San Antonio Sunday Light (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 69, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 28, 1926 Page: 72 of 92
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Pestorind the Imperial For- Ancient Borne
Eastern Hemicycle of the Forum Northern Hemicycle of the Forum The Temple of Mara Where the Romans Prayed for Southern Hemicycle of the Forum The Forum of the Emperor Nerva
of Trajan. of Augustus. Success in War Now Restored by Mussolini. of Augustus. and the Temple of Minerva. -
Mussolini’s Remarkable
Work in Bringing to
Light the Sites Where
the Great Romans Ruled
the World and Where
He Now Holds His Own
Cabinet Councils
MUSSOLINI the Italian dictator is proving every day in
more and more surprising ways that he is a man of
action.
A short time ago it was reported that he was planning to
restore the ancient Roman Empire with all its powers and
splendors. Then Mussolini said publicly to the Governor of
Rome that he wanted him to restore the Eternal City to its
grandeur in the days of the Emperor Augustus and to build
vast triumphal avenues running from Rome to the sea over
what is at present a neglected country.
And now the Fascist officials of Rome at Mussolini's
command -have actually begun to restore Rome to its appear-
ance in the days of the ancient emperors. They have cleared
away the encumbrances that concealed the imperial forums that
were the heart of Imperial Rome and have taken the most
essential steps toward restoring the city to its aspect in the era
of the mighty Caesars. In a few months they have done more
toward uncovering the most impressive relics of antiquity than
the previous Italian governments in fifty years.
Mussolini said to the new Governor of
Rome:
“Within five year’s Rome mus't appear
as a marvel to all the people of the world
—vast ordered ami powerful as it was in
the time of th- first empire Of Augustus.
You will make open squares around the
ancient Marcellus Theatre around the
Capitol around the Pantheon. Everything
that has been built around these monu-
ments during the centuries of decadence
must disappear. Within five years the
Pantheon must be visible from the Piazza
Colonna through a wide avenue.”
Mussolini will restore ami probably oc-
cupy the ‘‘rostra” the platform from
which great Romans addressed the peo-
ple as. for instance when Marc Antony
urged them to take revenge for the as-
sassination of Julius Caesar.
An interesting scene on the rostra
which is recorded in detail occurred when
Tiridates. King of th Parthians who had
been conquered by Rome came to accept
terms of peace and receive his crown
back from the Emperor Nero in A. 11. 611.
“Before dawn” says the historian
Cassius Dio “the centre of the Forum
was filled with delegations of the Itoman
people in white garments ami with laurel
wreaths in their hair; on the sides and at
the entrances the soldiers with gleaming
weapons and standards were drawn up;
countless spectators occupied every avail-
able inch of ground even the very roofs
of the buildings.
"At the rising of the sun Nero appeared
in the Forum clad in the garb of tri-
umph. accompanied by senators and prae-
torians. He took his place on the rostra
in a curule chair.
"Then between the soldiers who Were
draw n up along both sides. King Tiridates.
with his suite was led to the rostra
where he paid Itomuge to the emperor.
«Vhen the public saw this Oriental ruler
bowing humbly before their emperor they
raised such shouts of enthusiasm that
Tiridates was terrified believing this was
the signal for his death.
“Nero however bade him be of good
courage receiveri the address of homage
orderer) a praetor who understood the
language to translate it for the benefit
of the people and himself made a gra-
cious replv.
"Then King Tiridates mounted a stair-
case kneeled before him and received the
crown from his hand—■ scene which
aroused once more the loud applause of
the Romans.”
The original centre of ancient Rome
was the Roman Forum where government
was conducted statesmen spoke and wars
were decided. In the temples around it
the Romans worshipped their gods and
there also stood their Court of Justice.
It was completely surrounded by temples
porticoes and taverns.
With the growth of the city the Itoman
Forum became inadequate for public af-
fairs. Julius Caesar added the Forum of
8
The Present Condition of the Forum of Augustus and the Temple of
Mars Showing the Extensive Modern Buildings Slums Roadways Etc.
Which Will Be Cleared Away to Open Up One of the Greatest
Seenet of Ancient Rome. /
f’ ar and succeed ing emperors made
other additions until the- number of
forums r ached seventeen.
The woik of resurrecting and restor-
ing the original Itoman Forum had In • r
going on for thirty years before Mu-.«e
lini s adv. nt but the various imperial
forums wire hidden beneath a mass of
different kinds of buildings many of
th"m m-re slums.
