Roman Antiquities, and Ancient Mythology Part 3

_Delubrum_ comprehended several deities under one roof. The most celebrated temples were the capitol and pantheon.

The capitol or temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, was the effect of a vow made by Tarquinius Priscus, in the Sabine war. But he had scarcely laid the foundation before his death. His nephew Tarquin the proud, finished it with the spoils taken from the neighboring nations.

The structure stood on a high ridge, taking in four acres of ground. The front was adorned with three rows of pillars, the other sides with two.

The ascent from the ground was by a hundred steps. The prodigious gifts and ornaments with which it was at several times endowed, almost exceed belief. Augustus gave at one time two thousand pounds weight of gold, and in jewels and precious stones to the value of five hundred sestertia.

Livy and Pliny surprise us with accounts of the brazen thresholds, the n.o.ble pillars that Scylla removed thither from Athens, out of the temple of Jupiter Olympius; the gilded roof, the gilded s.h.i.+elds, and those of solid silver; the huge vessels of silver, holding three measures--the golden chariot, &c.

This temple was first consumed by fire in the Marian war, and then rebuilt by Sylla. This too was demolished in the Vitellian sedition.

Vespasian undertook a third, which was burnt about the time of his death. Domitian raised the last and most glorious of all, in which the very gilding amounted to twelve thousand talents--on which Plutarch has observed of that emperor, that he was, like Midas, desirous of turning every thing into gold. There are very little remains of it at present, yet enough to make a Christian church.

The capitol contained in it three temples: one to Jupiter, one to Juno, and one to Minerva. Jupiter's was in the centre, whence he was poetically called "_Media qui sedet aede Deus_"--the G.o.d who sits in the middle temple.

The pantheon was built by Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law to Augustus Caesar, and dedicated most probably to all the G.o.ds in general, as the name implies. The structure is a hundred and fifty-eight feet high, and about the same breadth. The roof is curiously vaulted, void places being here and there for the greater strength. The rafters were pieces of bra.s.s of forty feet in length. There are no windows in the whole edifice, only a round hole at the top of the roof, which serves very well for the admission of light. The walls on the inside are either solid marble or incrusted. The front, on the outside, was covered with brazen plates, gilt, the top with silver plates, which are now changed to lead. The gates were bra.s.s, of extraordinary work and magnitude.

This temple is still standing, with little alteration, besides the loss of the old ornaments, being converted into a Christian church by Pope Boniface III. The most remarkable difference is that where they before ascended by twelve steps, they now go down as many to the entrance.

There are two other temples, particularly worth notice, not so much for the magnificence of the structure, as for the customs that depend upon them, and the remarkable use to which they were put. These are the temples of Saturn and Ja.n.u.s.

The first was famous on account of serving for the public treasury--the reason of which some fancy to have been because Saturn first taught the Italians to coin money; but most probably it was because this was the strongest place in the city. Here were preserved all the public registers and records, among which were the _libri elephantini_, or great ivory tables, containing a list of all the tribes and the schemes of the public accounts.

The other was a square building, some say of entire bra.s.s, so large as to contain a statue of Ja.n.u.s, five feet high, with brazen gates on each side, which were kept open in war, and shut in time of peace.

CHAPTER VIII.

_Of other public Buildings._

Theatres, so called from the Greek ?ea?a?, to see, owe their origin to Bacchus.

That the theatres and amphitheatres were two different sorts of edifices, was never questioned, the former being built in the shape of a semicircle; the other generally oval, so as to make the same figure as if two theatres should be joined together. Yet the same place is often called by these names in several authors. They seem, too, to have been designed for quite different ends: the theatres for stage plays, the amphitheatres for the greater shows of gladiators, wild beasts, &c. The following are the most important parts of both.

_Scena_ was a part.i.tion reaching quite across the theatre, being made either to turn round or draw up, to present a new prospect to the spectators.

_Proscenium_ was the s.p.a.ce of ground just before the scene, where the _pulpitum_ stood, into which the actors came from behind the scenes to perform.

The middle part, or area of the amphitheatre, was called _cavae_, because it was considerably lower than the other parts, whence perhaps, the name of pit in our play houses was borrowed; and arena, because it used to be strown with sand, to hinder the performers from slipping.

There was a threefold distinction of the seats, according to the ordinary division of the people into senators, knights, and commons. The first range was called orchestra, from ???e???a?, because in that part of the Grecian theatres, the dances were performed; the second _equestria_; and the other _popularia_.

[Ill.u.s.tration:

Ruins of the Flavian Amphitheatre, commonly called the Colisaeum. Pl. 2.]

The Flavian amphitheatre, now better known by the name of the _Colisaeum_, from its stupendous magnitude, excites the astonishment of the world. It was five hundred fifty feet in length, and four hundred seventy in breadth, and one hundred sixty in height. It was surrounded to the top by a portico resting on eighty arches, and divided into four stories. The arrangement of the seats was similar to that in the theatres; but there was a large box projecting from one side, and covered with a canopy of state for the accommodation of the emperor and the magistrates, who were surrounded with all the insignia of office.

As combats of wild beasts formed a chief part of the amus.e.m.e.nts, they were secured in dens around the arena or stage, which was strongly encircled by a ca.n.a.l, to guard the spectators against their attacks.

