Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City Week 3
Week three of the course focuses on religion and how it was a focal point in all aspects of public and private life for Romans. Whereas today religion is sometimes more concentrated in particular events and occasions, for the Romans, it was a part of everything they did. Individual homes had private shrines and the city was filled with temples to various gods, altars at crossroads, as well as the sacred route taken by the triumph. There are remains of four temples in a row along a certain thoroughfare and as their entrances and steps all face the same way, it's thought that it's part of the triumph route. They were possibly victory temples, built by a general or admiral as thanks to a particular deity for victory in a battle. This combines religion and politics because as well as showing due deference and appreciation to the god, it also ensures that the victorious leader will have a permanent monument and be a lasting part of the city. [Panorama of the four temples at Largo Argentina]
The early temples were all constructed in similar fashion: a high podium, tall columns all the way round, and a frontal emphasis with the temple pointing very definitely towards the crowd of people below. This was because the temples were not constructed to hold a group of worshippers inside; the altar was actually outside the building at the front, rather than being inside the building so the rituals took place outside at the altar. Worshippers would gather there at the bottom of the steps and look up towards the sanctuary, the main part of the temple high above them. The steps were important; as well as raising the building above the flood waters and the clutter of the street, it symbolically raises the god above the crowd in the forecourt below. The rituals consisted of a procession leading the animal to be sacrificed to the altar, then a purification ritual with prayers, offerings of incense and the pouring of libations. The animal would then be sacrificed and a special priest (a haruspex) would examine the entrails for information on the gods will. Finally the animal would be eaten as part of a ritual feast. In addition to the regular rituals, there were 109 festivals dedicated to specific gods which took place throughout the year and half of these were public holidays. There were also special days to honour the deified emperors. The Augustalia, honouring Augustus, started in 19BCE and was held on 12th of October. [Panorama of the Temple of Hercules Victor]
Throughout a person's life, at different stages there would have been certain celebrations that would be important - a young woman expecting her first child, a young boy about to become a man, etc. - and particular deities linked to that so religion would have been very pervasive. There was such a huge amount of gods, around 200 so there really was one for every occasion! In addition, several emperors were deified after their death, such as Julius Caesar, Augustus, Trajan and Hadrian so they all had their own temples as well. As the Roman Empire spread throughout different countries, these countries' own local gods were included as part of the main Roman religion. The most dominant of these was that of Mithras, originally from Mesopotamia who became an important god to the military. Some other gods were adopted for particular situations such as Aesculapius (originally Asclepius), the Greek god of healing, who was given a sanctuary on the Tiber Island following an outbreak of plague in 291BCE in the hope that he would save the city. Rome had an incredible religious diversity which indicates both the cosmopolitan nature of the city as well as the extent to which the Empire stretched. Christianity was rejected and repressed for a long time because its fundamental beliefs were at great odds to the polytheistic paganism at the heart of Roman life and its acknowledgement of the living emperor as semi-divine. [Panorama of the remains of the Temple of the Deified Hadrian]
One of the most important temples was the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter Best and Greatest), on Capitoline Hill, a particularly sacred site. Very little remains of the temple now. Originally built in 6BCE, it was burned down in 83BCE. It was naturally rebuilt and then burned down again in a civil war in 69CE. It was rebuilt again and burned down again just 11 years later! It was rebuilt for the last time in 80CE. The 3D model of the temples on the Capitoline Hill is available: https://kubity.com/p/Vzpf4D I attempted to visit the smaller temple of Jupiter’s consort, Juno but all the staircases were broken and the only way I could get up there was by way of climbing on someone's roof or up a steep ramp! I don't think that was accurate to how it would have been! The site was just full of white marble everywhere, even on the ground, it must have been blinding when the sun was high.
Music was also a very important part of Roman lives and religion. It was seen as being inspired by the gods (music literally means 'of the Muses') and was performed not just for worship but for enjoyment too. There was a variety of different instruments available, the tibia (also known as aulos in Greek), pan-pipes, the lyra and cithra and a hydraulic organ. There were even professional musicians, particularly Mesomedes, the court composer to Hadrian. Four of his pieces have survived with their notation intact. It's interesting to see that all musical notation was in Greek, rather than Latin. The most famous piece of Roman music to survive is the Seikilos Song which was found on a funeral epitaph in Turkey and dates to around 1CE. I found that part of the course really interesting, especially as there were examples of the pieces to listen to. It's incredible to think that we can listen to a piece of music that was written hundreds of years ago.
