Lecture 13- Rome, The Birth and Rise of an Empire

Etruscan Civilization

• Lived mostly in hill towns, came down to mine and trade

• Early were called Villanovans

• 8th and 3rd centuries thrived

• Civita- eroded town

• After medieval times, Orvieto was restored

• Fully collapsed and became Roman empire in 278BC

Etruscan Pottery

• Greek influence, red color from soil in the area

• Bucchero- clay that turns black when fired, unique to their civilization

FACTS about the Founding of Rome

• Earliest settlers were Greek or had contact with Greek colonists

• Roman kings rule the city until they were conquered by Etruscans in the 7th century

• Romans overthrew Etruscans in 509BC, forming a republic, where people elect leaders within the government

MYTHS about the Founding of Rome

• Brothers Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf

• She-wolf lived in a cave called Lupercal

• The Rape (Abduction of the Sabine Women) signaled the rise of Rome

Romulus and Remus

• Suckled by she-wolf

• Signs and statues still exist in Rome

• Founded original city on the Palatine Hill (April 23, 753)

• No logic to their buildings’ structures

Umbilicus Urbis Rome

• “The Navel of the City of Rome”

• Center of the Roman empire

• No sacred purpose, just a marker

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus

• Follows Etruscans

• Roman Templum transitioned to explate

• Comitium- either side has basilica, culture becomes more political

Basilica

• Known in Aemilia

• Very open space, not closed rooms

• Columns had colonnades and entablatures

• Arched openings and pilasters

• All of the area was buried

• Christian______, S. Maria Maggiore, Rome 440BC

Temple of the Vestal (Virgins)

• Hearth fire symbolizing the perpetuity of the Roman state

• Dedicated to the goddess Vesta

• Made sure light never went out

Lupercal

• Hills still exist mostly (Palatin, Capitole, etc.)

• At the foot of the Palatine Hill

• Landed on the banks of the Tiber

Ficus Ruminalis

• A wild fig tree that had religious and mythological significance in ancient Rome

• Stood near the Lupercal

Festival of Lupercalia

• Held annually on February 15th

• Men would go around in sheep’s cloth and hit women with leaves

• St. Valentine’s Day comes about from this

Pomerium

• Sacred precinct Via Sacra

• Temple sits above

• Arc is place of last retreat

Lacus Curtius

• Mysterious, sacred pit

• Near the Sacred Fig Tree

• Cloaca Maxima