ROMAN WALKS - 2 - ARCHEOLOGY AND CHRISTIANITY

The walking tour we are presenting in this post starts from the St. John Villa. It touches some of the most famous sites of Rome, Colosseum, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran.

URBEM FECISTI - ENGINEERING AND EMPIRE (1)

The articles of the series Urbem Fecisti are dedicated to the way Rome has shaped the modern world, to its modernity. It's a fact that Roman Empire is still living inside each of us in the western world and not only.

Why comparing Egytian pyramids and the Colosseum?
They are the symbols of ancient civilizations, both important but deeply different. The Egyptian civilation, although stable and long lasting, reamined local while the Roman one has been global
What was absolutely new with Rome, at least in part of the world, was the ability to create a very large empire with a modern conception of the state that is still alive and that remained stable over several centuries, 15 if we consider the Eastern Roman Empire.  How was that possible?
The Roman Empire was essentially a confederation of cities, each with a high degree of local self-government. Each city, and the countryside that was controlled by it, had the obligation to recognize the general authority of Rome, to send to Rome a certain amount of taxes but it was free to keep the local traditions if they were not in contrast with the authority of Rome. In that way local elites became part of the Roman power system. Eventually, most of the emperors were not born in Rome but their origins were in the provinces.
Promoting urbanization was a key to develop that model of government. In that way local elites were concentrated in a unique place rather than being dispersed here and there and control was easier.
In addition, people living in the cities were privileged over those living in the countryside.
The foundation of new cities and  the growth of existing ones proceeded all along the existence of the Western Empire. Rome was the first megalopolis of the human history, surpassing 1 million of inhabitants between I and II century AD and remaining close to 1 million till the first half of the V century AD. Several other cities had more than one hundred thousands inhabitants and many between 20 a 100 thousands.

Ancient Rome

In the IV century AD about 30 % of the population of the empire lived in a city. That was an enormous number considering that the economy was based essentially on agriculture.
After the fall of the Western Empire, no European city reached the size of Rome before the XVIII century.
Civil engineering played an essential role in that because it allowed cities to grow and to be good places where to live.
The Egyptian pyramids are absolutely impressive, especially when we consider the available technologies, but they were simply the burial place of one person, the pharaoh. There is a pyramid in Rome too, but it was built by a private citizen, Caius Cestius.
The Colosseum, the symbol of Rome, was instead a place that was thought to be used everyday by thousands of normal people attending to the shows.
And most of what we see today was built for general use.

Via Aurelia Antica

Porta Maggiore

Via di San Gregorio

Via Turati

Walking in Rome it is possible, for example, to see the remains of ancient aqueducts (by the way, one is still in use, the Aqua Virgo), or to cross the Tiber over bridges built two thousands years ago. Other examples of great engineering are the baths, such as those of Caracalla.


(to be continued)
Vincenzo

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 10

Circus Maximus and the Imperial Palaces on the Palatine Hill

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Did you read part 9? If not click here

Visiting Rome requires good legs and good shoes. Ponits of interest are so many and so diffused that the best way to see them is to walk.
San Lorenzo Guest House is an excellent starting point for walks. I already did one going north to Villa Borghese, the nex one was on the opposite direction, with the final destination at the Circus Maximus.

URBEM FECISTI - ROMAN ROADS

Appian Way

The articles of the series Urbem Fecisti are dedicated to the way Rome has shaped the modern world, to its modernity. It's a fact that Roman Empire is still living inside each of us in the western world and not only.

The modern civilization, especially the West, is in credit with the ancient Greeks for everything related to the development of philosophy, literature, geometry and more. It was instead the ancient Romans who created social infrastructure and legislation on which still underlie our society. Already in the I century AD Strabo and Pliny the Elder, observed that the Greeks missed to work on three essential pillars of the society: water supply, sewers and roads.
Water supply and sewers are essential for the growth of a town, roads are essential for the development of an organized state and for the growth of trades and of the economy and therefore of the propsperity of the populations.

The network of main roads, the consular ones, named after the consul that had taken care or the construction, was approximately 100000 km long. For comparison, it has to be considered that it is more than the network of main roads in the USA today, Interstate Highway System, although the extension of th Roman empire was approximately 60 % of the size of the USA and the population only 20 %.

Urbem fecisti - Roman bridges

The articles of the series Urbem Fecisti are dedicated to the way Rome has shaped the modern world, to its modernity. It's a fact that Roman Empire is still living inside each of us in the western world and not only.

