Daily Updates
Week Seven: Nov. 3
03 November. Joanna reporting: Today, our group learned what our legs were made of. We began our day at 9 AM with Myung-Hee’s presentation on the Pantheon. One would enter the structure expecting a normal rectangular temple, but instead we entered into a structure that held the record until 1958 for the largest space covered by a dome. Its interior was a testament to Rome’s greatness, still with its yellow, green, and dark red marbles. From the Pantheon, we headed to the remains of the Temple to the Deified Hadrain, which now houses Rome’s stock exchange. Then, we jumped on the metro to visit the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome’s own “duomo” or major cathedral. The basilica, a product of the Renaissance, was once the site of the first Christian basilica in Rome built by Constantine. The basilica that stands there now has an exterior that harkens back to classical themes, with huge Corinthian columns and engaged pilastres. The interior was stunning, with a dome reveted in gold leaf glass mosiacs. From the basilica, we travelled along the ancient fortified walls built by Aurelian in the third century B.C. and took some time to examine the Porta Maggiore, first built by Claudius as an entrance for two major aqueducts, and now the only way out of Rome heading east, as the loud traffic testified. We finished our morning at the old Temple to Minerva Medica, a beautiful domed structure, now unfortunately surrounded by trains and hidden by modern buildings. After a two hour lunch period, we ended our day at the incredible remains of the Basilica of Maxentius, finished by Constantine. Fortunately, enough survives of the walls and vaults so that one may imagine how grand a structure it would have been. Peter gave his presentation on the basilica, and he was able to give us an idea of the incredible grandeur of the space, with huge barrel and cross vaults. Here we ended the day, and probably most of us will reward ourselves with gelato tonight for all the trekking around Rome we accomplished today.
03 November. Myung-Hee presents the Pantheon
03 November. Walking around the Pantheon
03 November. Romans love their motorini
03 November. Remnants of the Baths of Neptune attached to the back of the Pantheon
03 November. Taking notes in front of the Pantheon
03 November. The facade of the Pantheon
03 November. The dome with its 'oculus' at the center
03 November. The dome
03 November. The dome
03 November. Myung-Hee
03 November. Peter
03 November. Brian, Sarah, Maya and Courtney
03 November. The north side of the Temple of the Deified Hadrian
03 November. Columns from the Temple projecting from a modern day building
03 November. Frieze and cornice level from the Temple of the Deified Hadrian
03 November. A model of the Temple and portico
03 November. A plaque marks the site of a Roman aqueduct
03 November. The aqueduct
03 November. San Giovanni in Laterano
03 November. Learning about the earliest Christian basilica in Rome
03 November. The bronze doors of the Duomo, taken from the Curia Julia in the Roman Forum
03 November. A detail
03 November. Admiring the bronze doors of the narthex or front porch
03 November. The central nave of the cathedral
03 November. Papal coat of arms from the ceiling
03 November. The ornate organ
03 November. Restored mosaics of the earlier basilica in the main apse
03 November. Looking down the central nave from the transept
03 November. Part of the late fortification walls of Rome
03 November. Nice example of opus figninum, or brickwork on the columns and capitals of an amphitheater
03 November. The gate of Porta Maggiore, erected by Claudius in AD 38 to support his new aqueduct
03 November. The tomb of the baker in front of the arch
03 November. A fine example of 'rusticated masonry' from the Porta Maggiore
03 November. The so-called Temple of Minerva Medica
03 November. Peter presents the Basilica Maxentius
03 November. A lone, pathetic red porphyry column (lower right) marks the porch added to the basilica by Constantine
03 November. Great barrel vaults loom over the studious note-takers
03 November. The sun sets over the Roman Forum