Ancient Rome Refocused

I noticed that someone dropped in on my blog site after googling the following: Funny skits about the Roman Empire.  One place to go to if you are looking for such entertainment is the 70s TV show: UP POMPEII.  No,  you would not find this on commercial American television, for it was far too bawdy, but it was right in keeping with the tradition of ancient Roman theater.   Believe it or not, it used to be on American Public Television usually running late at night.  It was a good show starring Frankie Howerd (correct spelling).  He played the part of Lurcio (prononced LURK-IO).  Now what you got to remember many Roman names had meanings, so a common joke is to give characters names that reflect their character.  “A slave that lurks…thus LURK-IO” get it?  He is owned by a master named Ludicrus Sextus (I suppose having sex with him would be ludicrous?) and a daughter named Erotica (who can’t get enough?).  And you can’t forget the son Nausius (another way to say nauscious?) who is in a continual state of virginity.  I think by now you caught on.  If you wonder what kind of show it was, it was probably right in line with the tradition of Roman Comedy.  There were lots of double entendres and many risque gags.   What influenced this show were the plays of Plautus for one thing, and during the 70s there was a hit broadway musical and film: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM. 

Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254-184 B.C.) Writer of comedy, wrote bawdy and swift moving plots.  His plays were vulgar in the attempt to appeal to the uneducated classes.  Shakespeare borrowed his plot from the play THE TWIN BROTHERS for his comedy A COMEDY OF ERRORS.   The 70s stage musical and movie A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM was also based on his works.  

Up Pompeii was made into a movie.  Below is the opening credits.  It is not high brow stuff, but why would you want your comedy to be high brow when you can  have scantily clad women, and off color jokes.  If  you don’t approve of such things, that’s OK!  The action of the TV show all took place in a town that would meet its fate soon enough at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.   Divine justice, right?

Thanks to Art for sharing this article.  The comments in red are mine.

June 7, 2010
National Public Radio web site:

Ancient skeletons excavated under the city of York in northern England have archaeologists wondering whether they’ve discovered a well-preserved cemetery full of fallen Roman gladiators. The first of the skeletons was discovered in 2003, and since then, more than 80 have been identified.

Note*  I think I have heard about this report before,  except when I heard it  they were identified as Soldiers. I am a little surprized they are  now saying it was gladiators.    To execute 80 gladitors at once seems to me excessive and extremely costly, but to execute 80 Soldiers that were captured in war is something else.   

The remains date between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the period during which the Romans occupied northern England. The skeletons had been decapitated — and that was a key reason researchers thought they had been gladiators, says John Walker, chief executive of the York Archaeological Trust, which conducted the research.

Two other clues that they could be gladiators: One arm is generally bigger than the other, and the bones overall are heftier than usual.

Note*  Again…why does it have to be gladiators?  Twenty five years in the legions, and you tell me how your arm would look? 

“They were big men for the time — 5-foot-7, 5-foot-8 — two inches bigger than average. They were heavy guys — about 170, 175 pounds, which was big for them — and very muscular,” Walker tells NPR’s Melissa Block. “So then we had all these big sturdy guys, all of whom had been decapitated.”

Walker says a muscular person’s bones will be different from those with a slight build.

“A very slightly built person will have very smooth bones with no real ridges,” Walker says. “Somebody who’s very muscular, the bone is actually quite different — you get these ridges that develop on them.”

In addition, Walker says, some of the skeletons had been hit on the head with a hammer before being decapitated.

“That has always been suspected as a thing that happens to some gladiators. They get hit on the head first to render them unconscious,” Walker says.

Note*   A common foot Soldier though smaller in stature than most people today, would still be quite muscular considering you are able to march 25 miles a day and carry 75 pounds on your back.  Because they were big does not convince me that they had to be gladiators.  I am not disputing the use of the hammer but, “to render them unconscious” was not the purpose of using a hammer on the back of the head.  The purpose is to kill them.  Yes, it’s true…the hammer was applied to dispatch badly wounded gladators, and to make sure they were not faking their wounds.   I just don’t think that its use proves their identify.  

What’s more, there is evidence of large animal teeth marks in some bones, suggesting lion or tiger bites.

Now, some theories about these skeletons don’t involve gladiators.

