Submitted by Bija Knowles on Mon, 12/14/2009 - 12:55
An illegal Roma gypsy camp might be one of the last places you'd expect to find yourself on an expedition in search of an ancient Roman bridge. But this is what happened to Professor Hans Bjur and his colleagues as they were researching their project on the historical and modern context of one of Rome's oldest roads.
As they made their way through a more neglected corner of Rome's Ponte Mammolo suburb, they followed the directions to where the bridge should have stood, only to find themselves in the midst of a temporary settlement. While the Swedish researchers were the object of some scrutiny from the camp they had stumbled upon, Professor Bjur and his team were also fascinated to find a modern community living at the very site of the ruin they had come to examine.
Ponte Lucano is an ancient bridge located in Tivoli, Italy. Still in use until only a few years ago, the bridge has a history that stretches back to the 1st century BC. For about 2,000 years, Ponte Lucano served as the road from Tivoli to Rome until the mid-20th century.
Ponte Lucano crossed over the Anio river, and its structure was designed with seven arches. But flooding has threatened to damage the bridge and its historical landscape. Efforts are being made to try and preserve the area.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 16:08
An architect and a classical archaeologist have come together to give a new perspective on one of Rome's ancient roads, via Tiburtina. The result is a book just published, Via Tiburtina - Space, Movement and Artefacts in the Urban Landscape, which examines the constantly changing urban space of the road. The project involved six years of studying almost every inch of the ancient road and takes an interdisciplinary look at the road through the ages and from various angles, including its history during antiquity, the Renaissance and up to its continued use today.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Thu, 09/10/2009 - 13:36
European Heritage Days are being held in all European countries during September as part of English Heritage's Heritage Open Days programme of events. In England, events run from 10th to 13th September, at sites across the country, including plenty of Roman sites. Italy has chosen the last weekend in September to make its splash with over 1,500 monuments and sites expected to attract thousands of visitors.
The theme of this exhibition is Tivoli: its pivotal role during the Roman Republic as a commercial and diplomatic centre that was a key communication point between the people of Lazio and Sabina. From the peace of 338 BC, when Tivoli became a part of the Roman world, up to the civil wars and the birth of the empire, Tivoli's political power and economic importance grew. It became the location of choice for the Roman elite to built luxurious villas, the biggest of all of course was that of Hadrian. This exhibition displays many works of art and objects that have been lying dormant in the museum stockrooms and archives in Lazio. Most of these have never been displayed in public due to lack of space or resources, but all are of archaeological interest and value. The historic and artistic context of the exhibition will be explained as visitors follow the route around Villa Adriana.
This statue of the divinity Antinous/Osiris in white marble (signifying Upper Egypt) demonstrates how the emperor Hadrian had deified his favourite Antinous, after his drowning in the canal called the Canopus, which linked Alexandria to the main branch of the Nile. He assimilates him in this image with Osiris, the god of the afterlife, who legend has it died and was reborn.
The Young Centaur, with its smiling face, represents love, and is part of a pair of statues, the other being the Old Centaur, showing the pain of love. Both centaurs come from Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, where the emperor spent the final years of his life, having been left heartbroken when his much younger lover, Antinous, died in an accident on the Nile. The statues are the work of Greek sculptors Aristeas and Papias. From the period of Hadrian, 117-138 AC and made of Lucullan black marble.
The site was a network of over 30 buildings, covering an area of over 250 acres, of which much is yet to be excavated. The villa was the greatest example of an Alexandrian garden. The area included palaces, several thermae, theatre, temples, libraries, state rooms and quarters for courtiers, praetorians and slaves.
Many different architectural styles were employed here, mostly Greek and Egyptian and the area has an complex network of underground tunnels which were mostly used to transport servants and goods.
A fascinating structure in the Villa is the Maritime Theatre, which consists of a round portico with a barrel vault supported by pillars. Inside the portico was a ring-shaped pool with a central island, whereby a small Roman house complete with an atrium, a library, a triclinium and small baths had been constructed.
Many stunning artifacts have been unearthed on the grounds, such as marble statues of Antinous, Hadrian's deified lover, and mosaics from the theatre and baths. Many replicas of Greek sculpture have been discovered, as have Egyptian-style interpretations of Roman gods and vice versa. Most have been transferred to Rome for preservation, restoration and showcasing at the Musei Capitolini or the Musei Vaticani.
An illegal Roma gypsy camp might be one of the last places you'd expect to find yourself on an expedition in search of an ancient Roman bridge. But this is what happened to Professor Hans Bjur and his colleagues as they were researching their project on the historical and modern context of one of Rome's oldest roads. 
An architect and a classical 
