Ancient Rome History & Classics School Trip

Rome’s most famous monument needs little introduction.  The huge amphitheatre which staged gladiatorial combat was built during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian and later enlarged by Domitian.  The exterior is built of travertine marble while the interior comprises a rough volcanic rock.  At its height the Colosseum could seat 50, 000 spectators who would have watched hand to hand combat, gladiators fighting wild animals, and re-enactments of famous battles.  With the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum fell into disuse and for over a millennia was stripped of its more valuable stone. Only within the past century have efforts been made to preserve and conserve its structure.

Located on the Capitoline Hill and with stunning views across the Roman Forum, the Capitoline Museums are the most important in Rome after the Vatican Museums.  They comprise two separate buildings linked by a tunnel which runs under the Piazza del Campidoglio. This graceful square and the Cordonata staircase which ascends to it were designed by Michelangelo in the late sixteenth century. The museum was opened to the public in 1734 and contains an impressive collection of Romanesque paintings and sculptures. Probably the most famous work is the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. The original can be found inside the building while a copy is sited in the square outside the Museums. Other important pieces include the bronze She-Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, the famous Fragments of the Colossus of Constantine, and the sculpture of a Lion attacking a horse. There are also numerous works of art by leading Renaissance artists including Caravaggio’s Fortune Teller.

Lying between the Colosseum and the Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum was the administrative and commercial heart of the city where ordinary citizens worked and where religious and public life in ancient Rome took place. Above it lies the Palatine Hill where wealthy Romans lived. The Forum and the Palatine Hill are part of the same archaeological site and you can walk freely between the two. Like much of Rome the Forum fell into disrepair after the fall of the Roman Empire, its stone pilaged and the site used for pasture. The advent of the Grand Tour for wealthy English revived interest in Roman history and the site was excavated in the 18th and 19th centuries, a process that is ongoing to this day with the fraught construction of Rome’s third metro line.

One of Rome’s most recognisable monuments is not in fact something ancient but the much more recent Vittorio Emanuele monument, often referred to as the Wedding Cake. Although it was originally built to honour the King who unified Italy, its correct name today is the Altare della Patria - the Altar of the Fatherland – where Italy honours its unknown soldier. The monument is located on the Capitoline hill and a small elevator at the rear of the structure takes you to the uppermost viewing platform where there are probably the best views across the city.

Situated adjacent to St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums display a vast collection of Roman and Greek artefacts and statuary as well as some of the most important art of the Renaissance. Among the highlights is the Map Room, a vaulted corridor with an array of painted maps showing the Papacy’s reach throughout Catholic Europe. The tour culminates at the Sistine Chapel whose incredible roof was painted by Michelangelo.

Following the devastating fire of 64 AD which destroyed much of the centre of Rome, the emperor Nero began planning for a new city of Neropolis, modelled on Alexandria with large squares and wide, linear streets.   The Domus Aurea - Golden House – was his palace. With over 300 rooms it was one of the most lavish projects Rome had ever seen. Having been neglected for centuries, the Domus Aurea underwent a restoration project in the 1990’s and today is open to the public at select times when booking in advance.

The Baths of Diocletian are unique because of their sheer size and exceptional state of preservation. Built in the early 4th century AD by the Emperor Diocletian, these huge baths could accommodate over 3,000 people at any one time. The Baths were built of brick that was faced on the inside with marble and on the outside with white stucco. Some rooms had under-floor heating and there were hot rooms and cold rooms much like today’s sauna. The baths remained in use until the Goths cut off the aqueducts which supplied water to Rome, during the siege of Rome in 537 AD.

Hadrian’s Villa – the Villa Adriani – is located in the town of Tivoli to the east of Rome. The Villa was Hadrian’s palatial country residence, built around 125 AD. The area was chosen for its abundant waters and the accessibility of four aqueducts that passed through the area to Rome. This enabled the construction of various lakes and water features which are one of the most distinguishing features of the Villa. Today it is as peaceful as it would have been when Hadrian entertained his guests on an opulent marble platform surrounded by fountains.

Located 19 miles to the west of Rome and on the River Tiber, Ostia Antica was Rome’s main seaport during the Roman Republic (from 509 BC – 27 BC) and was developed for commerce by Julius Caesar and Tiberias.  At one point a population of over 100,000 depended on the trade and cargo which passed through their city. When Rome slowly began to use other ports, Ostia slowly declined until the city fell into decay during the fourth century AD.  Although not as well-preserved as Pompeii and Herculaneum, there is much to see.  The main street Decumanus Maximus runs the length of the city on the traditional east-west axis and on either side are the remains of shops, inns, public baths, mosaics and a large theatre. The cosmopolitan character of the city is also revealed by the variety of temple including both Christian and Jewish as well as those dedicated to the Persian God Mithra.

The catacombs of Rome are ancient underground burial places and some of the oldest in the World. There are more than sixty such catacombs in Rome but only five of the best known are open to the public – San Sebastian, San Calixto and the Catacombs of Domitilla are located near the Via Appia Antica whilst the Catacombs of Priscilla and Catacombs of Saint Agnes are located towards the centre of the city. Roman practise in the second century AD was to cremate the dead and the law prohibited burial of the dead in the interior of the city. For this reason, early Christians who shunned cremation buried their dead in these hidden catacombs located outside the walls of the city. The practise continued until the first half of the fifth century.

The Ara Pacis or Peace Altar was used in ancient Rome for the sacrifice of animals.  It was built by the Emperor Augustus and lies adjacent to the Mausoleum of Augustus, a huge circular structure where he and the members of his family were finally buried. The history of the Ara Pacis is largely one of centuries of neglect and by the 16^th century it lay in fragments. Restoration work was finally started by Mussolini, but War intervened and it wasn’t until the 1980’s that a structure was finally completed to provide cover from the elements. The altar is surrounded by elaborate marble reliefs and although some original pieces are now in the Louvre, the altar is a splendid sight.

The National Etruscan Museum at the Villa Giulia celebrates the Etruscan civilisation which ruled a large swathe of what is now Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio before disappearing under the might of Rome. The Etruscans can be traced back as early as 900 BC and their civilisation reached its height around 750 BC but by 280 BC and the fall of Tarquinia the Etruscans were eventually usurped by Rome, their culture either obliterated or assimilated. However the Etruscan legacy is a large body of sculpture, wail paintings and tombs which give us insight into their religious practises and way of life - Italy’s first great civilisation.