Friday, June 5, 2015

June 5th: The Late Republic

For our fifth day of the trip, we explored remnants of Rome from the later years of the Republic, which ended in 27 BC. Our first stop was at the temples at Largo Argentina. Located in the Campus Martius, this site once had four Roman temples as well as Pompey's Theater. Though the site is in ruins now, it was still cool to see what is left and to imagine what these buildings looked like in their prime. An interesting, yet disgusting, fact about the Largo Argentina is that it is also a cat sanctuary. That means that there are tons of dirty, stray city cats roaming around the square. Though I was unable to snap a photo of any cats, here is a picture of the ruins:
Ruins at Largo Argentina
Our next stop was at the Forum of Julius Caesar. I found this spot to be particularly interesting because I am giving my presentation over the Forum of Augustus on Monday, and there are many similarities between the two sites. Even though all of the structures are in ruins today, it was still clear to see just how impressive the site must have been at one point, in both size and craftsmanship. 
Ruins of the Forum of Julius Caesar 
The last stop of the day was at Centrale Montemartini, which is a sculpture museum. The museum hosts three floors of sculptures of various subjects, such as gods, politicians, and everyday people. Because space in the Capitoline Museum is limited, many sculptures are unable to be put on display there. To remedy that, a building in another part of the city was bought out to house some of the statues. As a result, the museum is located in a former power plant, and so modern machinery is mixed in with the ancient sculptures. It is a really odd mix of the past and the present, and made the visit even more memorable. Here is a picture of the museum, showcasing both aspects:
Centrale Montemartini
Though today was extremely hot and I am exhausted from all of the walking, I had a lot of fun being able to visit even more sites of Ancient Rome, and I am excited for what tomorrow will bring!
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 7, 2015 at 10:30 AM

    I also found the Montemartini museum to be particularly memorable, mostly because of the distinct mechanical scenery throughout the museum. Do you think that having the Montemartini museum to continue to stay open to be beneficial? Or do you think the sculptures would be better off being back at the Musei Capitolini?

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    1. AnonymousJune 10, 2015 at 1:14 PM

      Hey, Cari! Though the modern machinery and the sculptures are very different, I don't think that the sculptures would be better off being back in the Capitoline Museum. It might make more sense for them to be put back there, but I found that museum to be overcrowded with artifacts and therefore harder to appreciate the art like we were able to in Montemartini.

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