Roman Forum – Colosseum Rome Tickets

Temple of Castor and Pollux

Colosseum Rome Tickets — Sun, 02 Sep 2018 00:28:50 +0000

Seeing the square of the Roman Forum to the west of the Arch of Augustus, the Temple of Castor and Pollux is separated from the Vicus Tuscus by the east side of the Basilica of Gaius and Lucius. The temple was the headquarters of the office of trading standards, where the official weights and measures of the city of Rome were kept.

Temple of Castor and Pollux with the Tabularium building in the background, parts of the Roman Forum in Italy

Custom links the beginning of the Temple of Castor and Pollux to a popular legend in ancient Rome: throughout the war of the lake of Regillus in 496 B.C. in between Romans and Latins, 2 unidentified young horsemen with a burst of energy led the Romans to success and right away afterwards the 2 were seen in the forum watering their horses at the water fountain of Juturna and after revealing the path of the opponent they vanished in thin air. They were determined as the Dioscuri and in thanks for their help the totalitarian Aulus Postumius Albinus pledged to construct them a temple.

Roman Forum with columns of Temple of Castor and Pollux in foreground, Rome, Italy

Temple of Castor and Pollux was committed by his boy, duumvir in 484 B.C., and totally reconstructed in 117 B.C. by L. Cecilius Metellus Dalmaticus, after his success over the Dalmations, expanding the podium.

The temple was once again brought back by Verres (guv of Sicily, assaulted by Cicero in the Verrine) in 73 B.C. The last conclusive restoration was by Tiberias after the fire of 14 B.C. with a brand-new devotion of A.D. 6. The monumental remains still visible today are from a later building, of the time of Tiberius (A.D. 14-37).

The 3 columns Corinthian order of the temple of Castor and Pollux (Tempio dei Dioscuri) is an ancient edifice in the Roman Forum, Rome, Italy.

Temple of Castor and Pollux was peripteral with 8 Corinthian columns on its brief sides and eleven on its long sides and with a cella on a concrete base (50x30x7 m.), initially dealt with with tufa blocks which were eliminated in modern-day times and recycled.

In the Forma Urbis (marble plan of Rome from the age of Septimius Severus) the structure has a main staircase not discovered by the archaeologists who discovered 2 lateral flights of stairs. It might have been removed in among the repairs to make space for the tribune of the Rostra, which, together with the one in front of the Temple of Divus Julius and the Rostras of the Comitia, consisted of the “Rostra Tria” pointed out in the sources for the Forum.

Wide angle shot of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum, Italy

The podium we now see dates to the restoration performed by Metellius in 117 B.C., as do the stretches of black and white mosaic on the flooring of the cella.
Throughout the republican duration senate meetings were kept in the temple and after the middle of the Second century B.C. the podium likewise ended up being a tribune for magistrates and orators in the legal meetings that happened in this part of the forum square. It was from here that Caesar proposed his agrarian reforms.

Temple of Castor and Pollux ended up being the head office for the workplace of weights and steps also and throughout the duration of the Empire part of the treasury of the tax workplace was kept in spaces in the long sides. A few of these were likewise lenders workplaces.

The cult of the Dioscuri was initially Greek and it was imported into Rome by means of the cities in Magna Graecia. These twins, children of Zeus and Leda, were competent horsemen both in war and in competitors and for that reason were the clients of the Olympic Games and, in Rome, of the Circus games. This is why both in Magna Graecia and in Rome they were the tutelary gods of the equestrian upper class. In front of the temple in the Forum, the cavalry corps used a sacrifice in their honor and passed in evaluation prior to the censors.

Distance to the Colosseum

Temple of Castor and Pollux set in Roman Forum, 0,65 km from (8 min walk) from Colosseum.

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House of Vestals

Colosseum Rome Tickets — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 10:55:11 +0000

The House of Vestals (the only female priesthood in Ancient Rome), on the south side of the Via Sacra, was a complex including the Temple of Vesta and the home where the vestal virgins lived. As priestesses of the cult of Vesta, they were the custodians of the spiritual hearth and were charged with carrying out the numerous rites included. The only womanly body of priests in Rome, the 6 vestal virgins were picked amongst the kids of patrician family in between 6 and 10 years old. They were needed to remain in the order for thirty years, appreciating a vow of chastity.