For example, Walker says, these men might have been prisoners. But where that theory falls apart is the animal bites. “Normally we’d expect those kinds of executions to really be quite straightforward, quite clean, no exposure to animals or anything else,” Walker says. “They’re a military discipline thing, not a spectacle.”

Note * Why not prisoners?  Why not Soldiers that were captured in one of the many revolts that took place in BRITAIN.  The excuse that because they had animal bites they had to be gladiators doesn’t hold water for me because we don’t know what kind of executions the indigenious British Culture would have found acceptable.  Anyway, the Romans were  quite fond of throwing people to animals for entertainment.   Why wouldn’t the early Briton’s like a good bestarii show of their own.  No one was ever thrown to the wolves or a bear in England before?

There is other evidence that gladiators may have fought in northern England during the Roman Empire.

“There is an arena we believe somewhere in York, but we haven’t found it,” Walker says. “What we do have is a couple of stone inscriptions from about a half-mile away that by the way they’re phrased suggest possible gladiatorial links. We also have a drawing from a tomb; carved into the stonework of the tomb is a gladiator as well.”

On June 14, the researchers will launch a Web site with the basic evidence so the public can vote. The vote is a good way of introducing people to the problems of archaeology, Walker says.

Note* If they are launching a website so that the public can vote, tells me that the researchers are not entirely sure themselves.

“All our statements are a balance of probabilities. The past always remains an unknown thing,” Walker says. “But I like to think that after 40 years of digging holes, maybe my guess is slightly better than the average, but not a lot.”

Note* The last quote is a very true statement, and I applaud the guy for it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127542467

Time Travel Survey Report

 Subject: Review of Statistics and possible conclusions.

 Background: The data in this survey was inspired from the podcast: Time Travel is Easy, Time Travel is Hard.  On the blog site a survey was placed asking respondents to answer twelve questions on the premise that they were being recruited to travel back to 51 B.C. for a period of two years.  The information gathered was to test psychological and motivation for survival in this period. 

Due to low survey numbers the results in this report are open to wide interpretation.  The readers of this post are encouraged to give their opinion in the comments box provided (shape of a thought balloon at the top of the post).

Question 1.

Are you willing to risk your life by traveling to 51 B.C.?

Yes: 25 votes

No:  15 votes

Total: 40

Analysis:  We have no shortage of volunteers for this mission.  There are many brave people out there who would gladly face the unknown.  After all, exploring is in man’s nature, and what greater adventure other than exploring new worlds is this opportunity?  Wait…in a way this IS EXPLORING A NEW WORLD.  I am guessing most people are willing to say yes, for a variety of motives.  This we did not explore in the survey.   Question.  Would our numbers have changed if time travel was a certainty like the certainty of using a car?        

Question 2.

What kind of weapon are you skilled with?

Short sword and shield:  2 votes.

Long sword:                         5 votes

Dagger:                                   8 votes

Spear:                                      1 vote

Bow and Arrow:                 7 votes

Sling:                                      2 votes

Hand to Hand:                    9 votes.

 Total: 34

 Analysis: This question is flawed.  I should have had a box that asked, “NO WEAPON SKILLs.’  I wonder if the answers are more “What I would like to use”  than actual skill.  Yet, Hand to Hand and the Bow and Arrow are two skills still in vogue today.  Many people use archery as a sport, hobby, (including hunting), and the over all popularity of Karate, Judo and other forms are self-defense can be seen in almost every city.  Hand to hand is required training in most military and police occupations.  I have no reason to doubt the results.  The numbers gathered on the use of Short sword and shield and long sword I am not so sure of, unless there are a few members of the Anachronistic Society taking this survey.  These are folk skilled in such weaponry, and can be see at exhibitions bashing each other over the head, which takes considerable skill and fortitude and to me is keeping history alive through weaponry.   The numbers on the dagger surprised me, but this too I can understand for it is easily concealable, and knife collecting is still a pastime. But the sling is the most surprising to me.  There are people that have practiced with a sling?  Those of you that checked this box please tell me about it?  Is there an Olympic Division in this sport?  

 Question 3. 

 Do you faint at the sight of blood?

 Yes: 1 vote.

No:  37 votes

Total 38

Analysis: I judge the validity of the results to this question to be high. 

Question 4.

