Roma
Antiqua
The locations of all places are shown on my Google-Earth Map
From
the Forum Romanum and the Campodoglio, to Circus Maximus and the
Colisseum
The Forum
Romanum
8th cent BC - 320 AD
The
ruins of the Roman Forum
A Link to an extensive illustrated
guide
to the Forum Romanum
The famous historical map of Rome from my Great-grandfather Heinrich Kiepert's “Atlas Antiquus” (1869).
See it as an Overlay on the Google-Earth Map
The earliest shrines and temples
were located at the southeastern edge of the Forum. These included
the ancient former royal residence, the Regia (8th century BC), and
the Temple of Vesta (7th century BC), as well as the surrounding
complex of the Vestal Virgins, all of which were rebuilt after the
rise of imperial Rome.
Eventually much economic and judicial
business would transfer away from the Forum Romanum to the larger and
more extravagant structures (Trajan's Forum and the Basilica Ulpia)
to the north. The reign of Constantine the Great, during which the
Empire was divided into its Eastern and Western halves, saw the
construction of the last major expansion of the Forum complex the
Basilica of Maxentius (312 AD). This returned the political center to
the Forum until the fall of the Western Roman Empire almost two
centuries later..
Capitol
Hill
7th cent BC
- 1540 BC
The Capitoline Hill
between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills
of Rome. It was the citadel (equivalent of the Greek acropolis) of
the earliest Romans. The summit was the site of a temple for the
Capitoline Triad, started by Rome's fifth king, Tarquinius Priscus
(r. 616-579 BC).
The existing design of the Piazza del
Campodoglio and the surrounding palazzi were created by Michelangelo
Buonarotti in 1536-1546. At the height of his fame, he was
commissioned by Pope Paul III, Farnese, who wanted a symbol of the
new Rome to impress Charles V, who was expected in 1538.
In
the distant background the quadriga on the pompous Monumento
Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II can be seen. This macchina
scrivere or more abusive pisciatoio nazionale was begun
1911 and finished in 1935 under Mussolini.
Campodoglio
1538
Michelangelo's
first designs for the piazza and remodelling of the surrounding
palazzi date from 1536. He reversed the classical orientation of the
Capitoline, in a symbolic gesture turning Rome's civic center to face
away from the Roman Forum and instead in the direction of Papal Rome
and the Christian church in the form of St. Peter's Basilica.
Circo
Massimo
494 BC
The
Circus Maximus was the Roman chariot racing stadium and mass
entertainment venue. It measured 621 m in length and 118 m in width,
and could accommodate about 150,000 spectators. In its fully
developed form, it became the model for circuses throughout the Roman
Empire. The site is now a public park - just a large grass field
still used for political demonstrations....
The
Colisseum
70 - 96 AD
The inside of the Colisseum
Its name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia). Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.
It
is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close
connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the
Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that
starts in the area around the Colisseum.
There exists a
practical Wiki-Guide
of the area
The
Pantheon, the Temple of Hadrian, the Terme of Diocletian, the Castro
Pretorio
The
Pantheon
126 AD
The
Pantheon (Greek:"to all gods") was commissioned by Marcus
Agrippa as a temple to the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt by
Emperor Hadrian around 126 AD
The Pantheon's dome is the first
and still the largest unreinforced concrete dome. A
hemisphere, the height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior
circle being the same, 43.3 metres.
If you're in Rome and it
happens to be raining, you should definitely go to the Pantheon to
see the rain pouring into the building through the hole in the
ceiling, and that's a rather unique view. When it starts raining the
center of the Pantheon is separated by a rope but you can walk around
the drops falling in the middle of the building. There are holes in
the ground that drain the water.
Terme
di Diocleziano
306 AD
Museo
Nazionale Romano nelle terme di Diocleziano in Viale Enrico De Nicola
Diocletian's Baths, dedicated in 306 AD, were the largest and
most sumptuous of the imperial baths. They have been all but buried
by Rome's Central RR station.
Castro
Pretorio
23 AD
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) Veduta degli avanzi del Castro Pretorio nella Villa Adriana
The "Castra Pretoria" were built between 21 and 23AD at the borders of the city of Rome. During Pope Pius IX's time De Merode committed the building of barracks in this area. Today, Castro Pretorio has been replaced by the modern palace of the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale.
The Area between Campo dei Fiori, the Theater of Marcellus, and the former Ghetto .
Largo
di Torre Argentina
3rd cent BC
Largo
di Torre Argentina is an archeological area that hosts four
Republican Roman temples, and the remains of Pompey's Theater. It is
located in the ancient Campus Martius.
