Discussion 3 @ St. Peter's Basilica

Many of the places or objects we viewed, or perhaps experienced, were hard to wrap one’s head completely around. Many of the things we experienced held so much history within their bodies that it may in fact be impossible to completely wrap one’s head around, To me, however, the most unreal viewing experience was during our optional visit to St. Peter’s Basilica.
The perceived perfection of every detail lined the Basilica coincided with the grandiose nature of the building itself to create an experience that is hard to encapsulate in words. It was as though I was entering a place described or depicted in a work of fiction rather than an actual physical location. I could not help myself from thinking about the wealth and power needed to build a structure of this scale and luxury. Being a sacred/religious place in some ways added to this thought as I began thinking about all of the horrible things that this body of power had carried out or justified over the course of its existence. This branch of thinking made me feel out of place and in some ways guilty as I became critical of the site which others held as one of the most adored places of their religion. I do think it is important to think about the power that the Church has held and in some ways continues to hold but I am not sure if the way in which I thought about the Basilica was the most respectful way to analyze the power of the Church.

It was probably the grandest and most beautiful building I have ever been in, yet there was something scary about these qualities, at least to me. It is frightening that there is a continued pattern of exuberant wealth and power being consolidated in small groups of people. This pattern seems to almost always end in suffering yet we still cling to the idea. This was my experience of viewing at St. Peter’s Basilica.

 

Discussion 2 @Roman Forum

I find it troubling that many times “normal people” are not really recognized or emphasized in historical studies. Ancient societies would not have been able to operate without the existence of said “normal people” yet often their contributions are not highlighted. Partially, for this reason, it was hard for me to imagine the City of Rome had existed in some form for thousands of years. Visiting the Roman Forum helped me to picture the age and history of the city better, however. It is still odd to say that I was in the location which Ancient Roman citizens would consider the heart of their city, though I think being there allowed me to imagine streets and buildings filled with people as they would have been in ancient times.  Being in the physical historical location helped me to visualize the everyday person that had existed during that historical period.

 Viewing the ruins of what once was the heart of the Roman city also allowed me to more fully visualize and understand the history of Ancient Rome. The fall of the Roman Republic, the Empirical rule of Rome, and other historical events became things that people actually experienced rather than ones that we only read about. Coming to this fuller understanding was definitely hastened by being in the center of the historical location where these events played out. It was interesting for me to think about what might be left of the American empire thousands of years from now which people may walk through and recall the history of the country. 

 

Ryan 5 Denarii a Day

“The killer [in a case of patricide] would find himself sewn into a leather sack with a dog, a cock, a viper, and an ape, … would be violently beaten, then dropped into the Tiber” (60).

The beautiful view of the Tiber River does betray its brutal past use in this example of capital punishment.

“Despite the 50,000-80,000 people packing the stands, from almost every angle the arena is surprisingly close and personal” (83).

The floor of the Colosseum did seem quite close despite its size.

“For excitement and spectacle the Circus is indeed ‘Maximus’” (88).

The Circus doesn’t seem very Maximus anymore :/

“Considering the future consequences of the religion he brought to Rome, Peter’s tomb is rather humble and inconspicuous” (124).

Though not technically the tomb of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Basilica is not very humble or inconspicuous.

“The function of these villas is less agricultural than to provide refuge from the heat, noise and distractions of city life” (15).

The fountain of this villa was certainly a change of pace from the city of Rome itself.

“Trajan’s Forum is dominated by this huge column”(122).

Trajan’s Column is quite dominating.

“For visitors, no trip to Rome is complete without a trip to the Forum, simply because so much of Rome’s history happened in this one small valley” (115).

Overlooking the ruins of the Forum and thus the history of Rome made my trip more complete.

“Anyone with goods to dispose of might go to a designated commercial area and set up his pitch” (68).

Kind of similar to the small market in Trastevere which sold fruit, vegetable, and other products.

“Since the government of Rome is concerned only with public order, the job of fighting crime is left to Joe Citizen (74)”.

It is interesting to think about how global economic development has influenced the use of military force and the militarization of police forces.

“The Roman year is packed with festivals” (103).

Such as the street festival which featured a puppet show that a few of us stumbled upon in Trastevere.

“Other celebrations are extremely public, and not only can a visitor not miss them, many visitors also come to Rome especially for them” (103).

The celebration of Republic Day could be classified as an extremely public celebration.

“The main course is meat, game, poultry, and combinations of each, so smothered in pungent sauce that it can be hard to determine what is underneath” (46). 

This passage made me think of the Bolognese sauce that topped this lasagna.