What skills do you have that would make money in a pre-electronic age?

Baker:             4 votes

Bricklayer:   6 votes

Surgeon:       3 votes

Soothsayer:   10 votes  

Analysis:  This question may be slightly flawed in that I should have opened it up to other inputs.  However, many people are quite capable of baking bread and doing bricklaying.  Bricklaying had the second highest score and I am assuming that there are many people that have tried their hand, or they have manual skills that are quite capable of handling such a task.  Surgeon surprised me at a score of 3.  I have to think we have either had 3 doctors who read my blog, or 3 people that fully realize that any medical knowledge from the modern era would be a vast improvement of what they knew then.  A nurse practitioner could set up a very nice practice in 51 B.C. or even a guy with a book titled: The American Red Cross First Aid and Safety Book.    And as for Soothsayer coming in with a score of 10 tells me that I have some very smart people taking the survey.  In truth, being from the future YOU ARE A SOOTHSAYER.  This is a very easy job, and would be the most effective if your clients included Caesar, Pompey, Antony, or Octavian.  Soothsaying was big at that time, but a warning.  Your knowledge of the future would be limited to large events, and people that made the history books of the time, but you have NO knowledge of let’s say…Sismosis of Tarsus (this is no one special, I just made the name up) who is visiting Rome.  He is lost to history, and your predictions would have as much credence as any other horoscope reading today.  Wait…that isn’t so bad considering many of them make a very good living at it.

Question 5.

What ancient language do you speak?

Latin:                  7 votes

Greek:                 4 votes

Persian:              1 vote

No ancient Language:    20 votes

 Total votes: 31

 Analysis:  I judge the validity of the results to this question to be high.  The score of 20 on No ancient Language increases my confidence of the results.   People are basically honest.  Latin at the second highest score of 7 is not surprising as it is used in the sciences, classical historians, and the Catholic Church.   And even Ancient Greek is studied today, and I know of a person that took classes where they translated the Illiad from the original Greek to English.  Latin would be a good first choice, with Greek as a good follow up for it was considered a mark of a good education.  Persian?  Maybe I should have added the following choices: Aramaic? Balkan?  Anatolian? Indo-Iranian?   The question is how many people would have understood these languages in Rome, but I am happy to note that we had a reader who studies it.    

 Question 6

 Do you wear corrective lenses?

 Yes:                     12 votes

No:                       21 votes

Contact lens:   3 votes

 Total 36

 Analysis:   I judge the validity of the results to this question to be high, but the reader may question why this question was asked at all.  What difference does it make?  Well, if you are going back into time, corrective lenses are something that would make you stand out, and that is something you don’t want to have happen.  Glasses were invented just a few hundred years ago, and at one time were considered to be high technology.  If you decide to take the trip back to 51 B.C. your vision better be pretty good.   You want to see the dangers coming at you so you can decide if its time fight or run!

 Question 7.

 You meet Julius Caesar.  In conversation he says that his ancestor is the Goddess Venus.  You do the following.

 Laugh in his face: 1 vote

Ask to sacrifice in his name at the closest temple: 23 votes

 Analysis:  I have a hard time believing that the person who answered “Laugh in his face” took the survey seriously.  If you want a death wish, go ahead…laugh in his face.  Caesar killed thousands in the pursuit of power, what do you think he would do to you if you insulted his ancestry AND his dignatus? Saying that he is the ancestor of Venus, is NOT A JOKE.  He actually believed it, or was determined for others to believe it for it added to his prestige. I am again gratified at the intelligence of the survey takers in that the majority recognized the context of the conversation and answered “Ask to sacrifice” as important to their survival.  Good job.

 Question 8.

 Have you ever been in a fight where your life was at stake?

 Yes: 9 votes

No:  29 votes

 38 Total.

 Analysis:  I judge the validity of the results to this question to be high.  Now, why should I ask this question at all?  Send a time traveler back you better have someone used to the possibility of danger.  Law enforcement began at home.  Weapons were kept for hunting and protection.  In the times we live in now, it is VERY possible that the 9 who answered YES may have indeed fought for their lives in any number of circumstances.  It all depended if they live in a very rough neighborhood (the surbura and certain parts of LA could be compared very easily) or are now members of the armed forces that are now “fighting for their lives” in actually battle.  If my survey was truly accurate and scientific we would need additional information on those that answered yes.

