Tuesday and Wednesday were very active, but a lot of fun. On Tuesday, we went back to the Capitoline Museum for a special underground tour of the Temple of Veovis. There isn't that much to see anymore, but the museum preserves what remains of a temple built for Jupiter before he was best and greatest—as Veovis, Jupiter is still a young god who has not yet become king. Here's all that is left of his cult statue:
After seeing the ruins of the temple, we had a good look at the epigraphy collection in the museum. Many of the inscriptions (epigraphy = study of inscriptions) that remain to us from the ancient world come from grave markers, and sometimes they are really sad. This one is for a little girl who died before she reached the age of six:
For the souls departed. For the sweet Geminia Agathe Mater. My name was Mater, but I was never destined to become a mother. In fact, I do not deny having lived only 5 years, 7 months, and 22 days. During the time that I lived, I enjoyed myself and I was always loved by everyone. In fact, believe me, I had the face of a little boy, not of a girl; as only those who generated me knew Agathe, of gentle temperament, of pleasing and noble appearance, with red hair, short on top and long behind...
There's more, but I figured I'd stop with the amusing image of a red-headed little girl with a mullet. So many children died in the ancient that it's difficult for us to imagine today—in fact, you were pretty lucky if you made it to your twenties, because a lot of diseases could easily take you out before then.
On Wednesday, we visited the site of Alba Fucens, an ancient Roman colony. Alba Fucens was occasionally a bit rebellious and came down on the wrong side in one of Rome's many civil wars. But it was a loyal enough colony to be entrusted with a major responsibility: the housing of political prisoners. Some of them were apparently treated pretty well, while others... well, one of them may have died because his guards refused to let him sleep. That is a terrible way to go.
Today, Alba Fucens is absolutely gorgeous. We got our first good look from a church dedicated to St. Peter. The church was built in Late Antiquity, but its current decor is from about the 12th century. It's an important church because it preserves the shape and location of the pulpit and also the screen that separates the church's altar (priests only!) from the congregation.
The view from the top of the hill where the church is perched is amazing. (And probably part of the reason why Alba Fucens was strategically important in several wars, because you could see the enemy coming.) That castle you can see in the distance is an overgrown ruin, but we had a great (and sweaty) time climbing up to it in the afternoon.
The ruins themselves were also fun. We got to see what was left of a basilica, a house, some shops, and bath house, and a latrine. Let's just say that if you enjoy having personal space, you would not enjoy an ancient latrine. Part of the fun was that we were instructed not to read about the site in advance, so we had to wander around making guesses at what the different structures were. We did a pretty good job, too!
Overall, this has been another great week. Today was a lot of fun, and I'll definitely post about it soon (pictures are uploading now). Tomorrow, we'll be on a day trip looking at other ruins of ancient cities. I've been told to expect to climb lots of stairs. And, alas, there is no end to the walking in sight—next week will be our most exciting yet, because we'll spend part of it in Campania and will spend one entire day in Pompeii. My brain rejoices, but my feet are already weeping bitter tears.
After seeing the ruins of the temple, we had a good look at the epigraphy collection in the museum. Many of the inscriptions (epigraphy = study of inscriptions) that remain to us from the ancient world come from grave markers, and sometimes they are really sad. This one is for a little girl who died before she reached the age of six:
For the souls departed. For the sweet Geminia Agathe Mater. My name was Mater, but I was never destined to become a mother. In fact, I do not deny having lived only 5 years, 7 months, and 22 days. During the time that I lived, I enjoyed myself and I was always loved by everyone. In fact, believe me, I had the face of a little boy, not of a girl; as only those who generated me knew Agathe, of gentle temperament, of pleasing and noble appearance, with red hair, short on top and long behind...
There's more, but I figured I'd stop with the amusing image of a red-headed little girl with a mullet. So many children died in the ancient that it's difficult for us to imagine today—in fact, you were pretty lucky if you made it to your twenties, because a lot of diseases could easily take you out before then.
On Wednesday, we visited the site of Alba Fucens, an ancient Roman colony. Alba Fucens was occasionally a bit rebellious and came down on the wrong side in one of Rome's many civil wars. But it was a loyal enough colony to be entrusted with a major responsibility: the housing of political prisoners. Some of them were apparently treated pretty well, while others... well, one of them may have died because his guards refused to let him sleep. That is a terrible way to go.
Today, Alba Fucens is absolutely gorgeous. We got our first good look from a church dedicated to St. Peter. The church was built in Late Antiquity, but its current decor is from about the 12th century. It's an important church because it preserves the shape and location of the pulpit and also the screen that separates the church's altar (priests only!) from the congregation.
The view from the top of the hill where the church is perched is amazing. (And probably part of the reason why Alba Fucens was strategically important in several wars, because you could see the enemy coming.) That castle you can see in the distance is an overgrown ruin, but we had a great (and sweaty) time climbing up to it in the afternoon.
The ruins themselves were also fun. We got to see what was left of a basilica, a house, some shops, and bath house, and a latrine. Let's just say that if you enjoy having personal space, you would not enjoy an ancient latrine. Part of the fun was that we were instructed not to read about the site in advance, so we had to wander around making guesses at what the different structures were. We did a pretty good job, too!
Overall, this has been another great week. Today was a lot of fun, and I'll definitely post about it soon (pictures are uploading now). Tomorrow, we'll be on a day trip looking at other ruins of ancient cities. I've been told to expect to climb lots of stairs. And, alas, there is no end to the walking in sight—next week will be our most exciting yet, because we'll spend part of it in Campania and will spend one entire day in Pompeii. My brain rejoices, but my feet are already weeping bitter tears.
1 comment:
Love this! I am up to 3mph on my treadmill and walking 3 miles per day. You would be proud of your old mother! Also, I am no longer on diabetes or blood pressure medications. Not as exciting as your news, but I'm feeling good about it. Love you! -Mom
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