The name of the square
derives from the nearby Torre Argentina, which takes its name from
the city of Strasbourg, which was then called Argentoratum. In 1503,
in fact, the Papal Master of Ceremonies Johannes Burckardt from
Strasbourg built a house on via del Sudario (now at number 44),
called Casa del Burcardo, part of which is the tower.
The largo
is home to a large number of cats who are tended by the local animal
rights organization. (Purportedly a jab at Mussolini who excavated
the area and hated cats.)
Theater
of Pompey
52 BC- 15th cent AD
Reconstruction of the huge Theater of Pompey. It occupied today's three-by-four blocks between the Campo dei Flori and the Largo Argentina.
The Teatro di Pompei was financed by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus to gain political popularity during his second consulship. Construction began in 55 BC but dedicated early in 52 BC It was the largest and first specifically Roman theater. It retained Pompey's name throughout its active history of more than 600 years.
Despite
the varied and long history of the theater, it is infamous as the
place of Julius Caesar's assassination on 15th March 44 BC by the
Liberatores of the Roman Senate and elite.
More...
Portico
di Ottavio
2nd
cent BC
The Portico di Ottavio replaced the "Portico of Metellus" (porticus Metelli) of the second century BC , It consisted of a porch surrounding the temples of Juno Regina and Jupiter Stator. The remains now visible belong to a reconstruction from the time of Septimus Severus .
Theater
of Marcellus
13 BC
Space
for the theatre was cleared by Julius Caesar, who was murdered before
construction could be begun; the theatre was so far advanced by 17 BC
that part of the celebration of the ludi saeculares took place within
the theatre; it was completed in 13 BC and formally inaugurated in 12
BC by Augustus.
In the middle ages the Savelli owned it (13th
cent). Later, in the 16th century, the residence of the Orsini,
designed by Baldassare Peruzzi, was built atop the ruins of the
ancient theatre. Now the upper portion is divided into multiple
apartments, and its surroundings are used as a venue for small summer
concerts. - An inhabited Roman theater! The center of the old ghetto.
Former
Jewish Ghetto
16th-19th cent AD
In 1904 the Jews of Rome were granted full freedom.
Street
Scene
The
19th-cent synagoge near the river
Augustus' Tomb, Ara Pacis, and the Castello di Sant'Angelo
Mausoleum
of Emperor Augustus
28 BC
This Mausoleum was built by Emperor Augustus in 28 BC for himself in the form of a stone ring covered by an earth mound. The urns of Augustus, Marcellus, Octavia, Agrippa, Drusus and other members of the Julian Claudian dynasty were revered here. In the Middles Ages the building served as citadel of the Colonna family. It was destroyed by Pope Gregor IX in 1241. Until 1936 concerts were performed in the building. Excavations began in 1926 and all later additions were removed from the building.
Ara
Pacis
13 BC
The Augustean Altar in the museum enclosure of Richard Meier (2006).
Ara Pacis, the Altar of Peace, was commissioned by the Roman Senate on 4 July 13 BC to honor the triumphal return of Augustus from Hispania and Gaul. It is universally recognised as a masterpiece. Mussolini put the altar into an enclosure in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Richard Meier was commisioned to build the present housing and has not found peace since. - The mayor of Rome threatened to destroy it....
Castello di Sant'Angelo
138
AD
The Castello di Sant'Angelo,was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. In the 14th cent the popes converted the structure into a castle. Pope Nicholas III connected it to St. Peter's Basilica by a covered fortified corridor called the Passetto di Borgo. The fortress was the refuge of Pope Clement VII from the siege of Charles V's Landsknechts during the Sack of Rome (1527), in which Benvenuto Cellini describes strolling the ramparts and shooting enemy soldiers.
Hadrian's tomb seen from the bridge at night.
South: Terme di Caracalla, the Pyramid of Cestius, to Via Appia Antiqua
Terme
di Caracalla
212-216 AD
The Baths of Caracalla were built between AD 212 and 216, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla.
Pyramid of Cestius
18-12
BC
The
pyramid was erected about 18 BC-12 BC as a tomb for Caius Cestius, a
magistrate and member of one of the four great religious corporations
in Rome, the Septemviri Epulonum.
More...
Ostia Antica
23
AD
Long
a favorite place of Cornelius
If you come from Rome by subway, get off at Ostia Antica
Station - and run!
Open from 08.30. Closing time varies according
to the season. Fee:Euro 6,50.