 Question 9.

 You have been given an invitation to a gladiatorial game.  Accepting this invitation no doubt you will watch men being slaughtered in combat, or men killed and eaten by wild animals.  This person offering the ticket could make your life very pleasant if you accept.  What do you do?

 Say no. It would be horrible:              2 votes

Pretend to watch, but keep my eyes down:   7 votes

Make an excuse at the last minute:         4 votes

Are you kidding?  It would be great!:      23 votes    

 Analysis:  This one worried me.  More said they would be happy to attend a gladiatorial game.  Ouch.  On the other hand if you were one of the individuals that said ‘yes’ to taking in the gladiatorial game with gusto you would have been put at the top of the selection list.  In this situation ‘fitting in’ is the most important thing.  But I warn you, to those of you that think you would not be affected by witnessing the games, read the writings of Saint Augustine.  He tells the tale of his friend Alphius.  The law student was dragged to the game when he boasted that he would turn his eyes away from the carnage, but when his determination was tested by his ‘friends’ he became totally trapped by it.  Afterwards, he attended the game on his own, and took others to view it.  He began to love it.  Those of you that said that you would “Pretend to watch” which was 7 of you, remember that is what Alphius tried to do and FAILED. 

 Question 10.

 It is 51 B.C.  You have been given the choice of throwing in your lot with Julius Caesar, Pompey, or Marc Antony.  Which faction do you join?

 Caesar:   23 votes

Pompey:  2 votes

Antony:  8 votes     

 Analysis:  This was a test for the respondent to grade their awareness of history, and situational awareness.  Most of those surveyed passed the test.  Respondents answered 23 for Caesar and 8 for Antony.  Caesar was dominate during this time period, and the 8 that picked Antony is not a bad answer either since he was Caesar’s right hand man.  Those who picked Pompey might have a problem.  Your armies will be defeated, and you will be on the run.   Of course, if you knew that Pompey eventually gets defeated and you were trying to change history, then that is another post for another blog.

 Question 11.

 A friend of your believes in the God Mithras.  He wants you to join him/her in a ritual where each of you will shower in the blood of a slaughtered bull to wash away your sins and bring forth vast powers in your spirit.  You need this person’s friendship to survive the next two years in relative comfort.  What do you do?

 Turn them down politely: 3 votes

Tell him/her that you belong to a special sect of Apollo that forbids you from taking part: 3 votes

Look at him/her like they are crazy and walk away: 3 votes

Take the show in the bulls blood and like it: 27 votes<

 Analysis: When in Rome, do what the Roman’s do. Those that answered “take the shower” are more likely to survive.  The majority of respondents understood what was at stake.  In ancient Rome FRIENDS are the most important thing one can have.  I predict if you are flexible enough to bath in bull’s blood, you are flexible enough to do anything to survive.       

 Question 12.

 How much money would it take for you to consider taking the trip to 51 B.C.?

 Do it for nothing: 6

 One person said, “In it for the adventure.”

 One Hundred dollars:    1

Five hundred dollars:     1

One thousand dollars:   1

Five thousand dollars:   1

One Hundred Thousand:   1

One million:                           1

Three million:                       1

Five million:                         5 

10 million:                             1

 Assorted sums in Yen and Euro

 One person said, “Twenty Thousand gold coins.” (Note* I like how this person thinks.)

 Analysis:  Those that said they would do it for the adventure tells me the allure of the past is strong.  Imagine coming back and writing your book.  What would you call it? 

 Suggested Title: Real Time in Ancient Rome. 

 It would be on the best seller list for years.

 Many of you indicated that a payment was necessary.  I can understand this.   There should be an award for risking your life.  Why not?  

 End of Survey.

 COMMENTS ARE ENCOURAGED.   

My wife bought me a gift, in honor of conducted an interview the author Steven Saylor.  To my surprize Saylor and I  both had the same REMCO Galley ship toy when we were both kids.  Check out my podcast (Episode 4) of ANCIENT ROME REFOCUSED,  and my earlier post here on the blog titled: “Sail on the Wine Blue Sea” to see a photo of the original toy from the 60s.   My wife got me the PlayMobil Roman Galley, making it clear that it was for 5 to 8 year-olds…so it would be perfect for me.  HA!

