Two Great Exhibitions in Rome

The Via Labicana Augustus, Palazzo Massimo Museum, Rome.

Readers, if you are headed to Rome before February 4, be sure to check out these remarkable temporary exhibitions being offered in Rome.

The first exhibition is a fabulous exhibition of the Emperor Augustus at the Scuderie del Quirinale (site here in English, and a map here), which runs through 9 Feb. 2014. Next year, as you all know, marks the 2000 anniversary of Augustus' death, and this exhibition does the first emperor justice. Featuring the famous marble copy of the clupeus virtutis ("Shield of Valor"), the togate statue of Augustus from the Palazzo Massimo, the Prima Porta Statue, the bronze equestrian statue as well as the bronze bust from Meroe—oh, and another 200 precious items—this exhibition is a must see. At 12 Euros, this is a must see.

The second is an exhibition on Cleopatra at the Chiostro del Bramante in the Campus Martius, not too far south of the Mausoleum of Hadrian and just to the west of the northern curve of the Piazza Navona, which runs until 2 February 2014. Site here. One of the featured items is a rare portrait of the young Cleopatra, ca. 51 BC, when she assumed the throne. The entrance fee is a little pricy at 13 Euro, but really worthwhile. While you're there, get the fiocchetti at Osteria dell'Anima (between Piazza Navona and the Chiostro), which are simply to die for.

Weekly Tidbits

Italian archaeologists excavating in Hierapolis (where the famous "Gates of Hell" are supposedly located) have found a 1.5 meter high statue of Cerberus—adding more weight to this as the location of Plutonium as described in Strabo and others.

The renovations of the Hall of the Philosophers in the Capitoline Museum is completed, a project that was made possible by financial support from (of all places) Azerbaijan, a country with strong economic ties with Italy. The mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino, hinted at the possibility that Azerbaijan will continue to support renovation to the ancient city, in particular the Imperial Fora. Here is an article in Italian (note slide show).

Another Sixth Century BC Temple!

Excavators yesterday unveiled at a conference at the Palazzo Massimo (a great museum) the findings of a sixth century BC temple that extended along the Quirinal Hill. Measuring 25 x 35 meters (with a cella just over 7.5 meters), the temple is about the size of the temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum. Found under the main geologic office in Rome, the temple was only excavated over the past decade (since 2004). Many buildings in modern Rome are built over the ancient city, and recently archaeologists have plunged beneath the surface to examine subterranean Rome. In particular, the Domus Romane under the Palazzo Valentini (worth a visit when in Rome, but get tickets) is a spectacular exhibition—though they did not find traces of the temple of Hadrian which is supposed to be located in the area. Take a look at all the plans of the Imperial Fora and you'll see it listed there though we have no indication that it is actually there. An article about the new temple (in Italian) can be found here.

Weekly Tidbits

Since I've been super busy these past two weeks, I'll try to provide as many updates here as possible.

Rome: In addition to the above find, construction workers near the Largo del Nazareno (where there is the seat of the Pd, the Democratic Party) have found some remarkable Roman buildings, including a near room with beautiful opus sectile (cut marble). They have a facebook page with the best photos I can find on the web. I can definitely make out two semi-circular plunge pools that suggest to me part of a bath complex. A not terribly helpful video, but one that will give you a sense of the whole, can be found here on Ilmessaggero.it. A detailed article in Italian is here. Unfortunately, it looks like the Palazzo de La Rinascente will rise over these finds, so we should consider these emergency excavations.

Will the Circus Maximus project ever get finished? The project to open up the eastern curve of the site remains was supposed to be finished earlier this year, and people are starting to wonder why there doesn't seem to be any urgency to get it done. The construction site remains remarkably unsightly, and we hope that it won't be long. Excavators in February 2011 had noted that they found a secret area connected to the Ludus Magnus (a practice arena to the east of the Colosseum, part of which is still in good shape and can be seen today. An article expressing some unhappiness with the delay (in Italian) can be seen here.

The Tomb of the Hanging Aryballos, the one recently found in the Doganaccia cemetery in Tarquinia, has unveiled some neat bronze and silver jewelry, and archaeologists are trying to reconstruct the lives of the buried from the remnants of the tomb. Article in Italian here.

Southern Italy: Paestum, the great ancient site with three magnificent Greek temples and a clear Roman Forum, is crying foul. It seems that in the most recent bill passed in parliament (August 8), under the direction of the Cultural Minister Massimo Bray, did not include Paestum (and Velia) in the distribution of funds for protecting the site and encouraging tourism. Paestum, a site worth visiting, also has a fabulous museum with the famous "Tomb of the Diver," but it also sports a fantastic set of Metopes from a nearby temple, great Greek vases, and a series of Lucanian tomb paintings that show gladiators (or warriors) fighting. Go see it!

Gaza Strip: Yes, the Gaza Strip. Read here the story of a fisherman who found a bronze statue of Apollo and was subsequently arrested by Hamas agents, who confiscated the piece and are now trying to sell it (Islamic law forbids reproduction of the human figure in art). A major US museum is one of the suitors, and some compare this statue's importance to that of the Riace Bronzes (unrealistically, by the way). Experts in the antiquities trade estimate the statue will go for 20-40 million dollars.

Roman Skulls in London

Source: guardian.co.uk.

As in Rome, work on a new railway line in London has produced interesting finds. Workers digging near Liverpool Street Station (along the Walbrook river bed) stumbled upon blackened Roman skulls that, archaeologists conjecture, may have been the result of the bloody uprising of Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, in 61 AD. Other skeletal remains have been found along the river bed, where Boudicca's soldiers would have tossed the decapitated remains of their victims. An article from the UK newspaper, the Guardian, can be found here. Excavations along the Walbrook river bed has already resulted in a number of important finds, including a horde of Roman shoes, some 250 of them. An article from the Guardian in April gives an overview.