The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance

http://www.pbs.org/empires/medici/

30 years under the Borgias

The World of Dante

See “The World of Dante” website here.

Vespasian’s Villa Found

From the discovery.com article:
The summer villa of Roman Emperor Vespasian has been found in the Sabine hill country northeast of Rome, Italian archaeologists announced today.

Titus Flavius Vespasianus is known for rebuilding the Roman Empire following the tumultuous reign of Emporer Nero. Vespasian changed the face of Rome by launching a major public works program, which included the construction of the Colosseum, the structure that arguably defines the glory of ancient Rome.

Dating back to the first century A.D., the massive villa, adorned with mosaic floors, baths and marbled halls, has emerged following four years of digs near the town of Cittareale, in the province of Rieti.

The villa not only is located near the place of Vespasian’s birth at Falacrinae (Vicus Phalacrinae), but also may be the site where he is said to have died.

Read the article here.

Ancient ‘Treasure’ Found in Farmer’s Bookshelf

From the discovery.com article:
Italian police have found the long-sought “treasure of Satricum” in a farmer’s bookshelf, they announced at a news conference in Rome this week.

Consisting of more than 500 delicate miniature pots crafted about 2,600 years ago, the “treasure” was discovered during a police investigation in the countryside near the village of Campoverde di Aprilia, some 25 miles south of Rome.
…
Meticulously stored in a bookshelf in the farmer’s house, the miniature jars were made of Italo-Corinthian pottery and Etruscan bucchero pottery, a kind of ceramic made in the Etruscan region between the 7th and 5th centuries B.C.

Read the article here.

Gladiators to return to Rome

From the telegraph.co.uk article:
Umberto Broccoli, the archaeologist in charge of the Colosseum, said that he is planning to bring the gladiatorial clashes of ancient Rome to the modern Italian capital as part of a “serious project” to revive interest in its monuments and museums.

Whereas the gladiators who entertained ancient Roman crowds in the huge amphitheatre often battled to the death, today’s fighters will engage in mock battles.

While sparing their opponents from injury, those aspiring to follow Russell Crowe’s heroics in the film Gladiator will nonetheless wear authentic helmets and body armour and wield the same swords, tridents, nets and daggers that were used in ancient times.
…

The modern-day gladiators could be drawn from Rome’s “gladiator school”, whose 200 members spend their weekends dressed in sandals and breast plates and learning ancient fighting techniques.

“We fight each other in a way that is as authentic as possible, without hurting each other,” said Sergio Iacomoni, the president of the historical society that runs the school.

“A judge decides the winner when one adversary manages to land what is considered a mortal blow. Lots of people are interested in the fights, particularly American tourists and kids.”

Read the article here.

This could be awesome if its’s done right.

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Website

Go to this site, find the 8C Competizione among the other cars, click it and then spin the car around to see it from all angles. Lots of cool stuff to look at. Nice website, even better looking car.

Go to the site here.

Italy declares Pompeii emergency

From the bbc.co.uk article:
The ancient city of Pompeii has fallen into such disrepair that the Italian government has declared a “state of emergency” in a bid to save the ruins.

Ministers intend to appoint a special commissioner to oversee the site, and have earmarked extra funding for it.

According to analysts, the ruins have suffered from lack of investment, mismanagement, litter and looting.

Pompeii was buried by a volcanic eruption in AD79 and was not rediscovered until the 18th Century.

The volcanic debris preserved many of the city’s buildings, frescos, silverware, mosaics and other artefacts.

But experts complain that the relics are now in danger.

“Every year at least 150 sq m (1,600 sq ft) of fresco and plasterwork are lost for lack of maintenance,” Antonio Irlando, a regional councillor responsible for artistic heritage, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

“The same goes for stones: at least 3,000 pieces every year end up disintegrating,” he said.

Read the article here.
There is also a short video describing the situation.

House of Augustus opens to public

From the bbc.co.uk article:
lmost 50 years ago, archaeologists searching for the ruined house of Augustus found a tiny clue buried deep in 2,000 years’ worth of rubble overlooking the Forum in Rome.

The single fragment of painted plaster, discovered in masonry-filled rooms, led the experts to unearth a series of exquisite frescoes commissioned by the man who would later become Rome’s first emperor.

On Sunday following decades of painstaking restoration, the frescoes in vivid shades of blue, red and ochre went on public show for the first time since they were painted in about 30BC.

One large room boasts a theatrical theme, its walls painted to resemble a stage with narrow side-doors.

High on the wall a comic mask peers through a small window.

Other trompe l’oeil designs include an elegant garden vista, yellow columns and even a meticulously sketched blackbird.
…

In 31BC Augustus – or Octavian, as he was then known – had triumphed over the combined forces of Mark Antony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium.

The victory brought Egypt, and with it immense wealth, into the empire.

But if the frescoes on the walls are exquisite, their surroundings, though impressive, with vaulted ceilings, are less than palatial.

The Roman historian Suetonius described how Augustus lived in a modest house on the Palatine before he assumed supreme power and built a sprawling imperial complex higher up the hill.

Read the rest of the article here.

Update 03/17/08
There is a good video clip about this story here.

Hannibal, and Rome’s Tenacious Nature

What made Hannibal successful? What principals did he follow? How was his way of thinking different from other generals of the time? The 100falcons site provides a concise study of Hannibal’s success.

The thing that impresses me most about the story of Hannibal however is Rome’s tenacious reaction, refusing to surrender even in the face of catastrophic failure. And this tenacious attitude eventually led to their victory over Hannibal and finally the complete destruction of Carthage and its total elimination as a future threat. This period of time is a perfect example of pure unadulterated self-interest, something that has long since been demonized in Western Civilization and this illustrates modern mans deficiencies and lack of virility compared to the ancients.

Check out the 100falcons post here.