It now sits on my book shelf as a  reminder of my old one, and a place for my imagination as I work on another episode for the podcast.   I have christened her: THE SEA CHASER.

 Unfortunately, the crew ran into the sea monster Charybdis.

Charybdis (aka Sherlock) attacks! The crew made a valiant effort to fight the sea monster off. Those of you that have a hard time with carnage, please look away.

The crew noticed it had an unnatural desire for the rigging of the ship.   It seemed determined to pull the rigging off the ship and chew on it.  Horrors! 

By the Gods...LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THOSE TEETH!

Burp! Sorry.

Oh great Jupiter!  Save us from this hairy beast. Soon the creature calmed down and looked up from the carnage and said: “Send me more Romans!  For I am hungry.” 

Fortunately, a salmon treat satisfied his blood lust.   Thank you God Neptune!  (Director’s Note*  No cat was hurt in the making of this post to Ancient Rome Refocused).

Title: "Save Me a Seat at the Triumph, and Let's Throw a Cabbage at the Gaul."

A study of the Roman Triumph, its purpose and modern equivalents. The episode starts with a reading from Steven Saylor's book 'The Triumph of Caesar' and includes an interview with the author.

MP3 File

Episode 4 is titled:

“Save Me a Seat at the Triumph, and Let’s Throw a Cabbage at the Gaul.”  

This relief is on the Arch of Titus: obviously spoils from the sack of Jerusalem.

 In this episode we will explore the Roman Triumph.  The podcast starts with a reading of Steven Saylor’s book The Triumph of Caesar, then looks into the modern equivalents of this ancient ritual.    Mr. Saylor  interviewed on the show talks about the religious implications of the triumph, the Romans, and various books and histories that influenced  his writing and career.

I have been noticing that many people have come to Ancient Rome Refocused looking for answers to questions.    Some questions I will attempt to answer, but I do not claim to know everything.  I depend on the readers to put their two cents into the conversation.  Please click on comments (the thought balloon at the top of the post) and join me in answering what the person wanted to know.  If I fail not taking it far enough, please expand on what I write.

In my opinion…all questions are fair. 

So let’s help each other out.

Question 1:  If we went back to ancient Rome would they understand English?

Answer: 

No.  

English did not exist. 

English in fact is fairly new.  In fact, I am quite sure that if we go back a few hundred years, the pronounciation of English words would be quite hard to understand to us today.  If we went back even further, it would be incomprehensible.  Though English is based on Latin roots, we have a whole lot built on German, French, and just recently Spanish words building on top of that latin foundation.  Hamish Gregor corrected me on this.  See his comments included with this post.  He is right, English has its roots based on Germanic languages.   We do have various Latin words mixed in, AND French, AND assorted others.   Thx Hamish for the insight.   

I might suggest that your question should be restated:

Restated Question 1:  If we went back to Ancient Rome COULD WE UNDERSTAND LATIN?

Now that is a question. 

I am pretty sure it would be possible, but not without intense study.  As I said in my podcast, drop  a Catholic priest or a classical scholar through our time portal just a block from the ancient Roman Forum, and I doubt that even they would understand the Latin being spoken — at least not right away.    There was a high Latin and a low Latin of the streets.   Just as there was the Cockney dialect and Oxford English. 

My hypothesis comes from an English COED that was attending my high school back in the 70s.  She was speaking English…no doubt about it…and she had to repeat the same sentence over and over to me so that I could understand her.  I finally had to tell her that I did not understand.  I did not want to hurt her feelings, but I really couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.

So a couple of hundred years, and an ocean caused a communciation problem, what would a couple of thousand years have done?

Any of our Latin scholars care to expand on this?

Who is guy?  Looks friendly doesn’t he?  He kind of looks like nice Uncle Fred who gets invited over to Thanksgiving dinner.  He might even look like an old boyfriend or a husband. 

Anyone care to make a post in comments and give me his name?  This guy commanded armies and was told to rid the Mare Nostrum [our sea] of pirates. 

He did it too.

Can we really tell the history of a person by just looking at their face?   Did you know he was considered quite handsome when he was younger?  At one time he was compared to Alexander the Great. 

