Sample Rome the Game

(t8n:'dissolve')[ “Okay,” you say. “And what about the Pantheon? Was that a temple too?” Lisa sighs. “It’s a mystery, which is fitting, I think, for the place. I’ll tell you more about it inside. It has a special aura.” The bus lurches to a halt and Lisa stands up. “Come on,” she says. “It’s easier to understand up close.” ] (click: "easier to understand up close")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<iframe src="https://gauchocast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=993e19ef-8ac4-4875-a208-ac460018fb91&autoplay=true&offerviewer=false&showtitle=false&showbrand=false&start=0&interactivity=all" height="504" width="896" style="border: 1px solid #464646;" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay"></iframe> As you exit the Pantheon, Lisa says, “That probably gave you more questions about the Pantheon than answers.” “Yeah,” you say. “I was really struck by the opening in the dome’s center.” You speculate about its purpose... [[Since there are no windows, the opening is there mainly as a light source.|light source]] [[The Romans needed a hole to let out the smoke from the burnt offerings to the gods.|burnt]] [[The hole opens up the temple to the heavens, so there must have been some astrological significance to it.|ascend]] ] (set: $progress to 16) (float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress (print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="18"></progress>')]

The circular opening must have been mainly used as a light source, you think — after all, the light streaming in as a single beam is certainly dramatic. But then again, you think, maybe there’s more than one reason the Romans incorporated it into the dome. You decide to do some research when you have time, and to return to the Pantheon yet again. “It’s hard to believe they were able to build such a place so long ago, without the technology we have,” you say. “And it looks so new.” “Yes, it’s very well preserved,” Lisa answers. “As I mentioned inside, it was turned into a church in the early 600s CE, and because of that, it was protected.” “I’m so glad they protected it,” you say. “When I first saw it from the outside, I never really expected the inside to be so... so... what’s the word? Lofty?” (click: "Lofty")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Like most great art,” Lisa replies, “it’s almost meant to be //felt// more than it is to be understood, I think sometimes.” “I’d like to do both,” you say. Lisa nods. “You’re right, of course. I’ve got a few things you can look at back at the house, in order to help with the thinking side of things. We’re close, by the way.” “I remember the walk. Next stop, Circus Agonalis, right?” Lisa bursts out laughing. “Oh, I’m sorry about all that. Dragging you all over the city with your suitcase! I should have just offered to pay for a taxi instead.” [[“A taxi would have been great.”|taxi]] [[“That’s okay. I travel light, and it was a good way to see a few sights.”|okay]] ] (set: $progress to 17) (float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress (print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="18"></progress>')]

“I was thinking more about that hole in the ceiling, the oculus,” you say. “Is there any way it could have been there to let the smoke out after they started burning the meat from sacrifices? Or... could it have been incense that they burned?” “The ancient Romans,” Lisa replies, “did burn both the meat from sacrificed animals and incense or other fragrant things, like pine cones, in rituals dedicated to the gods. But they would have done that at an altar, which was a sacred structure that was always outside a temple, not inside.” “So you don’t think there’s any way the hole could have been for ritual smoke to reach the gods, then?” (click: "ritual smoke")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Lisa shakes her head. “From the things we have learned about ritual sacrifice, it does not seem likely.” “I don’t see an altar out here in the piazza — would there have been an altar out here that got destroyed?” you ask, looking around the piazza outside. “I only see the fountain, which is... pretty bizarre, isn’t it?” <img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/4f6ca4c5721323013200a51d6964914e/7680271cf9a247e3-d3/s400x600/707e9f5b1ff8ca08e51c68509751358c002b9a49.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px"> “It is strange, yes. Not ancient. Archaeologists recently dug below here after a sinkhole opened in the piazza, and they found pavement dating to the earliest building phase of the Pantheon. Here, let me pull up the picture from the newspaper.” Lisa pulls out her phone, showing it to you once she’s found the picture: ] (click: "from the newspaper")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/5ee3a86b36fb1299489c52e1ae394ca6/86725f16505167ff-08/s1280x1920/4b62ffcd84136c0edf8d859ab99fda8b83a40b1f.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px"> “If you read the article,” Lisa continues, “you’ll see they didn’t find an altar, but they did find evidence of the paved forecourt in front of the Pantheon. The fountain itself is... I believe... 16th century.” “So it’s basically new,” you say, smiling. “For Rome, anyway.” “Quite new,” Lisa says with a wink. “But the obelisk is old — much, much older than the Pantheon. It was stolen by the ancient Romans, taken from Egypt to make a new temple to the goddess Isis, not far from here.” ] (click: "goddess Isis")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Isis, here?” you ask. “She was very fashionable in Rome for a time,” Lisa says. “So, just like the columns in the portico — they were also taken from Egypt, right?” “Yes,” Lisa answers. “The Romans liked to take things from other places to show their strength and their power.” “This area has so much history, with so many different layers and phases,” you say. “When I first saw the Pantheon from the outside, I never really expected the inside to be so... so... what’s the word? Lofty?”] (click: "Lofty")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Like most great art,” Lisa replies, “it’s almost meant to be //felt// more than it is to be understood, I think sometimes.” “I’d like to do both,” you say. Lisa nods. “You’re right, of course. I’ve got a few things you can look at back at the house, in order to help with the thinking side of things. We’re close, by the way.” “I remember the walk. Next stop, Circus Agonalis, right?” Lisa bursts out laughing. “Oh, I’m sorry about all that. Dragging you all over the city with your suitcase! I should have just offered to pay for a taxi instead.” [[“A taxi would have been great.”|taxi]] [[“That’s okay. I travel light, and it was a good way to see a few sights.”|okay]] ] (set: $progress to 17) (float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress (print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="18"></progress>')]