These precautions, however, were not always sufficient, and instances occurred in which the animals sprung across the barrier.

This huge pile was commenced by Vespasian, and was reared with a portion of the materials of Nero's golden palace: its form was oval, and it is supposed to have contained upwards of eighty thousand persons. A large part of this vast edifice still remains.

Theatres, in the first ages of the commonwealth, were only temporary, and composed of wood. Of these, the most celebrated was that of Marcus Scaurus--the scenes of which were divided into three part.i.tions, one above another, the first consisting of one hundred and twenty pillars of marble; the next, of the like number of pillars, curiously wrought in gla.s.s. The top of all had the same number of pillars adorned with gilded tablets. Between the pillars were set three thousand statues and images of bra.s.s. The _cavca_ would hold eighty thousand men.

Pompey the great was the first who undertook the raising of a fixed theatre, which he built n.o.bly of square stone. Some of the remains of this theatre are still to be seen at Rome.

The _circi_ were places set apart for the celebration of several sorts of games:--they were generally oblong or almost in the shape of a bow, having a wall quite round, with ranges of seats for the convenience of spectators. At the entrance of the circus stood the _carceres_ or lists, whence they started, and just by them, one of the _metae_ or marks--the other standing at the farther end to conclude the race.

The most remarkable, was the _circus maximus_, built by Tarquinius Priscus:--the length of it was four _stadia_, or furlongs, the breadth the same number of acres, with a trench of ten feet deep, and as many broad, to receive the water, and seats enough for one hundred fifty thousand men. It was extremely beautiful and adorned by succeeding princes, and enlarged to such a prodigious extent as to be able to contain in their proper seats two hundred and sixty thousand spectators.

The _naumachiae_ or places for the shows of sea-engagements are no where particularly described; but we may suppose them similar to the _circi_ and amphitheatres.

The _stadia_ were places in the form of _circi_, for the running of men and horses. A beautiful one was built by Domitian. The _xysti_ were places constructed like porticos, in which the wrestlers exercised.

The _Campus Martius_, famous on so many accounts, was a large plain field, lying near the Tiber, whence we find it sometimes under the name of _Tiberinus_:--it was called _Martius_, because it had been consecrated by the old Romans to the G.o.d Mars. Besides the pleasant situation and other natural ornaments, the continual sports and exercises performed there, made it one of the most interesting sights near the city. Here the young n.o.blemen practised all kinds of feats of activity, and learned the use of arms. Here were the races either with chariots or single horses. Besides this, it was n.o.bly adorned with the statues of famous men, with arches, columns and porticos, and other magnificent structures. Here stood the _villa publica_ or palace, for the reception and entertainment of amba.s.sadors from foreign states, who were not allowed to enter the city.

The Roman _curiae_ were of two sorts, divine and civil. In the former, the priests and religious orders met for the regulation of the rites and ceremonies belonging to the wors.h.i.+p of the G.o.ds. In the other, the senate used to a.s.semble, to consult about the public concerns of the commonwealth. The senate could not meet in such a place, unless it had been solemnly consecrated by the augurs, and made of the same nature as a temple.

The Roman forums were public buildings about three times as long as they were broad. All the compa.s.s of the forum was surrounded by arched porticos, some pa.s.sages being left as places of entrance.

There were two kinds, _fora civilia_ and _fora venalia_. The first were designed for the ornaments of the city, and for the use of public courts of justice. The others were erected for the necessities and conveniences of the inhabitants, and were no doubt equivalent to our markets. The most remarkable were the Roman forum, built by Romulus, and adorned with porticos on all sides, by Tarquinius Priscus: This was the most ancient and most frequently used in public affairs.

The Julian forum, built by Julius Caesar, with the spoils taken in the Gallic war; the area alone, cost one hundred thousand _sesterces_, equal to 3570 dollars.

The Augustan forum, built by Augustus Caesar, containing statues in the two porticos, on each side of the main building. In one were all the Latin kings, beginning with aeneas: in the other all the Roman kings, beginning with Romulus, and most of the eminent persons in the commonwealth, and Augustus himself among the rest, with an inscription upon the pedestal of every statue, expressing the chief actions and exploits of the person it represented.

The forum of Trajan, erected by the emperor Trajan, with the foreign spoils he had taken in the wars; the covering was all bra.s.s, and the porticos exceedingly beautiful.

The chief _fora venalia_ or markets, were _boarium_, for oxen and beef, _suarium_, for swine, _pistorium_, for bread, _cupedinarium_, for dainties, and _holitorium_, for roots, sallads and similar things.

The _comitium_ was only a part of the Roman forum, which served sometimes for the celebration of the _comitia_; here stood the _rostra_, a kind of pulpit, adorned with the beaks of s.h.i.+ps taken in a sea fight, from the inhabitants of Antium in Italy; here causes were pleaded, orations made, and funeral panegyrics delivered.

CHAPTER IX.

_Porticos, Arches, Columns and Trophies._

The porticos are worthy of observation: they were structures of curious work and extraordinary beauty annexed to public edifices, sacred and civil, as well for ornament as use.

They generally took their names either from the temples which they stood near, from the builders, from the nature and form of the building, or from the remarkable paintings in them.