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Heads I win, Tails you lose |
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written
by jwang3 / 10.24.2005 |
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| Monumental Architecture vs. the Everyday |
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Assignment |
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The fact that Case Romane del Celio owes its survival to its infill of dirt for 1500 years stands as a testimony to the lack of regard for private space in Rome. Although public spaces like the Roman Forum and the Palatine lie in ruins, they have nevertheless withstood the test of time, existing to this very day. The private homes, in contrast, have disappeared, been neglected and built on top of. They lie under the modern city and throughout history, little to no effort has been taken to preserve them.
While the argument that public spaces that formerly contained the Roman government buildings and housed the elite are more important than the average citizen’s home and therefore deserve the homage they are paid is certainly valid, it is a picture of the manner of Rome’s rise to power. The smaller and thus less important spaces in Rome have been destroyed, while the more monumental buildings have been preserved as important pieces of history. Similarly, through blatant disregard for the weaker people, Rome strengthened its own territory by conquering neighboring civilizations, forcing subservience to their own city. This theme is present even at the very foundation of Rome. Immediately following Romulus’s establishment of the city, the nearby Sabine women were taken in order to produce the next generation of Romans. It was not until after they had been captured that the Sabine people were “invited” to join the Roman civilization. How lucky for them, considering there were no women left in their society to reproduce. Although this type of disregard for the weaker and smaller people can be commonly found in national history, it is epitomized in Rome. The story Roman conquest and spread is greater than of any other nation; Rome strengthened her own nation by devastating others.
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