The foi'ims of the Emperors Trajan
Augustus. Nerva and Vespasian
ing tn the northeast of the Roman Forum
contained an extraordinary wealth of
t' triples treasures of art and other relics.
F'or centuries after the fall of the em-
pire they were slowly split up. pulled
down ami built over. Churches common
houses and truck gardens wen- piled up
ov i them Here and there stuck out a
column or the top of an arch to lemiml
the world of the glories that once stood
hel e.
Tin- great painter Raphael conceived
th.- project of restoring the imperial
forums but the vastness of the work
political disturbances and his premature
death brought the undertaking to an end.
The Historical Assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus and His Fellow Conspirators at the Base of
the Statue of Pompey in the Senate House in the Campus Martius. The Spot
Has Now Been Freed from Encumbrances.
in th.- sixteenth Century some excava-
'uuru were made iu the group uf imperial
for unis bringing to light parts of the
famous Temple of Antoninus and Faus-
tina the Temple of Castor and Pollux
and the base of the Arch of Septimius
S. verus but there the work ended. In
the nineteenth century Commander Boni
and other modern archaeologists uncov.
ed most of the old Roman Forum but
the vast extent of the imperial forums re-
mained untouched until the magic com-
mand of Mussolini went forth.
The magnificent Fnrum of Augustus
can now he seen very nearly as it was
in the days of the greatest of all the em-
perors. The columns and walls and sub-
structures of the temples are just the
same as they were in the days of Augus-
tus. How- far Mussolini proposes to re-
construct the roofs and furnishings uf the
temples is not yet determined.
Facing the Forum of Aurustua stands
the great Temple of Mara Ultor the fane
of the greatest Itoman god to whom
they prayed for success in the wars that
made them masters of the world. It was
there that the Roman generals after
(Cl Ilf Atßvrkao Weekly fu<
tus. the senate and magistrates of Rome
assembled to a.sk the support of the god
to a general about to depart on a foreign
campaign.
The temple was adorned with beautiful
works uf art with a statue of Apollo in
ivory and with four great pictures by
Apelles.
The underground cells in which the
^.“aerarium militare” the great treasure on
which the Romans relied to conduct wars
of vital importance have been opened.
Among the ruins one can see the niches
in which stood bronze statues of the
greatest Roman captains. Many doubtless
will be recovered from the ruins.
While Mussolini has declared that it
war his ambition ta restore Rome to its
appearance under Augustus ho has said
that his own mm lei won Julius Caesar
who prepared the way for the empire but
never accepted the crown.
“1 shall ever regard Julius Caesar as
my ideal my master the greatest man
that ever lived” said Mussolini. “My
principles are world principles."
Mussolini lias decided that his Cabinet
councils shall be held in an early inedi-
»C. Gf«M BfiUiU KifliU
The Beautiful Balcony of the Priory of the Knights
of Rhodes Looking on the Forum of Augustus
Which Has Been Restored and Is Now Being Used
for Mussolini’s Cabinet Councils.
every victorious
campaign dedi-
cated the crown
and sceptre of
victory to Mars.
There also the
familii r»v Aiarrii^^
aeval building called the Priory of the
Knights of Rhodes which faces on the
Forum of Augustus. The Priory has only
just been freed from the mass of mean
houses that surrounded it and is a very
majestic building. It was built in 1470
by order of Pope Paul 11 a native of
Venice. Its beauty and value hud been
overlooked in modern times until Musso-
lini’s agents unearthed it.
The eastern hemicycle of the Forum
of Trajan a construction of marble
benches where the leading citizens of
Rome met in the last named emperor's
time has also been freed from encum-
branches. The heuflcycle is 220 feet in
length and built with amazing skill.
In order to restore the imperial forums
completely to public sight and use it is
necessary to clear away a vast quarter of
old and new buildings. Mussolini’s rep-
resentatives must find new quarters for
all the evicted people for he undertakes
to provide homes as well as work for
everybody.
"Whem et circenses”—"bread and cir-
cuses”—was what the Roman emperors
had to Live the people. Mussolini will
do a little more.
The cost of the excavation work will
be enormous. The various adunnistra-
tiona which have governed the country
since the modern unification of Italy un-
derstood the value of a great work of
excavation and restoration on these sites
The Principal Sections of the
Ancient Forums as They Wil!
