Daily Updates
Week Six: Oct. 28
28 October. Matt reporting: We assembled at the decadent hour of 9am to climb, perchance to study, the Palatine hill. Our ascent was stopped short by a force that, unfortunately, was not present to stall the onslaught of barbarian invaders throughout the centuries – a broken ticket machine and a steadfast Italian public employee. I would like to think she could have stayed the hungry hordes, just as she stubbornly refused us entry, chastised a French man for blocking the stairs, and shook her head at Brian for throwing a frisbee over the fence into the forum. We finally achieved the summit, where Cordelia lectured and gave us a tour of the palace of the emperor Domitian. She struck quite a figure against the overcast sky and ruinous display of man’s silly arrogance, and many agreed she spoke with both eloquence and a certain regality befitting the subject. After a casual lunch (I hesitate to use again the word ‘decadent’) we met, as the rains began, in front of the Colosseum. Part of me wants to believe that the Colosseum is the most famous Roman monument because of its size, grandeur, and remarkable history…but I am becoming more and more certain that people are fascinated with that place because of its gruesome past. Before I digress on human nature, let me sally forth on our day’s experiences. Professor Ulrich’s soft side (inside, he’s a big softy) led our lecture indoors, and we were given ample time to explore the amphitheater ourselves. We had no idea that such a great collection of statuary was found on the inside. Note: if your child has not yet had his or her picture taken with one of the men dressed as gladiators standing around outside, guilt them into it.
28 October. Model of wattle and daub huts from the Palatine Hill
28 October. Close up of wattle and daub hut
28 October. Sacred altar to unknown divinity found on Palatine Hill
28 October. Fresco fragment of Apollo sitting on the omphalos, the bellybutton of the world
28 October. Corinthian capital
28 October. Well.... what do you think it is?
28 October. Terracotta revetment from the precinct of the Temple of Apollo
28 October. Fresco fragments from Nero's Domus Transitoria
28 October. Fresco fragments from Nero's Domus Transitoria
28 October. Head of young girl
28 October. Portrait bust of Nero
28 October. Portrait bust of Nero
28 October. Opus sectile from Nero's Domus Transitoria
28 October. Portrait bust of Marcus Aurelius
28 October. A statue of Venus
28 October. A dancer
28 October. A dancer
28 October. A terracotta revetment for a column
28 October. The group listens attentively to Cordelia's presentation on the Palatine Hill
28 October. Cordelia presents Domitian's Palace on the Palatine Hill
28 October. Listening to the Colosseum lecture in the rain
28 October. The Colosseum
28 October. Across the tattered umbrellas and drizzle, a lone scholar refuses to be defeated
28 October. The group, a bit soggy, but generally with little to complain about
28 October. The interior of the Colosseum
28 October. The Colosseum
28 October. The Colosseum
28 October. A rainbow shines over the Colosseum