderfully relaxing...

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:02:46 +0100

Oct. 29: Terracina & Sperlonga

After a wonderfully relaxing free day at Capri, today was definitely busy by comparison! We left the hotel in Pompeii early this morning and headed over to Mt. Vesuvius. Once we got up to the mountain (which seemed to have its own colony of dogs adopted by the vulcanologists who work up there), we hiked up the very, very long path to the caldera. The view from the top was incredible! We could see the entire bay of Naples stretched out in front of us. The caldera itself even let out little puffs of smoke, which made me a little nervous considering that we had just spent the past week studying the city that Vesuvius buried alive in 79 AD. However, it seems we were lucky, because the volcano decided not to erupt.

Once we had hiked back down the mountain, we set off for a long drive up the coast to Sperlonga. When we arrived, we were greeted by a lovely vista that included a white sandy beach and the remains of the Villa of Tiberius. The emperor, who succeeded Augustus, ruled from 14 - 37 AD, most of the time from his palace by the sea. We didn’t stop to look at the ruins of the villa itself, however, because Bailey Hoar ‘13 had a much better surprise in store for us - the triclinium, or dining room, that Tiberius built into a natural grotto. This cave, directly on the shore, would have been filled with incredible sculptures of scenes from The Odyssey and Trojan War cycle, creating a beautiful vista for any feast. Bailey explained to us that, while Augustus chose to promote the iconography of The Aeneid in his monuments (since he claimed a lineage through the Julian family to Aeneas’ son Ascanius), Tiberius traced his lineage back to Odysseus and so favored the Greek king over the Trojan prince. Inside the museum at Sperlonga, we saw both fragments and recreations of some of the sculptural groups, including the scene of the blinding of the cyclops Polyphemus and the incident where Scylla attacked Odysseus’ ship.

Sadly, we had to leave Sperlonga, but Prof. Stewart wasn’t done with us quite yet. Our last stop of the day was the picturesque town of Terracina. There, we drove up a steep hill to see the Temple of Jupiter Anxur. Prof. Stewart managed to trick us by making us look at the top level of the temple first (which is, honestly, a fairly standard Italic temple), then taking us to see the real treat. On the terrace below the temple itself are a series of incredible concrete barrel vaults which stretch along the length of the hill. The play of light and dark through the arches at sunset is an image I don’t think any of us will soon forget.

Later, we had a chance to enjoy a great dinner, an even better dessert (to celebrate Bailey’s imminent birthday), and a lovely nighttime walk on the beach, which was just a few feet from our hotel.

The last two weeks have been better than I ever could have expected. I don’t think any one of us is quite ready to leave Central Italy, and we’ll all remember our time here very fondly.

-Torrey

Oct. 28: Capri Today was a free day! While Professor Stewart...

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:01:00 +0100

Oct. 28: Capri

Today was a free day! While Professor Stewart headed to Herculaneum, the students and I went to Capri for a spectacular day in the sun. We took a train and then a ferry to the island, getting fantastic views of its mountainous profile and surrounding deep blue waters. After a visit to Augustus’s gardens and a picnic lunch (plus incredible views) the group split up with most people headed to Anacapri at the very highest point of the island and some of us heading down to the beach for a swim. It was amazing to be in summer clothes and swimming while everyone back at Dartmouth was already bundled up for the coming snow and winter temperatures-we all felt extremely lucky!

After some of the most fantastic gelato and fresh made waffle cones, we all met up for the return ferry and train to Pompeii and another delicious home cooked meal.

Hope you enjoy our group shots and photos!

-Kasia

Oct. 27: Napoli & Last Visit to Pompeii Today we took the...

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:37:00 +0100

Oct. 27: Napoli & Last Visit to Pompeii

Today we took the train from Pompeii to Naples to go to the Naples Museum. Although we did not see much of the city of Naples, there was so much at the museum that we were barely able to scratch the surface of its collection.

First, Kyle gave his presentation on the Alexander mosaic, which was really beautiful and seemed much bigger than the replica displayed in the House of the Faun at Pompeii.

