“What is now the entrance to the Church of Saints Cosma and Damiano...”Tom pointed to a round building with a large bronze door and a couple of columns in front, “was originally The Temple of Divus Romulus.”
“TheRomulus?How is it in such good condition?”Randy asked in awe.
“No, not for the founder of Roma,” Diana replied.“It was named for the son of Maxentius.He died at a very young age,” she explained.
“The entrance is higher than I would expect,” Barbara remarked.
“Indeed, but that bronze door is the original, and it says here, the ancient key mechanism still works,” Tom said with excitement, his finger pointing to a page in the guidebook.He turned and faced east again.“Nowthisis considered the entrance to the Forum,” he announced.“We’re actually walking on what used to be the via Sacra,” he claimed.“The road the victorious generals would have walked when they returned from battle.”
“Rode in a golden chariot, you mean,” Diana interjected.
“Pulled by four white horses,” Tom read from the book.
“But they only did the processionals if a general killed at least five-thousand of the enemy and brought their lands under Roman control,” Diana explained.“The procession would go all the way to the Temple of Jove on Capitoline Hill.”She pointed straight ahead to indicate the hill.
Armenia glanced over at David.“She is quite the historian,” she whispered.
David nodded.“Indeed.She remembers everything she’s ever heard or read or seen,” he explained.
“Which means she has to have read about it,” Armenia pressed.Before David could agree, he saw Vittoria’s expression of delight and nearly tripped.
“I suppose that comes in rather handy when she’s in the midst of an argument,” Vittoria commented.
“Oh, we know better than to argue with her,” David assured her, which earned him a demure smile.
“What aboutDonForster?”
David chuckled.“He knows better than all of us.”
“I heard that,” Randy said, but when he turned around, he was grinning.“I happen to like having my own encyclopedia at my side.She’s an immense time-saver,” he added, leaning over to bus Diana on the cheek.
Obviously stunned by his public display of affection, Diana blushed.
Unaware of what was happening behind him, Tom announced, “To the north is the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.”
“Those Corinthian columns are still in remarkable condition,” Helen murmured.“All ten of them.”
“That’s because it’s a church now.The Church of San Lorenzo degli Speziali,” Tom said, his attention once again on the guidebook.
“The Temple of the Divine Julius would have been located here,” he said, pointing to a platform and an altar, “and over there should be the Basilica of Aemilia.”He waved to a few columns, but the rest was buried under layers of dirt and debris.
“Well, I know whatthatis,” Will said, turning to face a rectangular brick building to the north.“The Curia Julia.”
When Helen aimed a blank expression at Diana, her sister-in-law said, “The Roman Senate.A rather tall structure given it didn’t have any upper stories.”
“Why such a high building?”Barbara asked, turning her query to Diana.
“It was a means to express its importance.Its grandeur, but I think it was also for the acoustics.With three hundred senators, it would have been necessary for them to clearly hear the speeches.”Her attention went to a number of standing columns to the south, and she broke away from the group, pulling her sketchbook from her satchel as she hurried off.
“Can we go inside?”Helen asked.
“It’s a church now,” Tom said, silently reading from the guidebook.“This area out in front of the Senate was known as the Comitium, and this area out here would have been the Central Piazza,” he stated, glancing around the flat area that surrounded them.“Apparently this was where they held gladiatorial competitions before the Colosseum was built, and there was a slave market here.Now it’s called theCampo Vaccino.”
“What did you say?”Will asked.
Tom pointed to some livestock that were grazing off to the south.“We’re probably standing atop ruins, but...”He shrugged.“It’s literally named ‘cow field’,” he said with a shrug.
“It appears to be a good pasture land,” Randy remarked.