The largest and most impressive temple currently standing is the Pantheon. From the outside, there's the same architectural style as in the previous temples: the tall columns, the porch, the frontal emphasis. However, the inside is a complete departure from conventional style. It's not known exactly which gods were worshipped there, although the name Pantheon means 'all the gods' and suggests it may have been used to worship all divine figures, including the deified emperors. In 608CE, it was converted to a Christian church and has been the Church of St Mary of the Martyrs ever since. Despite it being an impressive feat of architecture, there's a very obvious mistake visible on the front. The columns which are 48 foot tall blocks of marble should actually be about 60 foot tall! There's an outline on the building above the triangular pedimented porch showing where it was meant to be! No one knows why the columns are shorter but it means that it throws the entire design out. This kind of architecture was based on strict mathematical rules of proportion, and making the columns shorter meant they also had to be narrower. This in turn makes the gaps between them much wider and breaks all the rules in the design of the porch. How interesting! I love finding out things like that which most people wouldn't be aware of or notice. I commented to say this on the site and was amused to get a response from Dr Matthew Nicholls saying "Me too!" [Panorama of the Pantheon]
In addition to the larger temples and festivals of the city, there were also smaller deities and shrines. Local spirits called lares were believed to live at crossroads and so small shrines were set up there to give offerings from families in the area. The shrines took different forms, some were like miniature versions of temples containing a statuette of the lares inside while others were a simple stone altar. There were also shrines in people's homes for the Penates (domestic spirits, known as the spirits of the pantry), the spirits of the ancestors (Lares) and guardian spirits for the household as well as each individual person. These shrines could be a larium, a sort of cabinet, particularly in wealthy households.
The final part is a walk round the 3D model of the Pantheon: https://www.kubity.com/p/3mBPwC There's figures of people included this time so you get a better sense of scale. It was interesting to stand inside and play with the time to watch the sunlight through the oculus move across the dome. My only experience of that so far is from Dan Brown *cough cough* There's some buildings attached to the back of the rounded structure but it was impossible to get into them which was a shame.
Next week sounds very interesting, it covers aspects of every day life for the Romans, such as what they ate and how they cooked, and includes some recipes!
The early temples were all constructed in similar fashion: a high podium, tall columns all the way round, and a frontal emphasis with the temple pointing very definitely towards the crowd of people below. This was because the temples were not constructed to hold a group of worshippers inside; the altar was actually outside the building at the front, rather than being inside the building so the rituals took place outside at the altar. Worshippers would gather there at the bottom of the steps and look up towards the sanctuary, the main part of the temple high above them. The steps were important; as well as raising the building above the flood waters and the clutter of the street, it symbolically raises the god above the crowd in the forecourt below. The rituals consisted of a procession leading the animal to be sacrificed to the altar, then a purification ritual with prayers, offerings of incense and the pouring of libations. The animal would then be sacrificed and a special priest (a haruspex) would examine the entrails for information on the gods will. Finally the animal would be eaten as part of a ritual feast. In addition to the regular rituals, there were 109 festivals dedicated to specific gods which took place throughout the year and half of these were public holidays. There were also special days to honour the deified emperors. The Augustalia, honouring Augustus, started in 19BCE and was held on 12th of October. [Panorama of the Temple of Hercules Victor]
Throughout a person's life, at different stages there would have been certain celebrations that would be important - a young woman expecting her first child, a young boy about to become a man, etc. - and particular deities linked to that so religion would have been very pervasive. There was such a huge amount of gods, around 200 so there really was one for every occasion! In addition, several emperors were deified after their death, such as Julius Caesar, Augustus, Trajan and Hadrian so they all had their own temples as well. As the Roman Empire spread throughout different countries, these countries' own local gods were included as part of the main Roman religion. The most dominant of these was that of Mithras, originally from Mesopotamia who became an important god to the military. Some other gods were adopted for particular situations such as Aesculapius (originally Asclepius), the Greek god of healing, who was given a sanctuary on the Tiber Island following an outbreak of plague in 291BCE in the hope that he would save the city. Rome had an incredible religious diversity which indicates both the cosmopolitan nature of the city as well as the extent to which the Empire stretched. Christianity was rejected and repressed for a long time because its fundamental beliefs were at great odds to the polytheistic paganism at the heart of Roman life and its acknowledgement of the living emperor as semi-divine. [Panorama of the remains of the Temple of the Deified Hadrian]