Many a monastic convent in the present-day would find its exact prototype in the House of Vestals, within whose circular temple burned the undying flame, symbol of the domestic hearth and of the family. The house was completely self-contained. Within it can be seen the oven, the mill, the baths, the kitchen and dining room, and the small lararium (the little shrine in honour of the Lares, the divinities of the family).

Rome, Italy – Ancient Roman Forum – House of the Vestal Virgins

House of the Vestals – Rome, Italy.

Vestal Virgins who broke this vow were buried alive in a below ground chamber outside the Porta Collina, in a location appropriately called “Campo Scellerato” (field of iniquity) while their accomplice was condemned to death by flogging in the Comitium.

Others, however, by their chastity and moral example won honorary statues, with inscriptions carved on the base recording their merits. We know some of the most honoured names, the most distinguished of the many recorded being that of Flavia Publicia, in A.D. 247. All of them had reached the position of Chief Vestal.

The Vestal Virgins, In fact the image depicts the temple of Isis in Pompeii, art by Louis Hector Leroux.

On the other hand they took pleasure in important benefits: they were deducted from adult authority and the patria potesras passed to the Pontefix Maximus, they might take a trip in the city in a wagon (which was prohibited to females), they had actually scheduled seats at the spectacles and ceremonies and might do as they finest saw fit with a sort of stipend they got from the State.

Central courtyard of the House of Vestals at the Palatine Hill, used to accommodate the priestesses who tended the sacred flame in the Temple of Vesta.

The institution of the vestal virgins is older and typically dates to king Numa Pompilius.
The remains of the House of Vestals are still noticeable about a meter below the level of today structure. Of republican date, it is a much smaller sized structure and, unlike the later one, is oriented north-south. It was joined to the Temple of Vesta by a yard, to the south which was a complex of 6 spaces (keep in mind that there were 6 vestal virgins). Part of the mosaic pavement with inserts of irregular marble tiles (lithostroton) is still undamaged.

Ruins of the House of Vestals in the Roman Forum. Rome, Italy

After the burning of Rome in A.D. 64 the House of Vestals was reconstructed by Nero. Trajan totally renovated it and later on Septimius Severus brought back the whole complex, consisting of the temple.

Statues of the chief Vestals stood in the porticoes of the courtyard; some of the sculptures and their plinths are still in existence today. The House of Vestals continued in existence until the emperor Theodosius officially banned heathen worship in A.D. 391; after that time it was used by imperial and then later by papal civil servants.

Walk from Colosseum

House of Vestals set in Roman Forum, 0,55 km from (7 min walk) from Colosseum.

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Temple of Venus and Roma

Colosseum Rome Tickets — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 22:02:25 +0000

On the imposing artificial base that still appears on the west side of the valley of the Colosseum are the remains of the largest temple Rome ever had: Temple of Venus and Roma. The temple dedicated to the Eternal City and to the goddess Venus, the mother of Aeneas, the founder of the city. Temple of Venus and Roma, set in between the Basilica of Maxentius and the Colosseum, bases on a substantial synthetic platform on bases which bigger the hill of Velia.

Temple of Venus and Roma – Corinthian Columns Roman Forum Rome Italy. Largest temple in ancient Rome, dedicated in 141 AD by Emperor Hadrian

Begun in A.D. 121 and inaugurated in 135 A.D, the Temple of Venus and Roma was created by Hadrian himself, a“great” emperor, passionately keen on art and architecture. The structure was set within a confining double pillars which left the 2 primary exteriors free and which had 2 entryway propylaea at the center of the long sides. The measurements (m. 145-100) of the whole ensemble are enforcing.

The temple was built on a site previously occupied by the vestibule of the Domus Aurea, retaining its orientation and partly reusing its foundations. Before it could be built workmen had to move the colossal statue of Nero, the biggest bronze statue ever made in the ancient world (at least 35 metres high Pliny says).

Temple of Venus and Roma, the largest temple in Ancient Rome, Reconstruction by Atavistic #roman #architecture pic.twitter.com/tguxFZ1xaW

— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) 18 Aralık 2015

Temple of Venus and Roma at the Roman Forum in Rome, Italy. Roman Forum is one of the main travel attractions of Rome. Ancient architecture and landscape of central Rome.

The most important temple in Rome was designed by Hadrian. Begun in 121 AD, construction was interrupted by the emperor’s death and it was finally completed by his successor Antoninus Pius.