His men called him at one time the adulescens carnifex.[adolescent butcher]   He was nothing but a shrewd politician and at one time an equal to Julius Ceasar.

There is something else.  Why would showing a head shot like this be very, very pertinent to this person?

Any takers?

In Episode One of Ancient Rome Refocused I promised to conduct interviews with people who are keeping history alive.  Well, I have kept my promise. 

Mr. Steven Saylor

EPISODE FOUR OF ANCIENT ROME REFOCUSED:  I just conducted an interview with Mr. Steven Saylor the author of the Roma Sub Rosa Historical mystery series starring Gordianus the finder.   Mr. Saylor talks about his latest book, The Triumph of Ceasar and provides the listeners with a stirring discussion on how he sees the ancient people of Rome, their religious views of the world and how it fits into the practice of the Triumph, and writers that influenced his career.    

Mr. Bryan Doerries

EPISODE FIVE OF ANCIENT ROME REFOCUSED:  If we talk about the Romans we have to talk about Greeks.  I was fortunate to be in the audience for a reading of the play AJAX written by the ancient Greek general and playwrite Sophocles.  It was performed by the New York based THEATER OF WAR headed by  Mr. Bryan Doerries, translator and director.  This play is on tour performing for veterans who are learning that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been around for thousands of  years and plagued the ancient heroes of mythology.

I’m an idiot. 

OK. 

I admit it. 

I visited the Forum and did not take any photographs.  Anyway, I have to admit I entered the Forum a bit emotional.  I had read about it all my life and now I was walking into the center of the  empire. 

Wow, double wow.  

It was a  bright sunny day, and the tourists were out in force.   I only had a few days in Rome,  where my wife met me there after a business trip I took to Germany.  Why a few days?  Why didn’t we spend two weeks?  Want me to say I’m an idiot again?

In Rome we stayed in the Rose Garden Palace Hotel, just a few blocks from Borghesi Park.  We should have taken the Metro to the Forum, but I looked at the map and decided that we could walk to the forum.  Big mistake.   I am originally from Chicago.  All the streets are in a grid system.  Chicago is great for directions.  Get lost in one part of town, and you could be ten miles North and know what street to take to get you back to your original spot.  But venturing out from that city, I discovered that everything is not in a grid – especially Roma, Italy.  We walked and got lost on side streets that always seemed to angle off in a different direction than we expected.  We stopped at one intersection and (this is the truth…I swear)  there were tourists on every corner consulting their maps and pointing up at street signs.  It was really kind of funny, especially when we found out that we could have easily taken a metro train to get there and would  have dropped us off just across the street.   

Yes, Rome is ultra modern.  But any modern city is a reflection of what has come before.  I am sure that many streets still meander much as they did a thousand years before.    

The ‘great explorer’ (me) was determined to do it on foot.  

We wandered through street after street and got lost.  We finally came to one corner, and my wife decided to ask a cafe owner.  I was slightly ahead of her, and as soon as I looked to the right…there was the collossium.  I can’t quite explain the feeling I had.  Basically I was overwhelmed.  At the end of the street I could only see a small portion of it, as much as the two side of the street would allow me to, but I knew instantly what it was.  I turned to tell my wife but she had already asked for directions from an owner of a small cafe, and by the way he stretched out his arm to the sky showed he was slightly irritated by the question for he knew that he was drawfed by the collossium that was just down the street.   In fact you could say it was in his backyard, and he more than likely got asked that question by hundreds of ‘out-of-towners.’ 

His answer except it was in Italian was kind of…”What za matter…can’t you see it?  It’s hanging right over us.”

We walked down the street in its direction, tall apartments on our left and right on a small street barely bigger than the width of a car.  I could hear voices.  Looking up voices from the second and third floors echoed down.  Kids laughing, mothers asking what Dad wanted for dinner, a voice of a workman, pounding of a hammer met our ears…you know…life.    This is what have must have been then as well, in ancient Rome, as you walked through the tenements of that ancient city.  Voices echoing down from the second and third floors.  Kids laughing, Mater asking Pater want he wants for dinner, a voice of a workman, pounding of a hammer…voices coming out from the windows, the doorways…you know…even then life goes on.  

Things change…yet they don’t.