You suspect that there might have been some astrological significance to the oculus in the center of the dome. You wonder whether the sun shines through the hole in such a particular way on certain days, at certain hours. The architect must have designed the temple specifically to have that effect, right? But then again, you think, maybe there was more than one reason the Romans incorporated the hole into the dome. You decide to do some research when you have time, and to return. “It’s hard to believe they were able to build such a place so long ago, without the technology we have,” you say. “And it looks so new.” “Yes,” Lisa responds. “It’s extremely well built, which is one of the reasons it’s so well preserved. The other reason is that after it was turned into a church in the early 600s CE, it was protected.” “It’s a complicated place with so many different layers and phases, but with a simplicity, too,” you say. “When I first saw it from the outside, I never really expected the inside to be so... so... what’s the word? Lofty?” (click: "Lofty")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Like most great art,” Lisa replies, “it’s almost meant to be //felt// more than it is to be understood, I think sometimes.” “I’d like to do both,” you say. Lisa nods. “You’re right, of course. I’ve got a few things you can look at back at the house, in order to help with the thinking side of things. We’re close, by the way.” “I remember the walk. Next stop, Circus Agonalis, right?” Lisa bursts out laughing. “Oh, I’m sorry about all that. Dragging you all over the city with your suitcase! I should have just offered to pay for a taxi instead.” [[“A taxi would have been great.”|taxi]] [[“That’s okay. I travel light, and it was a good way to see a few sights.”|okay]] ] (set: $progress to 17) (float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress (print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="18"></progress>')]