Look When Restored
but would never have dared to face the cost. Mussolini shrinzs
from no outlay of money. He is encouraged by the thought that
the vast number of workmen who must be employed in restoring
Rome will add enormously to his popularity.
It is a singular fact that in order to restore the vaults and
columns of the Temple of Mars Ultor—Mars the Avenger—to
the gaze of the people it was necessary to move a convent of
nuns—the Convent of the Annunziata. They were requested to
move to a more suitable locality. The convent had for several
centuries occupied a group of buildings one of which was formed
by patching over the columns and vaults of the Temple of Mar
Nothing could be more essential to Mussolini’s conception of
a restored imperial Rome than the Temple of Mars. Now it
stands out clearly in all its majesty though in ruins. A certain
amount of restoration will be carried out but care will be taken
not to injure the authentic vestiges of antiquity.
The famous historian Pliny called this building one of the
most beautiful in the world. The great entrance steps are still
.intact as well as the foundations and many of the columns. The
blocks of stone are held together by grappling irons without the
use of cement. Immense blocks of Carrara marble may now be
wen on the inner stones of which are bronze plates on which t' .
imperial decrees were engraved.
Enormous quantities of ancient sculpture and beautiful archi-
tectural fragments have been found among the ruins of the
forums. Many of the pieces of sculpture are of such beauty as
to be comparable with Greek art of the finest period. Among
them are a head of the great god Jupiter the head of a goddess
holding a cup decorated with a wreath of oak leaves and acorns
masques inscriptions a great frieze and many other objects.
By order of Mussolini research will be made to discover what
plants are favorable or unfavorable to the existence of ancient
buildings. Plants of the useful kinds will be cultivated in the
forums on the Palatine Hills and in the most important centres
of imperial Rome. The favorite plants of famous Romans like
Julius Caesar Augustus and Marcus Aurelius will be cherished.
The pet fldwers of Nero and Caligula will
add interest to the collection.
The ancient Romans with their re
markable enlightenment maintained r
public garden called "Viridarium Palati
num” in which they grew specimens of
the principal plants of the countries thev
had conquered. In this way they could
understand the value to them of their
widespread dependencies. Later "this spot
became the "Imperial Gardens” and in
the middle ages “The Farnese Gardens.”
Mussolini has ordered the gardens to be
restored to cultivation and public use. B'
such measures as this the newly excavated
and disencumbered imperial ruins will be
marie attractive to look upon.
In these gardens in ancient times
grew wonderful fruit trees from Armenia.
Persia and the Indies giving the Romar
populace an opportunity to taste delica
cies which they could not have had with-
out the conquests of their generals.
The favorite tree of Julius Caesar—-
the larch—is being fostered in suitable
places among the ruins. Large quantities
of white lavender have been planted in
the Atrium of the Temple of the Vestals
because White was the color of the sacred
virgins. Thousands of myrtles cypresses
and laurels all trees having a special sig-
nificance under the ancient Roman rule
have been set out.
One corner of the ancient public gar-
den is consecrated to Virgil. Here the
laurel and the myrtle are placed side by
side because the great poet said that they
should mingle their perfumes. The fa-
vorite flowers of the wife of Augustus
have been planted. Among them is the
“titanius” beloved by Venus which had
the power of h<*hling wounds and drawing
arrow-heads out of the flesh.
On the terraces of the Palace of the
Caesars are now growing all the species
of rows that Cleopatra used to offer to
Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
A genera) replanting of appropriate
trees on the famous hills in ami around
Rome will be one of the measures by
which Mussolini will restore the city to
its ancient splendor.
Not the least interesting part of the
great work ordered by the Italian leader
is the restoration of the Atrium or Hall
of the Vestals. It is even reported that
he is considering the creation of a similar
body of women to exercise a purifying
influence on modern life.
The College of the Vestals consisted
of six—and tn later times seven—priest-
esses some of whom were still children.
The Pontifex Maximus appointed
them subject to the consent of their par-
ents. They were compelled to endure
for thirty years the strict convent life of
the Hall of the Vestals during which they
were expected to become models of virtue
wisdom and patriotism. They performed
the arduous duty of keeping the sacred
fire eternally lighted and of fetching the
holy waters from the spring of the Ua
inena outside the Porto Capena.
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San Antonio Sunday Light (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 69, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 28, 1926, newspaper, March 28, 1926; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1631548/m1/72/: accessed May 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .