Rome via Brooklyn

DOUBLE POST 708 words, 4 minutes read time.

Professor Yarrow preemptively warned us that today’s excursion was going to be difficult, but I didn’t quite understand the extent of it until much later. The first half of the trip was actually quite pleasant. Being so early, we beat most of the crowd and the worst of the heat, and we also spoke under a shade for a good portion of the time. During the tour, we encountered the remains of a temple across from the Rostra, an orator’s platform. A public funeral was held for Julius Caesar upon his asssassination in 44 BC. However, instead of being carried to the Campius Martius to be cremated, he was carried on an ivory couch to the Regia, where Caesar as pontifex maximus once carried out his duties. Furthermore, Mark Antony, Augustus, and Lepidus decreed a temple to be built in his honor- essentially deifying Caesar. These radical exceptions for Caesar hallmarked a change in tradition as evidence of his political and religious influence. The Regia’s connection to Numa, the second king of Rome, imbue Caesar with that same legendary kingly status, a reputation furthered by the birth of an “official public cult”, as Claridge phrases it, which is the first of its kind. This godly legacy of Caesar is secured through his efforts of attempting to deify himself in the year before his death, as he took on the moniker “Jupiter Julius”, directly connecting him to the king of gods, or as simply “Divus Julius”, “Divine Julius”.

My personal strategy to the readings that I find works best for myself is to read the relevant materials after we have finished the day. This allows me to feel less pressed for time and to also consolidate what I have learned during the day while it’s still fresh in my mind and I have a conceptual understanding the reading- making it easier for me to actually comprehend it instead of going in blind. I learned new things about the site doing the readings afterwards, such as the specific dimensions and building material of each construction. I also learned specfic facts about the temple such as the fact that it wasn’t uncommon for ancestors of aristocratic households to assume an almost divine status- though nothing as public or official as Caesar’s.

After the group disbanded, I joined Khadija, Isabel, Dante, and Joseph on an exploration towards the Palatine Hill. Being further beyond the forum, the crowds dissapated and it was quite peacceful despite the heat. Predictably, it was more disorientating navigating without a guide, especially with our energy levels running low under the unrelenting sun, but it was still fascinating to see various complexes and trying to piece together what they were before looking for the plaque. One that stood out was the Circus Massimo (or Circus Maximus)- an incredibly large area with the remains of an arena. The height of where we stood in comparison to the actual field surprised me, and I will always be awed by how much history has built on top of its original land. We also went into the Museo Palatino, a small museum dedicate to the history of the area. I learned a lot especially from a video that revolved around a miniature construction of the Palatine Hill, casting projections onto certain areas for relevant parts of the video. It was really insightful to see the different eras and how each emperor made their own mark on this historical hill.

Afterwards, our group split once more- with Isabel and Joseph exploring more of the Palatine and Khadija, Dante, and I heading home. As we more or less retrace our steps to the Forum, the amount of people multiplied- as if it were even possible. Coupled with the fatigue, heat, crowds, and multiple reroutes due to gates and streets being closed- getting home was a much more difficult task than getting to the Forum. Regardless, we made it home, sweaty and very tired, to our mostly air condition-less hostel. I took the rest of the day pretty easy after chatting with my besty the whole way (which is nothing new) and I’ll be heading out to a restaurant with Khadija for dinner which is something I haven’t really been doing, surprisingly enough, so that’s exciting!