Museo Della Civilta Romana

Anyone who has a serious interest in ancient Roman history should make it a point to visit the Museo Della Civita Romana (Museum of Roman Civilization) in Rome. This is the 'mother load' of things Roman.

It is a very large museum which pulls together an enormous collection spanning nearly all aspects of Roman civilization. Unlike other great collections, this one is not just made up of statues, incriptions and sarcophaguses. Rather, they have also displayed frescoes, coins, implements, and tools, and a huge collection of scale models. Interestingly, a good portion of the display is replicas of pieces found in museums across Italy and Europe. For example, the museum has near perfect reproductions from the gold and silver hordes associated with Nagyzentmikles, Esquirlire, and Hildeneshiem.

First and of course most important to us, is the collection related to the Roman military establishment. There are mannequins of fully equipped legions and there are nurnaous bronze statues of ready Roman soldiers and their Italian foes. Although I don't know the background of the bronzes, they appear to be consistent with commonly accepted depictions.

There are full sized reproductions of catapults and ballistas. If you enjoy the illustrations like those by Peter Connolly, this place has all of them in scale -- model Alesia, sieges of cities, siege towers, battering galleys, the construction of a bridge over the Rhine, Roman road construction and on and on. There is nothing here that you can't find in a book somewhere but a 1:50 scale model of the siege of Avaricum is a terrific sight. Unfortunately there are not any figures on these models! The curators neet to start painting l5s and 25s.

Trajan's column is an immense stone column depicting the Emperer's wars against the Dacians. The story is told with over 2500 sculpted figures and is the best source available for the equpping of Early Imperial legions. If you have ever tried to take a good look at the column (in Trajan's Forum) you need powerful binoculars and you get a stiff neck for your trouble. This museum has a full scale, unwound plaster cast of it, laid out at eye level. It is 600 feet (200M) long! The casting was commissioned by Napoleon III in 1861, which makes it better than the original (now eroding from air pollution).

In addition to military history, the museum provides a comprehensive look at everyday life in ancient Rome. There are major exhibits depicted to construction methods, medicine, including surgical instnnnents), agriculture (with wine and olive presses and mills), and music (including an organ!). There are life-sized Roman home interiors including a library and many pieces of furniture. Treatment is given to the economy and finance with an emphasis on the retail trades.

The masterpiece is, of course, the 1:250 model of the city of Rome in the time of Constantine (early 4th century). It takes up a whole gallery and is just amazing to look at.

You need a whole morning for this Museo. A full day if you are really into the detils.

Call ahesad for hours. They may be open in the afternoon, which is a rarity among Italian museums. The museum is not located in Rome's center. It is located at Piezza G. Agnelli, 10, EUR, Rome - about 15 min subway/underground (Metro blue line) ride to the EUR area. There are other national historic museums in the EUR area but my time ran out.

Castel St. Angelo

Within the past two years the Castle of Saint Angelo ('Hadrian's Tomb' to its builders) has had quite a bit of restoration. This, along with most of the cathedrals and palazzos are being spruced up for the Jubilee Yeer 2000. I have no idea what the Pope plans for the millennium, but the great restorations are appreciated.

A veq small museum within the castle has been reopened. The collection is dedicated primarily to weapons and armor from Romen times to the 1800s. However there is hardly more than one piece from each century. More impressive is the large (16 piece) collection of 15th-16thC bombards and an enormous supply of stone shot.