Cities of the Underworld:
ROME’S HIDDEN EMPIRE.
PROGRAMME LENGTH
1 hour
SCREENING DETAILS
Monday August 11 at 9.30am EST/ NZ
Our gung-ho guide takes us to the ‘underworld’ beneath modern Rome.
The program explores remains of buildings, and discusses events, from the reigns of Nero,
Domitian, Trajan, and Augustus.
Students of archaeology will find this interesting and useful. It could be an interesting, even
intriguing introduction to a study of the city of Rome.
Denis Mootz
STAYING FOCUSED.
This is the data collection stage of the activity.
The detailed questioning is designed to ensure that students decode the visual and aural materials
presented to them in the video.
The video programs can be stopped at the end of each section. This will allow students to share and
discuss answers.
Introduction.
Note the visible remains of ancient Rome.
Note the remains that are not visible.
Act 1.
Note details of the city of Rome in the 1st century AD.
Note details of the Circus Maximus and its surrounds.
Note how the Circus has changed over time.
Note details of the Mithraeum discovered near the Circus Maximus.
Note what is known of the cult of Mithras and its rituals.
What implication is drawn from the siting of the Mithraeum?
Act 2.
Note the description of the living conditions of ordinary Romans in 1st Century AD.
How many apartment buildings were there in Rome?
Note the details of the apartment complex.
Note details of the water supply to the apartment building.
When were the apartment block and adjacent castellum aquae built?
Note what ‘modern’ elements are obvious in this apartment building.
Note what we are told about Nero.
Why is Nero suspected of burning Rome? Evidence?
Why do we know so little about ordinary Romans?
Act 3.
Note details of the Piazza Navona.
What was the intention of the policy of ‘bread and circuses’?
Note what we are told about Domitian.
Note details of the Stadium of Domitian.
What events were performed at the stadium?
How did the stadium reflect the class divisions of Rome?
Note details of the businesses conducted at or near entertainment venues.
Note details of the Roman arch. How did it affect building? Result?
What other techniques made construction a ‘science’ in Rome?
Act 4.
Note what we are told of Trajan and the Empire.
What did Trajan do with the wealth of the Empire?
Note details of Trajan’s Basilica Ulpia.
Note details of the other elements of Trajan’s forum.
Why was the forum built?
Note the problems that archaeologists and conservators faced when excavating the remains.
Act 5.
Note the actions taken by Augustus to ‘clean up’ Rome.
Note details of the ‘fire station’.
Note the role and status of the ‘firemen’.
What inspired Augustus’s establishment of the vigiles?
What were the responsibilities of the vigiles?
Who did they worship?
Note how the Roman remains were re-used in medieval buildings.
EXTENSIONS.
Useful, interesting, challenging, books, sources and websites will provide materials to supplement and
complement the History presented in the video program.
The data collected here should be used in the notemaking below.
An excellent source of material to complement this program
Dellaportella, I., (1999), Subterranean Rome, Cologne:Konemann
ISBN 3-8290-2120-8
Some useful Internet sites:
Circus Maximus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_Maximus
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/circusmaximus/circusmaximus.html
Mithras / Mithraeum:
http://www.maquettes-historiques.net/P18g7.html
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=4764749&page=1
http://www.indopedia.org/Mithraeum.html
Insulae:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulae
http://www.hadrians.com/rome/romans/homes/roman_apartments.html
http://anightinrome.blogspot.com/2007/08/insula-romana.html
Nero:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero
http://www.roman-emperors.org/nero.htm
Domus Aurea:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domus_Aurea
http://www.the-colosseum.net/history/domusaurea.htm
Piazza Navona:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Navona
Stadium of Domitian:
http://www.roman-empire.net/tours/rome/piazza-navona.html
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PL
ATOP*/Stadium_Domitiani.html
Domitian:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kvenjb/madmonarchs/domitian/domitian_bio.htm
http://www.roman-emperors.org/domitian.htm
Forum of Trajan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan's_Forum
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/imperialfora/trajan/forumtrajani.html
Trajan:
http://www.roman-emperors.org/trajan.htm
http://www.roman-empire.net/highpoint/trajan.html
Basilica Ulpia:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/imperialfora/trajan/basilica.html
http://student-kmt.hku.nl/~joost1/forumtrajani/EN%20Basilica.html
Augustus:
http://www.roman-emperors.org/auggie.htm
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PL
ATOP*/Regiones_Quattuordecim.html
Cohors Vigiles:
http://www2.comune.roma.it/sovraintendenza/english/albero/139/126/144/148/362/scheda.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigiles
http://www.ostia-antica.org/dict/topics/caserma/castra.htm
NOTEMAKING.
This is the collation stage of the activity. Students need to organise the field of information and begin to
explore its context.
Directions and /or Inquiry questions are provided for notemaking / summary exercises that
will follow the viewing of the video.
The materials / data for the summaries have been collected above.
The activity could be done in teams, groups, or by individuals, or as a class with teacher direction.
1. Draw up a timeline / chronological chart of the events described and discussed in this
program.
2. Note details of the Circus Maximus.
3. Note details of the cult of Mithras.
4. Note details of Rome’s apartment buildings.
5. Note details of the reign of Nero.
6. Note details of Nero’s new palace.
7. Note details of the Piazza Navona.
8. Note details of the Stadium of Domitian.
9. Note details of the reign of Domitian.
10. Note details of Trajan’s forum.
11. Note details of the reign of Trajan.
12. Note details of the Basilica Ulpia.
13. Note details of the excubitorium of the vigiles.
14. Note details of the cohors vigiles.
15. Note details of the reign of Augustus
ISSUES & INQUIRY.
Key issues and inquiry questions that have been raised by the video are addressed at this stage for
discussion and research.
1. What archaeological evidence is available for life in ancient Rome?
2. What archaeological evidence is available for the daily life of ordinary Romans?
3. What archaeological evidence do we have for building projects of the emperors?
4. Why was it necessary for Augustus to clean up Rome? How frequent were fires?
5. Why is Nero suspecting of burning Rome?
PROBLEMS of EVIDENCE.
Questions of reliability and validity of the perspectives, evidence and sources presented in the video
program need to be considered, tested and researched.
1. Which of the emperors discussed was the builder of the most expansive buildings?
2. Which of the emperors is considered the most ‘evil’? How is this measured or illustrated?
3. What evidence is there to connect Nero to the burning of Rome?
COMMUNICATING.
The key issues and inquiry questions are potential topics for debate, essay writing, reports, historical
recount and explanation.
1. Write a REPORT on subterranean Rome.
2. DEBATE the proposition that
“Architecture is a useful indicator of the moral health of a society.”
3. Explain the work of the cohors vigiles in Rome.