One of the most important temples was the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter Best and Greatest), on Capitoline Hill, a particularly sacred site. Very little remains of the temple now. Originally built in 6BCE, it was burned down in 83BCE. It was naturally rebuilt and then burned down again in a civil war in 69CE. It was rebuilt again and burned down again just 11 years later! It was rebuilt for the last time in 80CE. The 3D model of the temples on the Capitoline Hill is available: https://kubity.com/p/Vzpf4D I attempted to visit the smaller temple of Jupiter’s consort, Juno but all the staircases were broken and the only way I could get up there was by way of climbing on someone's roof or up a steep ramp! I don't think that was accurate to how it would have been! The site was just full of white marble everywhere, even on the ground, it must have been blinding when the sun was high.
Music was also a very important part of Roman lives and religion. It was seen as being inspired by the gods (music literally means 'of the Muses') and was performed not just for worship but for enjoyment too. There was a variety of different instruments available, the tibia (also known as aulos in Greek), pan-pipes, the lyra and cithra and a hydraulic organ. There were even professional musicians, particularly Mesomedes, the court composer to Hadrian. Four of his pieces have survived with their notation intact. It's interesting to see that all musical notation was in Greek, rather than Latin. The most famous piece of Roman music to survive is the Seikilos Song which was found on a funeral epitaph in Turkey and dates to around 1CE. I found that part of the course really interesting, especially as there were examples of the pieces to listen to. It's incredible to think that we can listen to a piece of music that was written hundreds of years ago.
The largest and most impressive temple currently standing is the Pantheon. From the outside, there's the same architectural style as in the previous temples: the tall columns, the porch, the frontal emphasis. However, the inside is a complete departure from conventional style. It's not known exactly which gods were worshipped there, although the name Pantheon means 'all the gods' and suggests it may have been used to worship all divine figures, including the deified emperors. In 608CE, it was converted to a Christian church and has been the Church of St Mary of the Martyrs ever since. Despite it being an impressive feat of architecture, there's a very obvious mistake visible on the front. The columns which are 48 foot tall blocks of marble should actually be about 60 foot tall! There's an outline on the building above the triangular pedimented porch showing where it was meant to be! No one knows why the columns are shorter but it means that it throws the entire design out. This kind of architecture was based on strict mathematical rules of proportion, and making the columns shorter meant they also had to be narrower. This in turn makes the gaps between them much wider and breaks all the rules in the design of the porch. How interesting! I love finding out things like that which most people wouldn't be aware of or notice. I commented to say this on the site and was amused to get a response from Dr Matthew Nicholls saying "Me too!" [Panorama of the Pantheon]
In addition to the larger temples and festivals of the city, there were also smaller deities and shrines. Local spirits called lares were believed to live at crossroads and so small shrines were set up there to give offerings from families in the area. The shrines took different forms, some were like miniature versions of temples containing a statuette of the lares inside while others were a simple stone altar. There were also shrines in people's homes for the Penates (domestic spirits, known as the spirits of the pantry), the spirits of the ancestors (Lares) and guardian spirits for the household as well as each individual person. These shrines could be a larium, a sort of cabinet, particularly in wealthy households.
The final part is a walk round the 3D model of the Pantheon: https://www.kubity.com/p/3mBPwC There's figures of people included this time so you get a better sense of scale. It was interesting to stand inside and play with the time to watch the sunlight through the oculus move across the dome. My only experience of that so far is from Dan Brown *cough cough* There's some buildings attached to the back of the rounded structure but it was impossible to get into them which was a shame.
Next week sounds very interesting, it covers aspects of every day life for the Romans, such as what they ate and how they cooked, and includes some recipes!