Rome: SPQR

By -

Mira and I are on vacation and are visiting Rome for a few days, our first time here.

I was aware that ancient Rome was called SPQR, Senatus PopulusQue Romanus, “The Senate and People of Rome”. I didn’t realize before being here that everyone still knows and uses the term SPQR in modern Rome.

Here are a few visual demonstrations gathered over two days:
















I keeping meaning to read Mary Beard’s history book titled SPQR. Now I really need to do it.

There is here very much a sense of continuity over the past 2000+ years. Recent renovations in churches and other buildings date to the 1700s. History is in physical layers. It is a treat simply to walk and look around.

The Italian language is great, like funhouse mirror French and Spanish. Of course the Italians feel their language is the normal one and the others are weird. I just have little experience with it.

We are staying near Vatican City. Everywhere we go is so busy with people all the time, almost everywhere. There are visitors from all over the world. And we feel we could spend months here and only begin to get a little familiar with the major points in the city.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

By -
What a fun book to read. We read this for book club and then watched the movie (which wasn't necessary since we've all seen it so many times we were quoting the whole thing). It is better to know from the beginning that Goldman wrote it all, there is no S. Morgenstern. You feel less duped. I thought it was really obvious that Goldman is the true author (his humor is the same throughout, there's no way the language is from the era Goldman claims it is from), but, I do remember thinking it really was an abridgment when I read it in high school or junior high. And a lot of the ladies at book club didn't know the whole thing is fake either. Some decided they didn't like the book just because they felt deceived by the author. It is so funny though. And you get all this background information about Inigo, Fezzik and Buttercup. I love the way he tries to place the book in time... "This was before Europe," then later he talks about Paris. Also, when he describes...
Read more

Arrested Development, Season One (2003)

By -
I really enjoyed this and even started to feel a little addicted to it by the end. I like watching TV shows on DVD—it’s great to have no commercials and to be able to watch as many episodes as you want. Although this can also be detrimental if you watch six or eight episodes and find it’s 1:00 am when you finally force yourself to stop. Anyway, “Arrested Development” is very funny. All of the characters are hilarious and well-acted, and one of them rides a Segue! Shouldn’t more people be making fun of Segues? I’m looking forward to seeing the second season, but I don’t know if we can bring ourselves to buy it. We like to leach off of other people for our DVD needs, especially when it comes to TV shows.
Read more

No shortage

By -
Image
Two things we don't seem to have a shortage of in our area at the moment. Orange juice (at Winco in Idaho Falls): I was really taken aback by the wall of orange juice options. And grateful! The other thing we're not currently lacking is baby chickens (15 baby hens about a week or two old, in our front yard):
Read more