We continued our study of Ancient Roman culture, this time focussing on the nobility a bit more. In doing this, sculptures from the time of the Empire were our primary source of information; most of them being Greek copies and idealized emperors. (We went to the National Museum in the Palazzo Massimo and the Capitoline.) As we regarded copied Greek sculptures, such as the Dying Gaul (in front of which Brent recited to us Byron's "Dying Gladiator"!) and the Discus Thrower (which Mr. Travers did not want to leave!), it was made apparent that the Romans did not have the significant creative minds the Greeks had, and thus imitated them to improve their image. Another example of their vanity stems from the sculptures of their emperors, who were made to look old in the face (and therefore wise) but handsome in physical build. A most notable example of imperial vanity is the Colossus of Constantine, who is handsome, muscular, and stern with an air of command (and colossal!).
Sadly, the era of greatness began to end, as could be seen with decadent rulers and degrading art. As time passed, the busts of the emperors portrayed them as murky-eyed and pathetic, or paranoid and suspicious. These emotions were contemporaneous with the corrupted, crumbling empire at the time. Included with the later kings was low-quality art, as could be seen on several coffins which bore bas-relief statues resembling simplistic "comic-book art."
However, one Roman relic, the Pantheon, has remained in almost perfect condition since it was made in Ancient times. While we were inside, we were impressed by the immensity of the dome that was made with only physics and manual labor. It was the largest for the time and all the way until the Renaissance, when the painter Raphael was buried there. This day was most eventful, even excluding the delicious meals (Including the best Gioloto in the World! Hmmm... water-melon with chocolate seeds!) and recreation. --Josh (Parenthetical additions by Mr. Travers)
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