Today was a fairly short location wise. We went to the Roman Forum and the Circus Maximus. However, the Roman Forum has so many things it took the entire day.
We began at the Basilica Aemlia which was originally Basilica Fulia and changed by Lucius Aemlias Paullus in the 2nd century AD. Next to this basilica we have a portius of Caisus and Lucius and then next to that the Venus Cloacina. The Cloacina is actually really interesting it is considered the great drain of the forum and was constructed by the etruscan kings. This allowed the Romans to move water and drain the swamp for the forum.
Then we went to the Lapis Niger, which is a black and shaped like the mathematical sign PI. It is thought as strange by the Roman people so they just kind of left it there and never messed with it.
Afterwards, we headed to the Curia or the place the senators of Rome met and then the Arch of Septimus Severus. Then it was followed by the Concordia Augusta which is a T shaped tranveresed temple dedicated by Tiberius to Augustusen Concord in 10 AD.
Continuing on our path we came to the Temple of Titus and Vespasian and the Precinct of the Harmonious Gods. The Precinct is a trapezoidal structure built from 118-138 AD by Hadrian and rebuilt in 367 AD by City Prefect as a defense of Roman Religion.
This then led us toward the Temple of Saturn which has a deep background. Although little is known about Saturn himself, the Romans had a festival on December 17th called Saturnerilium were people drank, gave gifts to each other and masters and slaves reversed roles. Many scholars believe that this may be a reason christmas is in December since having christmas so close to the Roman holiday would make converting Romans to Christianity easier since they wouldn’t miss on the Roman celebration.
Equally as interesting was the Miliarem Auream and Umblicus Urbis Romae. The Miliarem Auream is considered the golden mark of Rome were all reference points to Rome are taken from and the Umbilicus Urbus Romae is the center of Rome.
As we walked away we reached the forum pavement which has various stories of a guy called Iacus Curtis who supposedly was a sign that changed the outcome of a battle that Rome was about to fail. The first story was of a knight(he was the knight) who fell into a lake, the second was of a Roman Knight that fell into a chasm and the last is of a Roman consul who consecrated the sight after lighting struck and created a circular depression.
Then came the Basilica Sempronia, the temple of Castor(temple where they had dentists and lawyers under) and the Lacus Luturna which had some myth I forgot since our teacher go’s so fast :(
We then hit the up the Temple of Dues Julius (place they cremated Julius), the Aedes of Veste (roman building rebuilt by a woman) and the House of Vessels were 6 virgin vessels were kept. As we continued our day we also passed by the Temple of Deus Antonimus and Deas Faustina (Built in 140 AD) and the Temple to Romulus from the 4th century AD.
After all this walking we finished up the day by visiting our last 3 stops:
Basilica of Maxcinges:
This basilica is 142 feet high was started by Maxcinches in 306 AD but was killed before it was completed by current co-emperor. It was then completed and finished in 313 AD by Constantine.
Arch of Titus:
Arch dedicated by Demition that shows a triumph of the Romans and Demition being Dues.
Circus Maximus:
An ownage building founded in the 6th century that held 250k people. They had gladiator fights and chariot races and was 540X80 meters large.ALso had two obelisks and a spina in the middle.
Pictures Can Be Seen HERE
Also I have gotten an email question as to my essay that I wrote for this program so I am adding it as a bonus below.
Diversity in education has been one of most influential aspects of my undergraduate research career. Through my varied educational background and the influences around me I have grown from a student to an innovator. In my undergraduate investigations I have always crossed fields and brought a more human and artistic environment to the distant, mechanical field of engineering. For me this opportunity offers me a gateway to further bolster the connection of the world around me and strengthen my educational career and professional studies.
Like the Roman arch, whose strength lays in the construction of an odd number of bricks held together by a keystone. An innovative and ingenious researcher strengths lays in a number of odd classes held together by the keystone of their studies. This is because diversity in education allows for greater inspirations and connection of ideas. One of the key deterrents of creativity in modern education is the encapsulation of fields, which limits our scopes within our area of study, when in reality every field of study is connected and supplements each other. For example, one of my greatest inspirations has always been Roman architecture and art. I have used its powerful imagery and symbolism in posters, presentations and grant writing to edify a human understanding about complex ideas. I believe this course will further broaden my ideas, empower my writing, and allow me to breath in new experiences that will connect the world around me. This would be invaluable to my current course of study and future professional investigations as a researcher because it would open my scope outside my field of study and enrich my proposals, dissertations and future writings.
Furthermore, this opportunity opens a chance to understand culture at a more international level. This to me especially important because of my Hispanic origin.
Even though the Spanish conquistadors where the first to influence my native land of Mexico, it is the Roman foundation that can be traced down through my native language of Spanish. Rome was the birth place of Latin which is the core and roots of Spanish. By understanding the birth place of the foundation of Spanish I can further comprehend the core influences of Spanish speaking cultures along with a more global understanding of the origin and prominence of Romantic languages. This is highly valuable to me because I believe language is the most integral part of a society; language connects ideas, values and aspirations, along with reflecting the inner most attributes of a culture.
Along with the modern and ancient cultural experience that visiting Rome would bring; the most impacting part of this trip would be witnessing the works and creations of some of the greatest thinkers in history. Italy was the birth place of the renaissance, both Rome and Florence are flourished by works of great mathematicians, artists, philosophers and scientists like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli and Luca Pacioli to name a few. The renaissance stands as a landmark of the rebirth of novel and original ideas based on combing educational diversity and empirical evidence. Rome represents an experience to surround myself with the works of the polymaths I look up to and to gather inspiration from their achievements.
As a future scientists this experience would be inestimable. Understanding culture especially the foundation of Romantic languages would provide a strong background on human culture and global influence. Lastly, as the legacy of Rome and the great leaders of the renaissance have shown innovation and creativity can only be achieved through academic diversity and our capability to express that ingenuity through they keystone of our study. For me this trip signifies an opportunity to achieve a cultural and intellectual well roundedness that will influence my impact on society through my works.
No comments:
Post a Comment