Ancient Rome

Meanwhile, however, I must say how impressive Rome and every part of the regions of the south remain--so impressive, in fact, that it is hard to believe Diocletian has not chosen to govern from here. It is true, some of the government buildings are in need of repair, even in the Forum. However, the attention to architectural design alone shows us why Rome has conquered the world and why we are right to have faith that the barbarians will never breach the frontiers. All you have to do is stand inside the Pantheon of Agrippa to absorb this. It was built by Hadrian--not Agrippa, did you know that?--more than 100 years ago (MacDonald 13ff). The Pantheon is a monument to perfect scale, the perfect square, the perfect circle, the perfect proportionate use of fine marble and gilded accessories. It is not simply "a monument with a dome: it is a dome. . . . It is beautiful by simple virtue of existing" (Jacquet 17). The statuary

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The better people in Ostia are also enamored of mosaics for their floors and courtyards. The Domus dei Dioscuri (where I dined one evening) has mosaics of goddesses and their animals--horses, leopards, etc. (Dunbabin 65). Ostians decorate the interiors of their homes, too--the walls, I mean--with painted scenes from mythology (more about that later!). I went twice to the theatre there. Seating for the whole town, and everybody was there! But enough about that. What you first notice is the attention to detail. The scaena frons is itself a work of art--massive imperial marble statues set in niches the height and breadth of the (very long) stage that juts out in front of it. There are also marble block stelae of giant masks with fearful semidivine faces. Big as they are, they are fragile. What if there should be an earthquake? Now I was just thrilled to visit Pompeii. One reason is that a long time ago, perhaps when Vespasian was in power, there were a lot of small earthquakes (Mau 107-8). Nothing came of them, but evidently people sure were worried because of how Mt. Vesuvius will behave. Anyway, Pompeii was amazing. Did you know that Pompeii had amphitheatres 50 years before Rome had one? You can tell it was an early model--only
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Flavian Amphitheatre, Stabian Baths, Coliseum Rome--delightful, Anyway Pompeii, Ostia Pompeii, Seven Wise, Pontus Euxinus, Vestal Virgins, Hadrian--not Agrippa, Rome Surrounded, stabian baths, johnston 278, walls painted, scaena frons, scenes mythology, attended games, gladiatorial contests, johnston 277,
Approximate Word count = 2108
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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