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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This is the partial text of the first title page.
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Second title page with an earlier date. This may be the title page for the first section of the book on Antiquities of Rome.
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This portion of the book is dedicated to Sigismund III of Poland. In the center of the image is his coat of arms.
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Serenissimo is a title for emperors. Sigismund III was the King of Poland and was a staunch Catholic. The first book, Antiquae Urbis Splendore, was dedicated to him. The verso of this leaf is blank.
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Rome old and new buildings...The text goes on to name all of the types of buildings represented and a number of events also depicted in the book.
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The Prophet Daniel's Vision of the Roman and Other Empires. The images on this page represent the four kingdoms that were mentioned as Daniel's visions in the Bible's Old Testament Book of Daniel: 1: A lion with eagle's wings. 2. A bear raised up on one side. 3. A winged leopard with 4 heads. 4. A beast with iron teeth and 10 horns. One interpretation of this vision is that the kingdom of Rome represents the fourth kingdom.
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A chart showing the family tree of Anchises, a member of the royal family of Troy. He was the father of Aeneas, whose mother was Aphrodite. At Aeneas, the family tree branches to show how he is the ancestor of Romulus and Rhemus, founders of Rome.
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A map of the ancient city of Rome with 28 sites numbered and labeled.
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Map of the modern city of Rome circa 1625. Map is dated 1618 and is signed Iacobus Laurus.
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A pictorial map with topography, monuments, and structures on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. Important landmarks and sites are numbered and a key it at the bottom of the page. A number of important temples are on this site.
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The description of the new capitol. The Piazza del Campidoglio was designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti during the early Renaissance. It was part of the plan of Pope Paul III to revitalize the city. It is a large scale civic plaza with an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in the center. The paving designed by Michelangelo was not completely executed until much later.
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The image represents a triumphal ceremony at the gates of Rome. Items on the image are lettered and there is a key at the bottom of the page. Reference is made to Pyrrus Ligorius, born in 1513 and moving to Rome in 1534 where he was known as an architect and antiquarian. After his death, a large number of forgeries were discovered among his collections.
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The various instruments used in the old Roman Sacrifice. The image depicts various objects, some seen on the previous image, used in a triumphal ceremony for the sacrifice. Objects are displayed and linked to a lettered key at the bottom of the page.
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Depicted is an Emperor addressing the victorious army and distributing gold coins during a triumphal ceremony.
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Depicted are various types of crowns for commanders and soldiers given as gifts.
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Depicted here is the processional during a Roman Triumph. It shows the legions of cohorts at the end of the processional all the way to the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. The images are grouped and numbered and there is a key at the bottom of the page.
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A continuation of the list of Triumphs of Rome.
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A continuation of the list of Rome's Triumphs. In the center of the page is another title: De Ovatione, which refers to a Roman military celebration of victory.
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Depicted here are the Maritime forces for Rome. Though better known for its land forces, Rome had the resources of huge forests for the raw materials for ship building and the engineering prowess to plan and build efficient ships. They were able to translate their military skill naval battle and after a while developed strength as skilled navigators as well, eventually ruling the seas for at least 4 centuries.
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Image depicts a succession of soldiers and military officials. There are numbered lists at the bottom of the image in Latin, but these do not correspond to numbers in the image itself.
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After the Battle of Mylae in 260 BC during the First Punic War, a Columna Rostrata (a victory column), was placed in the Roman Forum in honour of Gaius Duilius, Naval Commander and Consul. It was so called because it was adorned with the beaks (ram bows) of the captured Carthaginian vessels. The Columna Rostrata became a favourite site for speeches.
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Map of the Roman Empire. The map is signed in the lower right corner by I. Laurus. The inset text in the center describes the extent as from the Rhine River on the north, and from the Tigris River on the east. The inset appears to credit the information to Mercator's Atlas.
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Depicted are some of the Kings and Queens of Rome. They are numbered and a corresponding list of names and titles is in the Latin text below.
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Military Column at the Carmentalis Gate. The Columna Bellica stood near the Temple of Bellona. They were part of the buildings that made up Circus Flaminus. The column was used by Roman soldiers who would hurl a spear in the direction of the county with which they were about to wage war.
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- English
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