An
Archaeological Study Tour
Ancient
Rome
12
Days April 16 – 27, 2008 and
May 21 – June 1, 2008
Led by Professor Myles McDonnell, Director, American Academy, Rome
From its foundation in the mid-eighth century BC, Rome grew
from a tiny hill settlement of transient shepherds to become
the capital city first of Latium, then of Italy, and eventually
of the entire Mediterranean world. This expansion was reflected
in more than a thousand years of urban growth that incorporated
the influences of Etruscan kings who ruled Rome and first
made it a true city, of Greeks who came to the city as immigrants
and slaves as well as architects and scholars, and of the
myriad other foreign peoples for whom Rome became home.
All the while, the city was undergoing continual change,
with low-lying areas drained and filled- n, hills leveled
and scraped away, and older buildings reused as foundations
for newer ones. Since antiquity, Rome has also been continuously
inhabited and continuously rebuilt or built over. The result
of twenty-seven hundred years of urbanism is a rich and
fascinating city, but also a city whose ancient past is,
to a great extent, now hidden or lost.
This tour will search out that lost and hidden city of the
ancient Romans in two ways. By looking beneath the contemporary
levels of the city -- under churches, in the basements of
restaurants, in the lobbies of hotels, as well as in subterranean
archaeological sites -- we will rediscover significant parts
of the ancient city that still exist on the banks of the
Tiber. To recover that part of ancient Rome that is truly
lost, we will visit neighboring towns -- Palestrina, Tivoli,
the Castelli Romani -- where we will see the remains of
proud cities that once competed with, but eventually succumbed
to, Roman power. Because these communities never became
centers of wealth and building, they preserve their ancient
topography and appearance, providing a picture of what Rome
was like before it became the great metropolitan capital
of the world. The method of our archaeological inquiries
will be chronological and will unravel the complicated stages
of occupation and building of such sites as the Roman Forum,
the Campus Martius, and the Palatine and Capitoline hills.
Wednesday, April 16 / May 21: Depart
from various gateway cities. Archaeological Tours will be
happy to assist tour members in making flight arrangements.
Thursday, April 17 / May 22: ROME: Arrive
into Rome this morning. The Hotel (to be advised) is located
within easy walking distance to restaurants and shops. The
tour begins this evening with an introductory lecture by
Professor McDonnell, followed by dinner.
Meals: Dinner
Friday, April 18 / May 23: EARLY ROME & THE ETRUSCANS:
Our
touring begins on the Palatine Hill with the Iron Age huts
venerated in antiquity as the settlement of Romulus. We
will then survey the Early Roman Forum, visiting the Forum
Antiquarium Regia and the Temple of Vesta. Our visit to
the Forum Holitorium, the produce market, includes the foundations
of the 6th century temples to Fortuna and Mater Matuta and
the mid-Republican temples of Janus, Spes and Juno beneath
the church of San Nicola in Carcere. In the adjoining Forum
Boarium, the ancient cattle market, we will see the temple
of Portunus and the Round Temple. Crossing the Pons Fabricius,
Rome’s oldest surviving bridge, our tour continues
on Tiber Island, dedicated to medicine since 289 BC. The
Pons Cestius brings us into the colorful quarter of Trastevere
for a lunch break before we encounter the Etruscans at Villa
Giulia.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Saturday,
April 19 / May 24: THE EARLY REPUBLIC: We
will examine the archaeological evidence from this turbulent
period beginning with the remains of the Servian Wall on
the Aventine, and then proceed outside of Rome to the multiple
fortifications of Ardea, legendary capital of Turnus, and
the archaic altars of the Latin League at Pratica di Mare
(ancient Lavinium), where we will also see the tomb of Aeneas.
We will visit Castel Gandolfo*, the Papal residence, under
which sits the ruins of the Villa of Domitian*. We will
lunch in the picturesque town of Nemi. Our drive continues
past the majestic Lago Albano lying beneath the Alban Mount
to the ancient Latin city of Tusculum, where we will visit
the ongoing excavation conducted by the Spanish School in
Rome and view the 3rd century BC walls and the newly excavated
Forum, as well as the Theater and portico.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Sunday, April 20 / May 25: REPUBLICAN ROME: Beginning
with the sacred area of Largo Argentina, we view the remains
of the four Republican temples, as well as the site of Caesar’s
assassination. Touring continues at Michelangelo’s
Piazza del Campidoglio, where we will visit the extraordinary
collections of Roman art and artifacts of the Museo Capitolino
and the Museo dei Conservatori. Under the latter are found
the enormous foundations of the temple of Jupiter Optimus
Maximus*. We will view the remains of the Tabularium, the
massive state archives built by the dictator Sulla, and
conclude the morning with a stupendous view of the Roman
Forum. Our study of the Campus Martius begins with lunch
at da Pancrazio, in whose cellar are the foundations of
the Theater of Pompey, Rome’s first permanent theater.
