Splendore Dell' Antica Roma: The Splendors of Rome, Circa 1625
Rome in ancient times was the busy center of the Roman Empire, one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Rome, the city, was said to be founded in 753 B.C.E. by brothers Romulus and Remus. Almost from the beginning, it was a city of building projects and political struggle. Roman holdings grew from a kingdom to a vast empire, then dwindled again, dividing into the Western Empire, which fell in the 5th century, and the Eastern Empire, which held on for another 1,000 years. The city of Rome is located in the Western Empire. Since the first century C.E., the city of Rome has been the center of the Catholic papacy, becoming the capital of the Papal States until 1870. In 1871, Rome became the capital of the kingdom of Italy, and in 1946, the capital of the Italian Republic.
A schism in 1377 brought about a 40-year period that nearly devastated the church. In 1418, the Council of Constance brought relative peace to Rome and marked the onset of the Italian Renaissance. A succession of wealthy popes transformed the city into a center of art, culture, and building projects. It also became a tourist destination.
Long a site for religious pilgrimages, Rome became an essential destination as the notion of the Grand Tour took hold among the wealthier citizens of Europe. The Grand Tour served to provide a liberal education for participants and allowed them to see not only the antiquities and ruins of Rome, but also the new splendors.
Quite a number of authors and artists took advantage of this Grand Tour idea, producing books that served as guidebooks on a broad range of Roman art and architectural features. One such book is Splendore Dell' Antica Roma, engraved by Giacomo Lauro. The book went through several iterations and titles. It was first published as Antiquae Urbis Splendor and issued in three books. Compilations were later published with the addition of a fourth part. Engraver Lauro illustrated ruins of Rome as well as reconstructions. He included secular buildings as well as religious structures, and also illustrated Roman customs, burial sites, and gardens. He even included several maps.
The Savannah Library’s Special Collections copy has several title pages, the first dated 1625 with a publication place of Rome. The book can be described as an exhaustive and influential work on the monuments and antiquities of ancient and modern Rome. Comprised chiefly of the 1625 second edition, with additional plates and indices from other editions, it appears to be an early compilation of material from the several early editions with a number of variations. The book has 160 plates, including maps and illustrated title pages. Text in Latin describes each plate. Additional information on the back of many of the plates describes the image in Italian, French, and German, as well, with titles in Italian.
Here, the book is presented leaf-by-leaf. The records are shown in sets of two images: the Recto and Verso of each leaf. The book is not paginated, so leaf numbers have been assigned by the library. Some of the images have been dated separately, and that date is recorded in the “date created” field. Information is also provided as to what the site represents today and its modern use.
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The Naumachia of Domitian. A Naumachia refers to a representation of a naval battle among the Romans, and also to the places where such exhibitions took place.
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The House of C. Caesar. C. Caesar was Gaius (Caius) Julius Caesar. His role as Pontifex Maximus allowed him to live in the Regia, a house on the Forum Romanum which had once been the palace of the Roman kings. The caption indicates it was near the Temple of Peace which was built by Vespasian, and dedicated in 75 AD. The temple was located next to the Roman Forum.
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The Circus of Caracalla. Circuses in Rome were long oval shaped structures built for chariot racing. The circus evolved from a simple track set near a hillside for seating into a large stadium structure with seating and a central divider.
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The Mausoleum of Augustus. The Mausoleum of Augustus is a large circular tomb built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 28 BC on the Campus Martius, surrounded by a park and ustrinum (place of the pyre). It is located on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, near the corner with Via di Ripetta as it runs along the Tiber. It was one of the first building projects taken on by Augustus after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The Mausoleum contained the remains of a number of family members. The tomb, the biggest seen in Rome at the time, was influenced by that of Alexander the Great in Egypt.
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The Mausoleum of Augustus. The Mausoleum of Augustus is a large circular tomb built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 28 BC on the Campus Martius, surrounded by a park and ustrinum (place of the pyre). It is located on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, near the corner with Via di Ripetta as it runs along the Tiber. It was one of the first building projects taken on by Augustus after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The Mausoleum contained the remains of a number of family members. The tomb, the biggest seen in Rome at the time, was influenced by that of Alexander the Great in Egypt.
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The Amphitheater of Statilius Taurus. An amphitheater can be distinguished from a circus or a hippodrome by the shape. Roman amphitheaters were theaters that were round. The word means "theater all around." Usually they were multi-storied and arcaded.
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The Amphitheater of Statilius Taurus. An amphitheater can be distinguished from a circus or a hippodrome by the shape. Roman amphitheaters were theaters that were round. The word means "theater all around." Usually they were multi-storied and arcaded.
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The Castle St. Angelo was originally designed by architect Demitriano to be a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and was completed in 129 AD. It functioned as a mausoleum for a number of years.
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The Castle St. Angelo was originally designed by architect Demitriano to be a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and was completed in 129 AD. It functioned as a mausoleum for a number of years.
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The Theater of Marcellus was begun in 44 BC by Julius Caesar, who wanted to create a larger and more grand theater than the one built by the recently defeated Pompey. He appropriated lands for it and started construction. He was assassinated shortly after the project began. The project was not taken up again until Emperor Augustus decided to complete it in 22 BC. He privately funded the project. The theater, though incomplete, opened in 17 BC. It went through a number of renovations, and various uses, but portions are still standing today with the top floors used as apartments.