We then went to see the display of the finds from La Villa Dei Papiri. The sheer number of pieces from that one house was incredible to see. Sometimes when we see the empty remains of the houses it is easy to forget just how decorated and lavish the houses would have been. One of the highlights of this collection was the Hellenistic statue of an athlete. The boy was ready to take off running, and that sense of the body poised for movement with realistic musculature was done very well in this statue.

Another highlight of the museum was the finds from the Baths of Caracalla. We saw a beautiful and absolutely enormous statue of Hercules, as well as the impressive Farnese Bull, the sculptural group depicting Dirce being tied to a bull. These statues, and the other finds from the Baths of Caracalla, were enormous and elaborate, and it will be interesting to see where the statues would have been placed originally when we visit the Baths of Caracalla in November.

We also really enjoyed seeing a lot of wall paintings from Pompeii, especially after having spent so much time at the site over the past couple of days.

After the museum, we stopped for lunch to try Naples’ famous pizza, which everyone agreed was delicious, before getting back on the train to Pompeii. There, we went into the site for the last time, and Professor Stewart briefly told us about two buildings off the forum: the Eumachia, which is especially interesting because it was dedicated by a woman, and the Temple of Vespasian. We then had some free time to wander around the site and gather material for our papers about the day in the life of a Pompeian that are due on Monday.

-Emily

Oct. 26: Pompeii Pompeii really knows how to rain. Despite the...

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:21:00 +0100

Oct. 26: Pompeii

Pompeii really knows how to rain.

Despite the rain, today was a lot of fun. We learned about brothels and public baths, got into the House of Giuseppe II, the House of Sallust and House of the Tragic Poet, and went to the Villa of the Mysteries.

We left the hotel early just like yesterday and went to the site when it opened up at 8:30. When we got to the brothel the massive tourist groups were not there yet, so we quickly looked at its wall paintings, small rooms that don’t have doors, and the latrine with wall in front before Torrey delivered her report outside (with the company of some Pompeiian dogs). The wall paintings had a representation of god Priapus and many scenes of penetration. Professor Stewart points out how women are treated brutally in these “upper-class fantasies for lower-class viewers”, where beds are depicted to be luxuriously adorned. The deprived condition of workers in this industry was saddening and brought up the feminist sentiment in our mostly-female group.

We went on to the Suburban bath complex out of the Marine Gate. Ben gave an informative report and a comprehensive list of terms related to baths that we will be quizzed on. And a key term was introduced: euergetism, when a wealthy person spends money on public building not for profit. The bath complex has amazing technology and is luxuriously furnished. When someone enters the bath, he or she goes through the changing room with erotic art, the most decorated cold room, the warm room, and then the heated room. There is a heated swimming pool beyond these establishments with furnishing of alternating exedras and squares that might be of a fashion spread to Pompeii from the capital, Rome.

We tried to get into the House of Giuseppe II yesterday with Professor Ulrich but the superintendent didn’t have the key, so we got to go today and take pictures for Professor Ulrich. This would have been a villa on the beach before the shoreline got pushed back. It had three main construction levels, with the top one on the street. There might have been a second level on top of the street level, but the main structure of this villa is the one lower than the street. It has multiple bedrooms and a stone-paved terrace. This villa lost most of its wall painting, but its architectural structure is intriguing enough. Sadly roots of plants and weeds have been devouring the site. Bodies of fresh-chopped, huge tropical plants are found lying on the site. After this house we took a lunch break and continued our day. During lunch the mild drizzles turned into downpour, and we couldn’t stay dry even under the trees anymore.

So we went on to the House of the Tragic Poet, the one with a mosaic dog and warning in its fauces: “CAVE CANEM, Beware of the dog”. We had the special privilege to enter he atrium and even take pictures of this dog from the other inside (unlike tourists who take it from outside!).The wall paintings of this house were pretty fancy, too. Although small in size, the house shows how much the owner was educated in its spacious triclinum with Greek myths on the wall. The House of Sallust was huge and interesting with its first-style wall paintings. Its bar and many bedrooms show that it’s a hotel!

We then went to the Villa of the Mysteries and got there after a long, wet walk. It was worth it. We found the beautiful room with the Mysteries this time (didn’t find it with a couple others last time). The fresco was fascinating and offers insight to a secret religion that involves drinking and ecstasy, long banned by Roman government.

-Zhenwei

Oct. 25: Pompeii Fortunately, the sun shone high in the sky...