The day ends with the recently excavated Cripta Balbi, the
underground portico to the Theater of Balbus and the new
museum.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Monday, April 21 / May 26: LATE REPUBLICAN & AUGUSTAN
ROME: Touring
begins at the Forum of Julius Caesar and the Forum of Augustus,
where we will view the temple of Mars the Avenger*. We will
also see the major new excavations in the Forum of Nerva
and the recently uncovered Forum of Peace. In the adjacent
Forum of Nerva, we will see the lovely Corinthian columns
from the temple of Minerva. We proceed to the Roman Forum,
where we will examine the building programs of Julius Caesar
and Augustus. Our historical sequence will be broken by
visits to the enormous Basilica of Maxentius completed by
the Emperor Constantine and the Arch of Constantine. Lastly,
we visit the northern Campus Martius to view the Mausoleum
of Augustus from the outside and visit Arc Pacis*..
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Tuesday, April 22 / May 27: THE EARLY EMPIRE: Touring
begins at the Colosseum and continues at Trajan’s
Market and Forum, where we will discuss the controversy
over the location of Trajan’s temple and examine the
scenes depicting Trajan’s war against the Dacians
on Trajan’s Column. We will visit the Campus Martius,
a Republican political center converted by the emperors
into an entertainment district. Continuing via the area
of the Saepta, where Roman citizens once voted, we proceed
past the remains of the Baths of Agrippa to the Pantheon.
The day ends in the Piazza Navona, former site of the Stadium
of Domitian.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Wednesday, April 23 / May 28: THE HIGH EMPIRE: A
full day at Tivoli touring Hadrian’s Villa, the largest
villa ever built in the Roman Empire. Here Hadrian built
a steam-heated beach, underground passages for horses and
carts, baths, libraries, theaters, temples and more. After
lunch at one of the restaurants in Tivoli, we examine the
two Republican temples. Finally, we will visit the 16th
century Villa D’Este with its wonderful water displays.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Thursday, April 24 / May 29: AN ANCIENT CITY: Leaving
Rome once again, for a full day at Ostia Antica, one of
the best preserved Roman towns in Italy. Founded in the
4th century BC, it became the thriving port of Rome. We
will investigate the site completely including the Trajan
harbor and ancient synagogue dated to the 1st century AD.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Friday, 25 / May 30: THE LATER EMPIRE: This
day brings us back to the Palatine. We begin with the Augustian
remains of the Imperial Residences and the “House
of Livia,”* with delicately painted scenes of Hermes
and Argus. We continue to the Imperial Palaces, beginning
with Domitian’s architecturally innovative Domus Flavia
and Domus Augustana. After viewing the Palace of Septimius
Severus, we return to the Via Appia to see the Aurelian
Wall, the catacomb tombs and the Villa Maxentius.
Meals: Breakfast daily & one dinner
Saturday, Sunday, April 26 & 27 / May 31 & June
1: CHRISTIAN ROME: Our
day begins at the Vatican, where, directly beneath the altar
of St. Peter, we will visit a pagan and Christian necropolis
and, if permission is granted, what is perhaps the Tomb
of St. Peter*. We will visit the new museum of the ancient
houses under Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill, followed
by a visit to the nearby 2nd Century buildings and 3rd century
Mithraic shrine under San Clemente. At tonight’s dinner
we say farewell and toast our return to the Eternal City.
Sunday we depart for home.
Meals: Breakfast
This
tour should be considered moderately strenuous. Rome traffic
regulations restrict bus traffic in many areas of the city.
Terefore, we will be required to do a lot of city walking.
For the most satisfying experience, all participants are
expected to be physically active and able to walk independently
throughout our full touring days.
*Denotes sites requiring special permission for entry. We will be able to actually view all of these sites, but as permissions are not granted more than a month in advance, there is a possibility that we may not gain entry to walk amidst them.
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