CAVE CANEM

WARNING: If you are uncomfortable with human remains or brothels you might want to check out a more cheerful post, like one that I'll be posting soon...


I recently went on a site visit with my Ancient Roman Civilization class to Pompeii in the Bay of Naples. I was so excited because I had been studying Pompeii beginning in 10th grade with the Cambridge Latin Course. Unfortunately, as is common in the winter here in Italia, it was raining. But I refused to let the rain get me down!

We left Roma at 7am sharp and got to Pompeii a little after 10 listening to the wrath of Jove all the way down. We entered Pompeii on the Eastern side and the first thing I saw was the amphitheater. I leterally began jumping up and down. I had studied a wall painting of this amphitheater that depicted a riot between the Pomeiians and Nucerians (like a modern football riot during FIFA - or any day in Italia) which led to Pompeii losing arena privileges for 10 years. 

Even the architecture is similarly depicted!

We saw the streets and the stepping stones to cross the streets above the waste that ran through the streets. We even used them to avoid the puddles from the rain!

Yes, my that is my professoressa's hand lecturing and my friend Sam photobombing...

But the coolest thing about Pompeii are the body casts. Pompeii is a special case for excavating ancient sites. It was abandoned and sealed in volcanic ash in one fell swoop which preserved things in such a state that wasn't known before. In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius, previously thought to be dormant, erupted spitting out chunks of hot volcanic rock and down on the seaside town on Pompeii. Along with the falling debris, the eruption released toxic gases into the air suffocating the inhabitants. The eruption was actually a slightly slower event than we imagine today. Most of the inhabitants had enough time to escape the destruction on foot leaving only 10% of the population in the city, probably slaves guarding valuables or people who thought it would all blow over. Unfortunately for them, it didn't. 
This immediate sealing of human remains preserved the bodies for a while until the porous quality of the rock allowed for the decomposition of the organic materials. When Pompeii was later being excavated by Giuseppe Fiorelli he noticed that there were air pockets in the lithified ash sometimes with bones inside them. He developed a method, now called the Fiorelli method, of pouring plaster into these spaces before they were excavated to preserve the shape inside. What he found was remarkable: human casts were made sometimes detailed enough to display facial features and garments. They show dramatic vignettes of the last moments of these peoples' lives. Some gathered together and tried to provide comfort to loved ones while others seem to have been caught running by the ash and had fallen to the ground to be subsequently covered by it. 

The Fiorelli method was also applied to other organic materials like wood. We now have plaster casts of store shutters and window and door fixtures in houses.

From inside the Villa of Mysteries
 

I also got to see the lupanar, the brothel of Pompeii. I just wrote a 16 page research paper on prostitution in Rome, so I'd rather not rehash the details... but how about some pictures! I hear they're worth a thousand words...

The stone bed in the working room of a meretrix (protsitute)

Wall paintings in the lupanar - sort of like an assortment of things one can 'order.'

We also got to see some notable pieces of art like mosaics from the House of the Faun and the infamous 'cave canem' (beware of dog) mosaic!

The moasic of Alexander the Great defeating Darius III at the Battle of Issus.

It functions as a 'welcome' mat!

We also made friends with the local wildlife - stray dogs! They were actually very well behaved and affectionate. A few even followed us around the city during our lecture. It just made me miss my boys...

Our new friend - Cerberus

But greatest of all had to have been the Villa of the Mysteries. It has a room covered in a 3rd style wall painting depicting what could be an initiation ceremony into the mystery cult of Dionysus (or Bacchus). It seems to show a single woman multiple times in different scenes: learning lines, getting dressed, being flagellated, dancing, and finally wearing a ring that she did not have before. The rites of mystery cults were very secretive, so we don't actually know if this is what happened, whether it would be painted on a wall of public view, or if it could just be a play (Dionysus was the god of wine and theater).

Scenes of the woman seated and learning lines on the left and getting dressed in the yellow on the right.

Bacchus and the flagellation.

Bacchus drunkenly reclining with his thyrsus whilst the woman is flagellated.

The woman, seated, learning the lines from the scroll held by the young girl.

Painted marble bordering the scene.

The woman wearing the ring on her left hand.

One of the things I find most interesting about the ring scene is that she wears it on her left hand where we now wear wedding rings. The tradition of wearing wedding rings on that specific finger comes from ancient Rome! They believed that there was a vein that was in that finger that led directly to the heart. It was a symbol of love and a reminder of one's commitment.

Castel Sant'Angelo and a Night at the Museums!

This past weekend I went out to Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, and the Capitoline Museums. I ended up going to Castel Sant'Angelo twice... Primarily because I adore it, but also because my friends needed a tour guide of sorts. Yes, when I end up in places that I have historical or art historical information on I turn into tour guide barbie. 