Temple of Venus and Roma itself was a big Corinthian decastyle (with 10 columns on the front and nineteen on the sides) structure. It did not have the traditional podium of Roman temples however based on a stylobate with 4 actions and included 2 cellae which were held up to back. Entryway to the celiae was through 2 patios with 4 columns in between the antae.

Temple of Venus and Roma and – Roman Colosseum

View of the Colosseum from the Sacra street. In the image you can also see the columns of the temple of Venus and Roma.

Initially neither cella was apsed and they were covered with flat wood roofings. Their present element is the result of restoration effected by Maxentius in A.D. 307, after a fire. The building acquired its present form, with apses and barrel vaulting, when it was restored by Maxentius in A.D. 307. The cellae were provided apses at the back which included the cult statues of Venus (in the cella facing the Colosseum) and of the goddess Roma (facing the Forum) while coffered and stuccoed barrel vaults changed the initial ceiling. In addition, the long sides were lined with porphyry columns. Specific niches indicated for statues were framed by little porphyry columns on brackets. The pavement was likewise restored in polychrome marble.

Temple of Venus and Roma in the Roman Forum. View from Colosseum. It was dedicated to the tutelary goddess of the city, Roma, and to Venus as patron of the imperial house.

The cella of the goddess Roma, facing the Forum, is the much better protected of the 2. It is now part of the exconvent of S. Francesca Romana, and the peristasis has actually been changed by a hedge. Just a couple of the grey granite columns of the portico are still standing.

Ruins Temple of Venus and Roma, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

View of Colosseum from Temple of Venus and Roma – Italy

In its rejection of the stylistic aspects of Roman temple architecture and in turning for motivation to the Greek world which the emperor busily appreciated, this temple, which is among the biggest ever integrated in Rome, is a best example of the classicism which defines Hadrian’s art. The significance of this diversion far from the preceding custom ends up being even more obvious in factor to consider of that Apollodorus of Damascus, the designer of Trajan’s enforcing works, made a criticism of the temple on esthetic premises and so he was punished with exile.

Distance to the Colosseum

Venus and Roma, 0,35 km from (4 min walk) from Colosseum.

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Arch of Titus

Colosseum Rome Tickets — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 18:14:31 +0000

The Arch of Titus commands a vantage point at the highest space of the Sacred Way. It oversees the Forum, directing eye-lines to the dedicated temple of Titus and his father, Vespasian, at the other extreme.

Constructed primarily from Attic marble from Mount Pentelicon, the Arch of Titus also includes nineteenth-century travertine additions. It has a solitary gateway, bordered by pylons, each integrating two fluted columns of the Composite Orcier. This is a Roman blend of Ionie and Corinthian, believed to have been invented during Augustus’s reign. It showcases spirals from the former Order and the acanthus leaves from the latter.

The Arch of Titus was erected to celebrate Titus’s conquest of the Jewish Revolt and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem in A.D 70. The Arch of Titus is embellished with a plethora of sculptures. Besides, the upper horizontal storey displays inscriptions that indicate that the monument was dedicated to Titus’s memory by his brother and successor, Domitian.

The Arch of Titus showcases a Triumphal procession in a frieze. It includes a figure reclining in a litter, possibly representing the captive River Jordan. The ceiling inside the opening is vaulted with sunken squares and is adorned with a relief of the emperor being carried to heaven by an eagle. The triangles between the curved parts of the arch and its right-angled framework depict winged Victories holding standards.

Arch of Titus Red Flowers Roman Forum Rome Italy. Erected in 81 AD in honor of Emperor Vespasian and son Titus for conquering Jerusalem destroying Jewish temple in 70 AD.

The Reliefs

One relief shows young men wearing laurel wreaths, carrying the spoils pillaged from the Temple of Jerusalem. The other relief portrays the Goddess Rome leading the Triumphal four-horse chariot of Titus. The Victory, escorted by Honour and Courage (Virtus), places a wreath upon his head.

The spoils carried in the procession include silver trumpets, used to summon the hosts of Israel. The golden Table of the twelve loaves of Shewbread, renewed in the Temple every Sabbath day, was part of the spoils. The golden candlestick or Menorah, with its seven branches, was the most sacred object possessed by the Jews. It was also part of the spoils taken by Titus. The spoils were initially placed in the new Temple of Peace, part of the Forum of Vespasian. Over time, the spoils were lost and their exact location remains a mystery. They have been rumored to be at different locations, including the Lateran Palace at Rome.