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0100

Oct. 25: Pompeii

Fortunately, the sun shone high in the sky today, so we avoided the potential wetness of the large theater, as it no longer has its vela, an awning to protect ancient viewers from rain. Velae were only one of the many things Emily Stronski ’13 taught us about at the theater. We learned that the upper level of seats in a theater was called the media cavea and above that was the summa cavea, where the very impoverished and slaves sat. It was an even higher, wooden structure, and the occupants likely were people who had accompanied their master to the theater. The rich viewers sat on the lowers level of the cavea and brought their curule chairs, which were seats that could only be used by senior magistrates. The area below and in front of the seating was known as the orchestra, behind which lay the scaene frons, an elaborately decorated backdrop to the Roman theater.

After the theater we used our special permission to go to houses that were closed to the public. First, we went to the house of the silver wedding, which was so named because of it was excavated in 1893, on the 25^th wedding anniversary of Umberto and Margherita of Savoy. Next we went to see the House of Lucius Frontus, which was another estate of a wealthy Pompeiian. Professor Ulrich used these two houses as examples to teach us the layout of the typical Roman house, the best-preserved instances of which are in Pompeii.

When we had thoroughly learned about the houses, their architecture, their wall paintings, and their mosaics, we moved to the castellum, which is where the aqueduct entered the city. Here, Catherine Darragh ’13 gave a presentation on water in the city of Pompeii. From the castellum, the water line broke into three different sections. Confusion surrounds the purpose of these three sections, and it has been theorized that each one serviced a different area of the city, but it has also been suggested that one served public water fountains, one served baths, and one served private homes. These lines may have flowed to large water towers, which served to hold water, but also to regulate pressure.

A few short steps from the castellum was a series of tombs, which we looked at not only to read the inscription, but also to appreciate the deep red that characterizes many houses, in addition to mausoleums. From there, Professor Stewart set us out on the city to explore for ourselves!

-Ben

Oct. 24: Pompeii Today was our first day of lectures in Pompeii!...

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:50:40 +0100

Oct. 24: Pompeii

Today was our first day of lectures in Pompeii! We had the morning free for research and preparation for our presentations and met back at the hotel around noon before heading into Pompeii. We were accompanied by Professor Ulrich, the Director of Off Campus Programs and the Dean of International and Interdisciplinary Studies. Most of the day was taken up by presentations by Chelsea, Kyle, and Zhenwei. Chelsea presented first on the Temple of Fortuna Augusta and the imperial cult right by the forum. The Temple of Fortuna Augusta is tetrastyle temple with a single cella in the back. It was built at the expense of Marcus Tullius for the citizens of Pompeii. It was destroyed in the earthquake of 62 A.D. and never fully rebuilt. It is situated atop a high podium, and housed a statue of Fortuna Augusta in a niche on the rear wall of the cella.

Unfortunately it started to rain lightly during the presentation, and we headed for the bakeries and bars for Zhenwei’s presentation with umbrellas held high. We looked at a couple different bakeries and a bar, and learned a great deal about the distribution and production of food. Almost all the bars are laid out so as to catch traffic coming in and out of Pompeii, particularly close to the forum. The bakeries made various types of bread for different classes of citizens, and there are still remnants of the giant grain grinding mills. In the last bakery we visited we were able to see a whole row of milling equipment, a container for kneading bread, and a giant oven! It’s been amazing going through Pompeii, seeing an entire city preserved by ash.

Kyle made the last presentation of the day at the House of the Faun, by which time the rain was coming down in sheets. We received a very thorough explanation of the layout of the house, from the fauces to the peristyle courtyards in the rear. Our major stop in the House of the Faun was the Alexander Mosaic in the tabularium, a copy of which resides on site.

After the presentations were finished we headed back to the forum and took shelter inside the dining hall to talk with the Director and Dean about how the program has gone thus far. By then it was getting rather late, and after our discussion they left to make their way back to Rome, and we headed back to the hotel for dinner, which was amazing!!!

Our first official day in Pompeii was wonderful, and we’ve been able to get a lot out of simply walking through the site as we prepare for our presentations. It’s great being able to see everything from wall paintings to water towers to bakeries so well preserved!

-Catherine Darragh