Blogging from: Rome, Italy on October 1

Bloggers: Alex and Leo

Steps Taken: 10,800

Following our free day, we awoke well-rested and scaled the hill that scholars believe to be the Tarpeian Mount. This perch overlooks the Roman Forum and marks the site where the ancient Romans executed their captives and hurled them down into the forum.

As the golden sunrise graced the Forum, our own Margaret Ferris gave a fantastic report on the mythological story of Tarpeia, a traitorous Roman woman who led enemy Sabine troops into Rome in exchange for “what is on their arms.” Tarpeia had hoped to be repaid with the Sabines’ bejeweled arm bracelets. Instead, the Sabines gave Tarpeia something else that was on their arms, collectively bashing her to death with their shields.

Margaret explained that this myth has several different variations, some involving Tarpeia actually tricking the Sabines, some detailing a love story between Tarpeia and the Sabine commander, and another casting Tarpeia as a traitorous Vestal virgin. These stories were employed to various political ends throughout Roman history. However, Margaret noted that every variation evokes a deep suspicion of Roman women interacting with foreign men.

We carefully descended from the Tarpeian Mount, thankful for a far softer landing than the condemned Roman prisoners received. We walked to the nearby Forum of Augustus, where Professor Stewart discussed how Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Principate, enacted his ideological and political project through architecture. Augustus, while he was still called Octavian, had made a vow at the Battle of Philippi against Marc Antony to the god Mars Ultor, or Mars the Avenger. Following Octavian’s victory at Philippi and his ascension to imperial power as Augustus, he built a temple to Mars Ultor at his forum.

This new temple closely mimicked the style of the Temple of Venus Venetrix that Augustus’s ancestor Julius Caesar had built a generation before. It also usurped the function of the Temple of Bellona, which was the site where the Senate would meet to deliberate on military triumphs during the Republic. Now, Mars Ultor was made patron god of the Romans.

Those of us who aspire to become despots took close notes on how Augustus manipulated physical space, political tradition, and ritual practice to cement his rule.

Sophia then presented on the Great Fire of Rome, which occurred in 64 CE during the reign of Nero. Although fires were common in ancient Rome, this particular disaster razed the majority of the city. Not only did it reshape the landscape, but it had intense socio-political ramifications. Some attributed the fire to the poor leadership of Nero, who built a lavish personal estate called the Domus Aurea, or golden house, on public lands. Some blamed Eastern saboteurs. Others blamed a small, but growing religious sect called the Christians.

In response, Nero chose to publicly blame the Christians, who were burned, eaten by wild beasts, and crucified. This decision backfired, as the Romans saw through Nero’s attempt at scapegoating. The Fire of Rome ultimately led to widespread panic and a rift between the people and the emperor.

As we sheltered ourselves underneath some bleachers during a brief thunderstorm, Professor Stewart lectured on Augustus’s reshaping of the Palatine Hill. He solidified his control of Roman religion by moving key rituals to his new Temple of Apollo next to his own imperial estate on the Palatine. Not only did he present himself as pious, but also generous: he built libraries for the people’s benefit. His house, on the other hand, was relatively modest compared to those of following imperial elites on the Palatine.

We marveled at his cold brilliance. Professor Stewart wisely chose to break for the day on noticing an authoritarian glimmer in some of our eyes. Please stay tuned for our next episode of Who’s that Dictator!