Some years ago, in 1992, a huge flooding occurred in the small town of Vaison la Romaine in Provence, southern France, making also several victims. The modern part of the town, close to the river Ouzere, was seriously damaged. The roman bridge that, since almost 2000 years, is crossing the river, had only limited damages, essentially the parapets.
By the way, probably the most famous roman bridge is also located in Provence, Pont du Gard.

The story of the bridge of Vaison la Romaine tells a lot about the ability of ancient Romans when building bridges.
In the city of Rome there are several ancient bridges that are still used  so demonstating how reliable was their construction technique.

Pons Fabricius

The one that has had less modifications is Ponte Fabricio (Pons Fabricius), built in 62 BC and still in its original status. It connects the east bank of the Tiber to the Tiber Island. The inscriptions celebrating Lucius Fabricius the curator of the roads that commissioned the bridge, are still perfectly visible.

On the other side of the Tiber Island, going to the west bank, there is Ponte Cestio (Pons Cestius). It was built some year after Pons Fabricius. The two side arches have buin rebuilt at the end of the XIX century when the walls on the river embenkment were constructed.
 

  Pons Cestius in the XIX century                         Pons Cestius today              

Ponte Sant'Angelo (or Pons Aelius) was bulit in 134 AD by Emperor Hadrian to connect the city center to his mausoleum. The bridge has five arches. Origninally it had three arches, the central ones, while on the two sides there were ramps. At the end of the XIX century the ramps were replaced by new arches.

Ponte Sant'angelo (Pons Aelius)

Probaly the most famous of the Roman bridges is Ponte Milvio (Pons Milvius). It was originally a wooden bridge that, in the late II century BC, was replaced by one made of stones. It was the main entrance to the city from the north side so it had a critical strategic and economic importance. In 312 AD, in the area between it and Saxa Rubra, Constantine I defeated Maxentius in the battel of the Milvian Bridge so becoming the sole emperor. That battle marked the beginning of a new era in the relations between politics and religion and its consequences are still present today.

Ponte Milvio

Because of its strategic importance Ponte Milvio has been seriously damaged several times because of war facts. Nowadays only the three central arches, that in any case have required deep maintenance, are the original ones. The tower on the north side has been built by architect Valadier in the early XiX century. 

Ponte Milvio has remained open to car traffic till 1978. Since then it is only for pedestrian use.

In the early years of this millenium Ponte Milvio has become the starting place of a ritual that, since then, has spread in other Italian and European cities. The ritual consist in placing a love padlock to a lamppost by young couples. The ritual was invented by the writer Federico Moccia in his novel "I want you". Due to the collapse of a lamppost in 2007, the placement of the padlocks has been forbidden and, in 2012. the existing padlocks have been removed. Nowadays padlocks may be found in the area around Ponte Milvio as well as in other parts of the city that are commonly visited by lovers.

The last ancient bridge is Ponte Nomentano, also located on the noth side of the city but crossing the Aniene river. The central arcj is of the late republican period. The other parts were recontructed in the VI century AD after being damaged during the invasion of the Ostrogoths led by their king Totila. The tower over the bridge was originally built in the VIII century and reconstructed in the XV century. Another main recontruction occurred in XIX centrury after that, in 1849, the French troops cutted it for a lenght of 7 meters.

Ponte Nomentano

 The strengh of the construction is reflected in the fact that, until 1997, the bridge has been used for normal car traffic. Also I crossed it almost every day by car.

Vincenzo - San Lorenzo Guest House

URBEM FECISTI

Urbem fecisti, quod prius orbis erat.

 

The articles of the series Urbem Fecisti are dedicated to the way Rome has shaped the modern world, to its modernity. It's a fact that Roman Empire is still living inside each of us in the western world and not only.

You (Rome) made one city what was once wild world

These words, written in the early V century AD by Claudius Rutilius Namatianus are likely the best ones to explain why Rome is such a unique city. 

Western and Southern Europe, Nothern Africa and Middle East are full of memories of the Roman civilization  that has shaped our way of life with a such depth that very often is even not recognized.

The influence ho Rome did not finish with the fall of the empire. 

Being the seat of the Catholic Church, Rome continues to exert a strong influence on our everyday's life.

The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Peter are only a starting point to fully understand the soul of Rome and therefore its influence is such a great part of the world.  

We wish to bring you to discover places, moments, behaviors that make Rome the most unique city among all.

Follow us  in our next posts to discover more

San Lorenzo Guest House Staff

GLI OBELISCHI DI ROMA - THE OBELISKS OF ROME

Obelisco Laterano - Lateran Obelisk

Mappa di tutti gli obelischi di Roma, egizi, copie romane e moderni

Map of all obelisks in Rome, from ancient Egypt, Roman copies and modern ones.