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The Theater of Marcellus was begun in 44 BC by Julius Caesar, who wanted to create a larger and and more grand theater than the one built by the recently defeated Pompey. He appropriated lands for it and started construction. He was assassinated shortly after the project began. The project was not taken up again until Emperor Augustus decided to complete it in 22 BC. He privately funded the project. The theater, though incomplete, opened in 17 BC. It went through a number of renovations, and various uses, but portions are still standing today with the top floors used as apartments.
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Lucius Cornelius Balbus was born in Spain. He obtained Roman citizenship in his youth and was the first naturalized citizen. He was also the last private person to celebrate a triumph in 19 B.C. With this wealth, he built a theater in the Campus Martius. It was dedicated in 13 B.C. and was the smallest of Rome's three stone theaters. Fire damaged it in 80 A.D. and it was restored shortly afterwards. It stood west and adjacent to the Crypta Balbi and near the Tiber River. During the dedication of the theater in 13 B.C., the Tiber River flooded, and the ceremony participants had to arrive by boat.
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The title indicates that this round arcaded structure was on the Campus Martius and was attributed to Emperor Claudius. Though Emperor Claudius appeared to have undertaken a number of important building projects, an amphitheater is not listed among these.
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The Theater of Pompey was the first permanent stone theater in Rome. It was built by by Pompeius on the Campus Martius. Prior to that time, theaters were wooden and built for necessity for specific events. The theater was built with a temple, that of Venus Victrix and both may have been dedicated at the same time around 52 BC.
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The Meta Sudans was a large fountain that stood near the Colosseum. It may have been built by Domitian in 96 AD. The name comes from the sudans, which describes the jets of water from the meta, which was a goal in the circus. Though no longer standing, it is represented on a coin of Alexander Severus. It may have still been partially standing in 1743.
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The Amphitheater of Vespasian was dedicated just prior to his death in 79 AD. It was built in the area that had been a pond in Nero's Domus Aurea. Vespasian only built ti to the top of the second arcade; it was enlarged by Titus to the fourth arcade. There continued to be changes and additions by a number of emperors after that. The Emperor Hadrian moved the 100 foot tall statue of the Colossus of Nero next to the amphitheater. He renamed the statue Sun God and the amphitheater became commonly known as the Colosseum. The statue is no longer standing and all that remains now is the pedestal.
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Games in the Amphitheater of Vespasian, known as the Colosseum.
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The Amphitheater of Vespasian was dedicated just prior to his death in 79 AD. It was built in the area that had been a pond in Nero's Domus Aurea. Vespasian only built ti to the top of the second arcade; it was enlarged by Titus to the fourth arcade. There continued to be changes and additions by a number of emperors after that. The Emperor Hadrian moved the 100 foot tall statue of the Colossus of Nero next to the amphitheater. He renamed the statue Sun God and the amphitheater became commonly known as the Colosseum. The statue is no longer standing and all that remains now is the pedestal.
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This theater was a temporary theater described by Pliny the Elder in 58 BC. "The building had three stories, supported on 360 columns...The lower level was marble; the second, glass -- a sort of luxury which since then has been quite unheard of; and the upper most was made of gilded wood. The lowermost columns... were 38 feet high, and placed between them...were 3,000 statues. The theatre could accommodate 80,000 spectators."
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The Septizonium was constructed by Septimus Severus and dedicated in 203 AD. It was located in the southeast corner of the Palatine Hill and was several stories high. It was meant to be an impressive welcoming façade to the city. Fragments of the façade existed until the sixteenth century. The title mentions that this structure was near the Baths of Caracalla (Antoninus) which were both on the Appian Way. There is evidence of a water basin found in the 1980s.
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The Septizonium was constructed by Septimus Severus and dedicated in 203 AD. It was located in the southeast corner of the Palatine Hill and was several stories high. It was meant to be an impressive welcoming façade to the city. Fragments of the façade existed until the sixteenth century. The title mentions that this structure was near the Baths of Caracalla (Antoninus) which were both on the Appian Way. There is evidence of a water basin found in the 1980s.
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Basilicas were built on lands adjacent to the forums to provide more space in the form of of a covered portico for a growing population. They were used as meeting places as well as places for the administration of justice. The Basilica Portia was thought to have been built by Marcus Porcius Cato when he was censor in 184 BC.
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The title in Latin translates to "Senate House on the Monte Caelio, now the church of Saints Io and Paul." The Curia Hostilia was the meeting place for the Senate during the Roman Republic and was located in the Roman Forum. It was part of the Comitium, which was the political gathering place. The building has been ascribed to Tullus Hostilius, who reigned between 673 BC – 642 BC. The building was replaced and enlarged several times, but was destroyed in 53 BC. The Curia Julia, which still stands and has been restored, was built close to the site. Lauro's entry locates the Curia Hostilia on the Caelian Hill, but scholars locate it in the Roman Forum. The church of Saints Io and Paul was built over a basilica on the Caelian Hill.
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This image has a lettered key to the buildings depicted in this scene beginning with the ruins of the Curia Hostilia on the Caelian Hill. The Curia Hostilia was the meeting place for the Senate during the Roman Republic and was located in the Roman Forum. It was part of the Comitium, which was the political gathering place. The building has been ascribed to Tullus Hostilius, who reigned between 673 BC – 642 BC. The building was replaced and enlarged several times, but was destroyed in 53 BC. The Curia Julia, which still stands and has been restored, was built close to the site. Lauro's entry locates the Curia Hostilia on the Caelian Hill, but scholars locate it in the Roman Forum. The church of Saints Io and Paul was built over a basilica on the Caelian Hill.
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- English
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