“Dessert is no afterthought, and may well be an extravagance of sweetmeats, pastries, fresh fruit and nuts” (46).

As I had two servings of tiramisu in one night I can confirm dessert is not an afterthought in Rome.

“The tone of the evening will be set by the entertainment. There may be readings from the philosophers, cithara music, or poetic works” (46).

This poem hung on the wall of a restaurant. Though it was not actually read and I couldn’t understand it, it was entertaining to look at.

“The Romans pay great attention to their horoscopes” (71).

Though it was hard to see stars, or at times even the moon, it is interesting to think about how ancient Romans viewed these astrological objects in various contexts.

Discussion 5:Villa Giulia / National Etruscan Museum

 On May 24^th the group and I visited  Villa Giulia / National Etruscan Museum where after a guided tour we got to walk around the museum ourselves and see things we would of not with being guided. My friend and I discovered these superhero fetuses made by a French artist Alexandre Nicholas. I got too these fetuses in only three angles not from behind or bottom, but it was in a special called synthetic crystal acrylic. Being in this glass made it stand out more and this is what this artist was also known for. Putting these fetuses in it could make the people walking around, catch their eyes and to learn more about it. These fetuses were to show the vulnerability of the superheroes but how they are in that pose to one day show their potential and what they have to offer the world. That’s how I saw it, the superhero’s in a state that makes them so fragile but seeing it enclosed in that glass dressed like their superhero outfits, made the viewing better. I felt like how it was in that crystal, shining in the lights and how it was formed, it was positioned in the right angle that you knew what the art was and could enjoy it from the way the museum put it. It was a marvelous viewing in all, and then seeing all the other fetuses was amazing too, I felt like the light the museum put it on made it stand out more and who needs angles if it’s a person, a baby.

Discussion 4: Statue of Centaur in Pompeii

 In Pompeii there was a particular statue that caught my eye, which at first I just called the horse man with a head in it. Later on by doing some research I discovered it is a centaur. I saw more pictures of it online and some were closer from on angle and even making it look like they were next to it. The viewing experience I got from it was definitely better then some picture as I could walk a full circle around it and see it from all angles and it was way higher then pictures. Looking up at the horse, seeing the head inside the centaur was better not only in person but being to look at it from all angles. It was missing pieces in certain places like the head, and then carved in was another person head in the middle of the body. This statue was not really in the guided tour so I had to look it up myself to know more about it. So seeing it first, being able to form my own questions and then doing my small finds, was amazing. I was able to say yeah I saw that, or oh that makes more sense. I really did enjoy seeing it and learning on my own more what this statue had to offer.

Discussion 3: Ostia Theater

 On May 28^th 2022, we had a day in Ostia where we got to visit ancient cities there and a place I found very interesting was the theater. We saw a theater in Pompeii that was small and only got to see from an open window and only get to see it from one angle. Looking at it only open and down, from the bottom near the stage was not as exciting as in Ostia. Seeing the Ostia theater and walking through all sides, even going all the way to the top and seeing from an aerial view was thrilling. From down below you could see all around at the people on the top and from the sides, getting to walk around and see the stage. But, on top, it was a whole other experience was I got to test out how the structure of the theater made it so everyone, no matter where sat, could hear the people on stage. A traveler with me stood at the bottom and from up there it was far, but she spoke in a normal volume and you could hear her from the top! Looking around to understand how it worked made the experience much more amazing and understanding how they used what they had, with no microphones like we do now was a phenomenal moment. This was more of a semi-self-guided tour as once it was spoken about we got to use the theater basically, as much as we could, and it made it worth it than just passing the area. Being able to walk all around it, seeing every step, all around it, bottom to top, on my own was a good independent viewing experience. 

Discussion 2 Colosseum

 Going to see the Colosseum was one of the highlights of the trip for me and a viewing experience I will never forget. Pictures do not to do the place justice as seeing it from just one side or from a distance was not enough. I felt like being there in person made the history come to life and seeing where the gladiators fought in person was like really being able to imagine how they went down. I felt with it also being a guided tour then just on our own was much more better as this is a very monumental location that going in with little knowledge would of not been enough. Hearing Dr. Rock talk about the stories being the colosseum and in such detail brought the place to life for me. While standing at the site, listening to her talk I could imagine Nero’s garden how it was destroy/covered up to become a place to watch fights and shows. Than later on with historians uncovering it and getting to see where the gardens were and the maze once there, was just made it all worth coming in person to see. All in all, seeing the location it self, as a whole and not behind glass like museum parts or in pictures made the viewing for me more worth my wild. Being able to walk around the whole colosseum, taking my own pictures from all angles, was better than any google search.