Horti

                                        (The Pantheon was completely rebuilt by Hadrian in 117-125 A.D)

Walking  back towards the city, the two figures headed for the Thermae Agrippa, one trudging along slowly while the other one followed with a bounce in his step.  "So you ready for your bath now?"  Asked Musa as he certainly was!  "Yes!" Exclaimed the young man enthusiastically.  Opting to stay away from the busy roads and the pushy crowds, Musa decided to take the young man through the gardens.  The  heat was almost unbearably as they walked along, with Musa wiping his forehead and the young doctor admiring the gardens.  "These gardens are certainly well cared for" he commented, watching the colourful flowers.  "Of course!" Musa looked back at him, "A well kept state is a healthy state, my boy", he said wisely.  The apprentice nodded, swinging his head left and right in case he missed anything.  As they moved closer to the baths, Musa knew that the questions were bound to begin again. 

"We'll walking between the Pantheon and the Saepta in a moment."  Musa began to explain automatically, before the young man opened his mouth.  "The Pantheon is a building that was erected in 27 B. C. by Agrippa, dedicated to Venus, Mars and the divine Julius Caesar.   Inside the Pantheon are statues of Agrippa  and Augustus."  He walked up to the building intending to lead the young man between the Pantheon and the Saepta.  Though Musa walked faster, in an attempt to encourage the young man not to stop, the young apprentice slowed his pace so that he could admire the Pantheon.  It did not help matters that that as they were coming from the north, they  were facing the front entrance of the building. 

Although the structure of the temple was simple, it was effective and impressive.  Not as impressive as the Mausoleum of course, but it could hold its own!  A simple rectangular shape consisting of sixteen single granite columns, preceding with a huge rotunda, the temple looked huge close up.  Refusing to stop, Musa choose to distract the young man's attention instead.  "On your left he said," almost dragging the young apprentice between the two buildings, "is the Saepta."  It worked, the young man once again opened his eyes wide as he looked at the building Musa gestured to.  "Caesar had planned to build it in place of the earlier voting precint, on the Campus Martius.  Caesar never finished building it, and it was completed and dedicated by Agrippa in 26 B. C. Although its called the saepta Iulia, everyone always refers to it as the saepta."  Musa continued walking and talking at the same time, no way was he stopping to admire anymore buildings.  "In the saepta, gladitorial combats and sham naval battles are shown here by Augustus.  Originally, Augustus had built the new saepta as a new voting precint, but it seems its not needed as much these days, hence the reason why its been used for other things these days."  He glanced to his left, casting his eyes over the huge rectangular porticus, built of travertine, with eight longitudinal rows of piers, before hurrying along the young apprentice.  

Just as he thought he'd made it to the baths, the apprentice asked, "What's that opposite the baths?"  It was the Basilica Neptuni.  Musa was annpyed, he was desperate for a bath and the apprentice had done nothing but asked questions all day.  He was tired, his head hurt and he felt sick. "The Basilica Neptuni." He snapped.  He was not answering any more questions today until he had that bath.  "Now come on."  Without a word, the young man quietly followed him as Musa marched up to the baths. 

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