I had all of the dirt on Castel Sant'Angelo (archeology pun! don't judge me) and so I told my friends of the tumultuous history of the place. It was originally built as the mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian, who was one of the 'Good Emperors' and held his ashes and the ashes of his wife. But it was sacked by the Visigoths in the 410 and the cremation urns were smashed and the ashes scattered. 

After a long period of disuse and having its marble used in other building projects the now stripped down mausoleum would be put back into use by Pope Nicholas III. He turned it into a fortress for his Holiness to use during times of trouble. It received it's name from a sculpture of the archangel Michael by Rafaello da Montelupo - which was later replaced by the one that now stands atop the keep by Peter Anton ver Verschaffelt. Pope Nicholas also built il Passetto di Borgo - a secret passageway leading directly from Castel Sant'Angelo to the papal palace within the Vatican walls. Castel Sant'Angelo was a favorite of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo) Borgia in the 15th century. I am fascinated by the Borgias. If you have any free time and a love for history and scheming watch Showtime's The Borgias. It's wonderful and Jeffery Irons plays Pope Alexander VI. 

The castle also functioned as a prison for the papal state. From the upper levels one could see how it was utilized as the Pope's lavish escape from prying eyes - especially when he was having a tryst with Julia Farnese. But as you go lower you can see that it really served more militaristic purposes. There are murder holes everywhere, turrets for the cannon (which at the time were a new weapon in europe), and ballistae. In a time when Italy was not united and France was marching through the country to take its 'rightful' claim over the Kingdom of Naples after having sacked a few cities on its way down and the fanatic Savonarola was leading a religious and social movement banning displays of wealth and having a Bonfire of the Vanities (which burnt some amazing Florentine paintings of the Renaissance) Rome needed to be able to defend itself - or at least the Pope. It definitely served its purpose.

Later on the Ponte Sant'Angelo (the bridge that leads to the castle) was decorated with angels designed by Bernini. Two of them are said to have been sculpted only by his hands, but unfortunately we don't know which two. These angels are magnificently beautiful and provide a divine experience for any walking towards the castle.

Alright, here is where I confess to being a huge nerd... So I got hooked on Assassin's Creed II when I saw my younger brother playing it. I had never realized that it took place in Renaissance Italy, and even the cities were laid out exactly like they are in real life. I could find my way around cities I had previously visited easily. And then you get to interact with famous historical figures, for example Leonardo da Vinci is your buddy who occasionally hooks you up with his 'inventions' like hidden handguns and nifty gliders. I just really appreciate the fact that there are people out there who are stealthily educating the children of the video game era. You meet Borgias, Medicis, and even Machiavelli. Plus, the free-running mode is insane - it allows you to scale buildings and leap rooftops like a renaissance spiderman. So, as I'm walking around Castel Sant'Angelo for the first time I am having an incredible moment of dejá vu. I know where I am.... I've been here before... I've scaled these walls... I tried to assassinate Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia here... Wait. What? Oh yeah, not real life. Just a ridiculously architecturally accurate game. 

So instead of forcing more historical knowledge on you than you ever wanted, I will instead post photos with small captions for your sanity and mine.

A model of Hadrian's mausoleum.

Destruction wrought by time.

A bust of the Emperor Hadrian.

A defaced bust... but I swear it's Voldemort.

Me and Stephanie on the Ponte Sant'Angelo.

Loggia of Pope Julius II over inscription by Pope Alexander VI.

Ponte San'tAngelo

Saint Michael the Archangel by Verschaffelt

Climbing up inside the castle.

An area of original flooring.

Inside the walls.

A courtyard  with the original statue of St. Michael the Archangel

Beautiful view of my favorite city.

Ponte Sant'Angelo

Atop the walls

The lavish upper apartments.

The park below.

There's even a café

Guard supply room.

Really high up murder hole.

Ballista

Roma!

The view of St. Peter's from the Castel

Me with a killer view of Rome.

The next night Rome had a bunch of museums open for free between 7pm and 2 am. If that's not my dream come true I don't know what is. The best part is that only the locals seemed to get the message - my professor told us about it - and there weren't a lot of tourists. It was no refreshing. So I went to the Capitoline Museums and had the time of my life. You couldn't take pictures inside, but it was incredible. If you get the chance, GO! 

I saw the equine statue of Marcus Aurelius. This statue was mistaken for emperor Constantine - who converted to Christianity on his deathbed and legalized it in 313 with the Edict of Milan- so it was preserved as a person of value to the Christians, unlike most other bronze statues of the time which were melted down for ammo. Later, thanks to Roman realistic portraiture, it was discovered to actually be a statue of emperor Marcus Aurelius, who was one of Rome's good emperors (he was the dying emperor in the Russell Crowe Gladiator film who was succeeded by his jerk son Commodus). This statue used to be in front of the Lateran Palace - the Pope's palace before 1420 - until it was moved to the center of the Capitoline Hill in the area designed by Michelangelo. Now it is replaced by a copy and the original is inside the museum to protect it from the elements. 

Capitoline Hill. Packed with Italians.

Equine statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.