Rome via Brooklyn

Today I was very nervous and forgot to take a picture of my coffee and cornetto before swallowing the whole thing. Apologies to everyone excited for the daily breakfast picture.

The reason I was so nervous was because today was my first presentation! These were supposed to be partnered, but as we ended up with an odd number of students on the trip I was on my own. I love to do research though, and really am proud of what I was able to do in the situation I was in! We started the day by climbing over the Capitoline to get into the Forum at the base. Though, we did get to see the ruins of an older forum because of where we were coming from!

We then started our lesson about the many different monuments in the forum, including various temples, public areas, and government buildings. While the Capitoline focused on the governmental affairs, and the Palatine was private housing for the elite of Rome, the Forum was the city center, kind of like the Greek Agora, but with more temples.

I think the monument I was most shocked by, and learned the most about by being there was the Arch of Titus. Titus led wars in Jerusalem and enslaved hundred to thousands of Jews. The arch is a monument to his military victory and depicts the triumphal parade and spoils of the war, including a recognizable menorah-like lamp. Later rabbis forbade Jews from passing under the arch, as it was seen as a recreation of the original parade, and after World War II it was a gathering place for European Jews. The inscription on the top reads that “The Senate and People of Rome dedicate this arch to the deified Titus Vespasian Augustus, son of the deified Vespasian”, and another now destroyed arch reads, “The Senate and People of Rome dedicate this arch to the emperor Titus, because with the Senate’s advice and counsel and with the auguries, he conquered the nation of the Jews and destroyed Jerusalem.”

Triumphal arches are so fascinating to me as they not only serve as permanent statues to war, but also as an active part of the performance of the triumphal parade. There is much to be said about the impermanence of the parade itself, but immortalized in stone, there is no doubt about the way the Romans perceived their colonization. It is also interesting the reception of this arch, especially compared to that of Septimius Severus that we saw at the beginning of the day, which was not so colored by personal association for me. It also makes me think of the triumphal arch our current president is attempting to build for the country’s 250th birthday. There are many things these emperors have in common with our current tyrant, and his copying of their egotistical traditions is almost comically obvious.

Once class was over, I was able to go up the Palatine hill, a gorgeous hill overlooking the Forum, the Colosseum, and much of Rome. The rich and elite made their mansions and their palaces here, and you can see the ruins of some, mixed with some of the most beautiful gardens and views you could ask for. It’s also relatively quiet, since the tourists are mostly at the Colosseum and the Forum. I went up mainly to see the Elagabalium, the temple of Elagabalus, which I will talk more about at a later date, but it was so worth it, I would recommend it to anyone.

I have a lot of writing to do, so homeward for some peace and quite and focus time. I can’t wait to come back up the hill when Cyd is here, as well as show the all the cool details I noticed in the Forum.