Chapter36
A Stroll Through the Forum
Afew minutes later
“Do we go left or right?”Will asked over his shoulder.There were clear pathways in the lawn around the ruins of the Roman Forum as well as a pavement that appeared rather straight.
“Stay to the right and we’ll loop around when we reach the other end,” David called out.
They had already reached the Arch of Titus, where Randy attempted to read the inscription at the top.
SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ROMANVS DIVO TITO DIVI VESPASIANI F(ILIO) VESPASIANO AVGVSTO
“The Senate and People of Rome dedicate this to the Divine Titus Vespasian Augustus, son of the Divine Vespasian,” he called out, his voice far more dramatic than necessary.
“Divine?”Barbara repeated.
“Titus was deified after his death,” Will explained, “So, yes, he was divine.”
Randy passed under the arch and read the inscription on the other side.“This monument, remarkable in terms of both religion and art, had weakened from age: Pius the Seventh, Supreme Pontiff, by new works on the model of the ancient exemplar ordered it reinforced and preserved.In the twenty-fourth year of his sacred rulership.”
Will followed him and looked up, shaking his head slightly.“That wasn’t there when I was last here, but then, this arch was in rather poor condition at the time.The restoration work has been well done.”
“Says here it was done in eighteen-twenty-one,” Tom said, the guidebook opened over one arm.
“What was that building there?”Helen asked, pointing north to what appeared to be mostly rubble atop a flat area.She had seen it from the Colosseum, where the foundations holding up the platform had been more apparent.
“The Temple of Venus and Roma,” Tom replied.“Supposedly the largest temple in Ancient Rome.”
“Felled by an earthquake?”David guessed.
“Indeed.It collapsed sometime in the early eight-hundreds.Then a church was built there.”Tom furrowed a brow.“It says here that Hadrian was rather clever regarding the choice of goddesses to honor with such a large temple.”
“Venus, the goddess of love.Amor,” David offered.“Reverse the spelling of ‘amor’ and you have ‘Roma’,” he added, his gaze darting to Vittoria.“The symmetry was perfect.”
Vittoria’s eyes rounded slightly, but she didn’t put voice to a reply.
“That must have been a rather large building,” Barbara remarked, pointing to one with arches on the front as well as multi-storied arches at the back.
“The Basilica of Maxentius,” Tom announced.“This is about the highest point in the Forum and one of the last structures to be built here, sometime in the fourth century.”He glanced around.“Maxentius built it, but when Constantine defeated him, he replaced Maxentius’ statue with a colossal bronze statue of himself.”
“He wanted anyone who visited this basilica to feel his power simply by stepping inside,” Diana remarked.“The temple was an immense structure, and so was the statue—it was said to be forty feet high.Parts of it were discovered when the basilica was excavated in the late fourteen-hundreds.”
“Where are they now?”Helen asked, her gaze directed to the interior of the ruin.“Surely something that large would still be here.”
“Nine fragments of it were uncovered during the original excavation of the basilica, and they were moved to Capitoline Hill, in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori,” Diana explained, pointing to the hill at the eastern end of the Forum.“They are part of what they call the Capitoline Collection and were arranged by Michelangelo,” she added.“Although the visible parts of his body were made of acrolith, a sort of composite material, the draped clothing was formed in gilt bronze, which was looted, of course,” she added in disgust.She pulled out her sketchbook and turned to a page showing a drawing she had done of what the original statue might have looked like.
David scoffed.“He’s posed exactly like Jupiter used to be shown sitting on his throne,” he said.“Holding a staff in one hand and an orb in the other.”
“It is possible the statuewasoriginally of Jupiter,” Diana replied.“There is some evidence the face was reworked to remove a beard and to change the shape of the forehead to better match Constantine’s face and curly hair.”
“Rather egotistical of him,” Armenia remarked.
Vittoria tittered.“Men,” she whispered.
“We’re notalllike that,” David argued.When Vittoria glanced over at him, he winked at her.A blush colored her face before she could break eye contact.
“Let’s move on,” Tom said, after clearing his throat.He didn’t notice Helen’s smirk, her amusement due to the conversation of the three that followed them.
