Rome via Brooklyn

Word count: 453

Yesterday was my presentation day. I was nervous, as always, but my topic was really interesting and I felt confident about the research I had done.

Before we headed over to the giant foot I was set to present at, we went to the Pantheon. I had gone a few weeks prior with Daniel (boyfriend) but it was so incredibly crowded when we went. This time, it was a bit quieter, probably because it was later in the day and not a weekend, and I felt like I could walk around more freely, and it was also nice to be there with all my classmates.

I didn’t feel that I had any grand observations, but I like what Professor Yarrow said, that the Pantheon makes everyone smile. It’s true!

My presentation was on the worship of Isis in Rome, and it’s funny that I ended up doing this topic because a few years prior I had written a paper on the destruction of the Alexandrian Serapeum for my iconoclasm class. Since then, I always take pictures of Sarapis when I see him – so I had lots on my camera roll to choose from when crafting my accompanying blog post. It felt special to stand, quite literally, at the foot of what would have been his and Isis’ temple, and to now devote time to learning about Isis as I had already given him more than a fair share of my time.

I commented that I thought it would be bigger, especially when I had in the back of my mind the immenseness of the Colossus of Constantine, but it’s also kind of hard to gauge the true immenseness of something when you only have a small piece of it. Similarly, it was so unassuming in its presence, tucked off in a side street with a worn away plaque. Had I not known, I would have walked right past. It’s crazy to think that something people used to worship, with Apeulius saying that he “had no more urgent business than to pray daily to the supreme power of Queen Isis,” is now something that the average tourist would overlook.

It also makes me think of our continuing conversation of what we choose to preserve in history. Yes, it’s preserved, but it’s not centered in the same way other remnants of ancient life are.

After class was over, my apartment + Safa went to shop around for makeup and souvenirs, and later went out to a pasta place recommended to us by Professor Yarrow. Can confirm it was delicious.