VIA FLAMINIA

        Musa led the young apprentice out of the Forum Augustum and quickly began weaving his way through the crowds of the Julium Forum. The young man's eyes were torn in all directions, trying at once to keep up with Musa while taking in all he could see around him. The Forum itself seemed much like that of the Emperors Forum, with a large marble temple rising at the far end of the courtyard. Two statues of who appeared to the young apprentice to be Julius Caesar himself rose up above the crowds, one in Military dress and one on horseback. Around him, people were making their way towards the porticus on the far side of the courtyard. With a start the young apprentice realized that Musa had stopped and was watching him with an expression of grim amusement. “Your eyes look like their going to fall out your head.” He said shaking his head. “Now keep up, there is much to be seen yet.”

Entering the porticus on the far side of the Forum, Musa and the young apprentice flowed with the crowd towards two broad stair cases that led up and away from the Forum. The stairway itself was dark and crowded and both Musa and the young apprentice were relieved to finally step out onto the Clivus Argentarius, even if that still was relatively narrow compared to the open space of the Forums below. As they walked the road began to slope downwards, leading them down the Capitoline hill. On either side of the street, buildings looked over them, making the road seem almost like a tunnel. The road slowly began to widen however and Musa turned to the young apprentice, following nervously on his heels. For a moment, he felt almost sorry for the young man. Musa had spent all his life in Rome so was used to the hustle and bustle of the streets but he supposed it might be a shock for someone new. Slowing his pace he said, “We’ll make our way up the Via Lata and out onto the Via Flaminia, the roads broaden there and you’ll be able to see some sights.”

The young apprentice nodded looking relieved and sure enough as they passed the Porta Fontinalis, the old republican wall, the road began to widen out into the Via Lata. “Look said Musa, pointing to the right hand side of the road, “You see there is a tomb there?” The young apprentice nodded. “Well,” said Musa continuing, “you will not see tombs in this area of the city, it is a rare distinction to be buried within the Pomerium. It is the tomb of C. Publicus Bibulus, a Tribune of the plebs in Republican times.”

Moving onwards the road began to broaden, and the number of building on either side of the road begin to lessen. Soon they could look out across the Campus Martius to their left. A huge building rose up, dominating the view to the left of the highway. Pointing, Musa explained that it was the Saepta Julia, the old voting hall of the Republican system. Now Augustus would sometimes hold gladiatorial shows there. “Behind it is the Baths of Agrippa where we shall be this afternoon.” As they continued on, before them, stretching across the Via Flaminia was an aqueduct, running west to east across the Campus Martius. “That is the Aqua Virgo,” Musa told the young apprentice, "Marcus Agrippa built it in 19BC. Apparently, they found the source when a young girl led some soldiers to a spring north of Rome. So now we have the Aqueduct.” Beyond the Aqueduct the land around them became visibly less built up, behind them in the distance they could see the parkland around the Baths of Agrippa. As they approached the Ara Pacis the young apprentice became filled with anticipation to see the great Alter of Peace. 

FROM THE FORVM AVGVSTVM             HOME                TO THE ARA PACIS