Titus Arch Roman Loot Menorah Temple Jerusalem Forum Rome Italy. Erected in 81 AD in honor of Emperor Vespasian and son Titus conquering Jerusalem and destroying the Jewish temple in 70 AD.

Rome – detail from Titus triumph arch

Rome, Italy – Ancient Roman Forum – Arch of Titus Frieze

The Arch of Titus’s reliefs display an advancement towards illusion, mirroring slightly earlier mural paintings at Pompeii. The illusion of movement seen through a window silhouetted against the sky is effectively captured. The cleverly superimposed planes provide a sense of depth. The Arch of Titus’s sculptures laid the groundwork for the complete conquest of the problem of perspective, achieved by Florentine Renaissance sculptors, fourteen hundred years later.

The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the Arch of Titus, like the Colosseum, was incorporated into the fortress of the Frangipane family and thus survived.

In 1882, Pope Pius VII commissioned Giuseppe Valadier to restore the pillars damaged by the creation of a small room inside the archway. Its current integrity is due to Valadier’s comprehensive archaeological restoration.

Arch of Titus Photo Gallery:

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Basilica of Maxentius

Colosseum Rome Tickets — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 11:20:02 +0000

An architectural masterpiece standing proudly in the heart of Rome, the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine embodies the grandeur and the rich history of the Roman Empire. Its influence pervades centuries and its story is interwoven with the lives of two of Rome’s most significant emperors – Maxentius and Constantine.

Construction of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine initiated under the rule of Roman Emperor Maxentius in 308 AD. It was completed under the auspices of Constantine, approximately between 312-313 AD. Despite its religious name, the basilica functioned primarily as a public meeting space, a judicial center, and an administrative hub, much like other Roman basilicas of the time.

The Genesis of the Basilica

In the early 4th century, Maxentius ascended to power in Rome. Maxentius embarked on a significant construction spree across the Roman Forum, aiming to showcase his power and authority. His projects ranged from restoring ancient temples to constructing new, magnificent structures.

Maxentius began construction of the Basilica Maxentius around 305 AD on the Via Sacra in the Roman Forum, west of the Temple of Venus and Roma, which he also restored after a fire. It was arguably the most grandiose of his building projects.

The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine was truly a triumph of engineering. Its design, closer to imperial baths than classical basilicas, boasted of deeply coffered vaults made of concrete similar to the Baths of Diocletian. The exterior, although plain, was covered in stucco to mimic ashlar masonry typical of late Roman structures. Inside, it was lavishly decorated with marble revetments on its walls and the floor was paved with colored marble in geometric patterns. The vaults were decorated with stucco, painted, and gilded.

The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in the Roman Forum in Rome, Italy. Visitors to the Roman Forum in antiquity could see it shining from afar, for its roof was once covered with gilded tiles. However, they were removed in the 7th century and re-used in the building of Old St. Peter’s.

The most magnificient monument in the whole Forum stands a little more than one hundred yards east of the Basilica Aemilia, upon the Sacred Way. lt is the ‘New’ Basilica, known as that of Maxentius and Constantine, since it was begun by Maxentius (306-12) – the last pagan emperor to choose Rome for the capital – and completed by his victor Constantine the Great (312-37).

The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine had a profound impact on architecture. Architects like Bramante, Raphael, Antonio da Sangallo, and Michelangelo studied its design. It also greatly influenced the design of the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Today, only a fragment of the basilica’s northern aisle remains. However, this structure is a powerful testament to the architectural grandeur of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, most of the building was destroyed in an earthquake during the 9th century. The Basilica’s allure, coupled with the presence of valuable materials, made it a prime target for plundering during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Notably, Pope Paul V moved one of the imposing columns to Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore, where it still stands today.

Visitors to the Roman Forum can still walk alongside the ruins of the basilica to appreciate its sheer size. They can step underneath the colossal arches and marvel at the patterned ceilings. The edge of the Palatine Hill offers a spectacular view of the basilica, providing a sense of its size relative to its surroundings.

Statue of Constantine the Great – Reconstruction by the University of Virginia. Source: twitter.com/thebyzantinelegacy

Interior of Basilica of Maxentius Reconstruction by Editrice La Scuola. Source: http://www2.edu.lascuola.it/edizioni-digitali/GuidaStudioStoria/solo-online/vol1/immagini/194-massenzio/index.html#/

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