 I went to Rome not to see the modern city, nor the medieval one at that.  I wanted to see something of Ancient Rome, to get a feeling of the past by walking the same ground.  Is this really possible?  Can one really experience the sights and sounds of a city that is now only memory and ruins?

I take that back…its not even in memory. There are no living people to speak of it.  Everyone is dead – long dead.  Everyone associated with it is gone off the face of the Earth.

You might as well say you want to talk to a person who lived in New York in 1880. 

It — just — can’t — be — done.

What we know of Rome is recorded in snippets of stone and paper…pieces of jig-saw puzzle that can only be put together through archeology.   

What is left of Ancient Rome NOW is covered by a modern metropolis that has changed and grown like a living organism.  Everything they attempt to build something new they find something of the past — car parks and underground rails have discovered temple, palaces, and burial sites.  There is a warehouse storing opera costumes that sits on top of a temple to Mithas (the bull god), and a bookstore that if you take the back steps down into a basement, you descend into a city street of a tiled road, walls, doors and windows — all underground — a city underneath a city.

Rome is like a layer cake.

On the surface, you have to imagine what the ancient city looked like.  You have to look thorugh the medieval, renaissance, and 19th, 19th and 20th century influences.  Occasionally if you walk through the city,  spots are uncovered, holes in the ground to show the past.  

Look into a hole and there is a temple.  Cool.

History beneath your feet!

Like the Forum by the way.

I have to be honest with you, the Forum was hard for me.  Today it is like a bombed out building, stripped laid bare, and a skeleton of what every glory it had.  This was the city hub, the central place where Roman Civilization was built around it.  At this spot you have the remants of temples to Castor and Pollux, Saturn, Vesta, Antonius and Faustina and many others.  There is the Rostra where politicians made speeches, the Umbilicus Urbi (the designated center of the republic and center of the empire).  The processional street called the Via Sacra is there, and a sacred pool venerated by the Romans and its reason for veneration forgotton over time.  Frankly, any source of fresh water at that time would have been venerated — don’t you think?

 Frankly looking at the Forum today does not tell you what it looked like in its glory.  It does not tell you what it looked like during the republic or the empire.  Steps are missing, marble facing has long disappeared to be stolen for the buildings of other centuries. 

The Forum is like looking at an old man and trying to imagine him in his youth.  

Am I telling you not to visit?  NO!

Read Ben Hur once in your life and VISIT ROME!

My suggestion is when your there…hire a guide.  Don’t worry about the cost.  It it worth it and I strongly suggest you invest the money.   Did I do it?  No. I wish I did, but I did listen over the shoulder of many guides as they talked to their customers. 

I know…a big cheapskate.

I listened to one guide who stood in front of the Arch of Septimius Severus in celebration of the emperor’s triumph over the Parthians and the Osroeni in 195 CE and 197CE.  “It’s propaganda you know,” he said pointing out the prisoners in chains on the relief.  “It’s to make the people of Rome to feel better, to feel safe and secure.  Kind of like what your George Bush does in showing pictures of prisoners that your army captures.”

I stopped by another guide.  He is an older fellow, if anything a history professor in Rome taking his friends through the Forum.  They stand over a hole in the ground where two graduate students sift through the dirt.  To my understanding the Forum is revealing new finds all the time. 

“You Americans think of history from left to right,” the man said.  “You have lots of space to think in terms of left to right.  We Europeans have no space, no prairie, no plains.  Our history must be up and down — we are older so we must go down to find our history.”

 And you do walk down.  When you walk into the Forum you enter a depression in the ground.  Modern Rome sits above you.  At one time it was covered in debris, in the past this was nothing but a cow pasture.  Every step  you take down the ramp is a step back into time.  Those answers…those additional answers to the past archeologists have to dig deeper.  Remember I said that Rome is a layer cake? 

It is.

I did  make one hypothesis while I was there.  Just one.  I wish I could share with you more than that.  It was something I noticed.  As I stood close to the location to the Temple of the Vestal Virgins I could see the collossium.  In fact it is in walking distance.  It was not that far from the Senate building where the laws were made, and the emperors sat, and I could imagine that when the wind was good, and the conditions right, 50, 000 voices shouting in their blood lust could be heard through the windows.  

I wonder what laws were passed based on that sound.

(Note* Anybody got any stories they like to share?  Either write it in comments or tell me of your travels by email.)