Thursday at the museums (probably last post before I leave)

Thursday is my last full day in Rome; I leave tomorrow morning.  I did some research this morning, skyped Gary early before he left for work, and went back one last time to two branches of the Museo Nazionale Romano: the Terme di Diocleziano, which has an amazing collection of ancient inscriptions; and the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, which has an excellent collection of Roman sculpture, mosaics and paintings.

I went to the Terme first to go through parts of the inscription collection one last time.  I love this place; you enter through a big courtyard that is literally crammed with ancient Roman marble.  Statues, altars, funerary monuments, pieces of buildings, and other fragments fill the gardenlike courtyard, and there are usually cats playing among the sculpture. The museum is built into part of the ruins of the immense bathhouse built by the Emperor Diocletian.  As great as this museum is, it is seldom crowded.  I’ve never had to stand in line here, and you can often go through entire galleries without seeing anyone else.

The branch of the museum in the Palazzo Massimo is just across the street and down a block.  Some of the most important works of Roman art are housed here, and I’ve put up some photos of them.  Two life-size bronze sculptures are featured in one gallery, including a really great bronze of an old boxer taking a break between rounds.  Take a look at the pics and note the lead weights on his hands; sort of the opposite of boxing gloves!  The use of lead hand weights for boxing matches is well documented in ancient writings as well. 

One gallery houses several well-known sculptures of the Julio-Claudian family, the first dynasty of Roman emperors.  The most famous is a life-size statue of Augustus himself, portrayed as Pontifex Maximus, the head of the state religion.  The emperor is portrayed as a priest togatus capite velato, with a fold of his toga pulled over his head as a veil. Roman priests and magistrates covered their heads this way for religious rites.

One room in the Palazzo Massimo reconstructs most of a room from the villa of Augustus’ wife Livia at Prima Porta.  The walls are covered floor to ceiling with frescoes of a lush garden with flowers, trees, and birds.  Above the paintings are painted stucco reliefs.  The colors are predominantly greens and blues, and seem almost as vibrant as when they were new two thousand years ago.  This is really a beautiful chamber, and I got a few good photos.

I the late afternoon I made my way home so I could start to pack and prepare for my flight.  I leave early tomorrow morning, so this is probably my last post before I get home.  There is a final set of pics posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielcmack/sets/72157625163134648/.  These are mostly pics from these two museums today.  More from the US after I return.  -Dan