“A taxi would have been great,” you say. “But I suppose it wasn’t a total loss. I got to see a few things, and I met a new friend.” “Good to hear,” Lisa says. “But I still feel a bit guilty. I’ll buy us a few things for lunch to make up for it.” “Lead on,” you say. “I’m starved!” You make your way through the winding streets — bypassing Piazza Navona, from what you can tell — and soon you find yourself in the middle of the outdoor food market in Campo de’ Fiori. <img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/2bc3d0ce77d6c58ff812b03118467572/de6fb6253349e2cf-f9/s1280x1920/dfa3ebe53eb49c7e4ab82322bc0f913b0290709d.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px"> Lisa buys a delicious-looking cheese — a toma — as well as prosciutto di San Daniele and a couple cantaloupes. (click: "cantaloupes")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Once back at Lisa's house you and Lisa set out all the food, along with a couple tall bottles of cold water marked //frizzante//, or sparkling, and start to eat. “Here,” Lisa says, reaching for a book on the counter and tossing it to you. “Read the introduction through page 8. It’ll answer some of your questions. Nicely written, too. Very readable... I think you’ll like it.” The book is called //The Pantheon: From Antiquity to the Present//, by Tod Mardar and Mark Wilson Jones. You open it up and start reading. ] (click: "open it up and start reading")+(t8n:'dissolve')[//(To download the PDF, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the PDF.) // <iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-oNL3LJZTM8wiBl_VxHorGPEIYGWQFa5/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe> By the time you’ve finished, Lisa has put out some //ciambelline al vino rosso// on the wooden table. ] (click: "on the wooden table")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/4ea5be41b33fabbdc54d20cd2689e374/2f5eba1b51a1fa45-d1/s1280x1920/2c465e2bf59a3266613ca4b2052610f578ce1935.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px"> You take a bite of cookie, and Lisa says, “The Pantheon is an architectural wonder — its architecture has influenced many important modern buildings.” “Like the Capitol Building in Washington, DC?” “That’s one of many, yes,” says Lisa. “I was thinking about the statues, too,” you say. “Even though there aren’t any statues left now, ancient writers said they were there...” “We’d call that literary evidence,” Lisa says. “Dio Cassius wrote that there were statues of the deified Julius Caesar — ‘deified’ meaning he was made a god after his death — along with the Olympian gods, including Venus and Mars. He also wrote that there were statues of Augustus and Agrippa in the niches in the front of the Pantheon, almost like they were hosts welcoming visitors inside. But inside, it would have been only the gods, with the light from the oculus bathing the interior with almost a heavenly light. At least that’s how it feels to me,” she says with a smile. ] (click: "hosts welcoming visitors")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“I’m not sure where that leaves me with my Getty statue,” you say, “but I know more about context now, and some of the different ways people interacted with statues.” “It’s a big subject,” says Lisa. “I have an idea about where you should go next.” “Where?” “I’ll let you know tomorrow. I’m going to head upstairs for an afternoon nap. You get to take naps when you’re older, like me.” “Or when you’re a statue of a sleeping little boy,” you say. Lisa smiles and goes up the creaking stairs, leaving you in the kitchen — all alone, but for the mosquitoes. You pop another piece of ciambella into your mouth and check your email. Mostly junk... except for a new message from your advisor, Prof. Moro, which reads: ] (click: "except for a new message from your advisor, Prof. Moro")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<iframe src="https://gauchocast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=a2fa6a37-7d84-4fc3-b242-afba014c9ec2&autoplay=true&offerviewer=false&showtitle=false&showbrand=false&captions=false&interactivity=none" height="0" width="0" style="border: 1px solid #464646;" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay"></iframe>(t8n: "dissolve")+(t8n-delay:1s)[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/52f7ce8f71c3461cd6127e83c5f798b7/c83ae977910f63b7-eb/s1280x1920/d80c4973252d879ecb810e4a86330f4337ba8dc4.pnj" style="width:100%;max-width:1024px">] //Click here to expand the email text for more accessible reading// (click: "Click here to expand the email text for more accessible reading")[ ''Checking In, Tour Opportunity'' I just got a quick update from Lisa that you went to the Forum, Colosseum, and Pantheon today. Wow! In typical Lisa fashion, she really took you around and showed you a lot. I hope you got some good ideas about possible contexts for your Getty statue. Now that you’ve looked at some sites where the statues might have been placed, you should go to museums next to see similar statues, which should give you a sense of the types and how they were used. I am also writing because the director of the UC EAP (Education Abroad Program) based in Rome just reached out to me about getting help running a tour for their students. They read your post on the museum studies blog and thought that since you were in Rome, it would be wonderful if you could give undergrad students in the EAP program a tour. These students are new to Rome and have never taken an architecture or art history class before, so they won’t be familiar with the monuments. I thought it would be best if you could teach them about one of the buildings you just saw (the Colosseum OR Roman Forum OR Pantheon). It’ll be a relatively short tour — the students have a full schedule, and the plan is that you’ll meet them there and take them through the site, helping them to understand what you think is most important, or interesting, about it. I hope you’ll say yes — this will be another great thing to put on your resume, which will help you in your career. This reminds me: when I see you next, let’s talk more about the different career options that’ll be open to you once you finish school. I know we’ve talked about careers several times, but the new Museum Studies minor and the Architecture & Urban History minor in the department open up a variety of career options to graduates. Drives me CRAZY when people who know nothing about it say things like “What can you do with an Art History degree?” “Many wonderful things” is the answer, of course. But I digress... The director will reach out to you later to schedule a time for the actual tour, which the students are really looking forward to! A presto, Prof. Moro] To download the writing assignment for Chapter 3, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the assignment. <iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1afhfDBfiyydi65P40qn4wAf3OvZGndgj/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>] (set: $progress to 18) (float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress (print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="18"></progress>')]

“No problem,” you say. “I got to see a few things, and I met a new friend.” “Good to hear,” Lisa says. “But I still feel a bit guilty. I’ll buy us a few things for lunch to make up for it.” “Lead on,” you say. “I’m starved!” You make your way through the winding streets — bypassing Piazza Navona, from what you can tell — and soon you find yourself in the middle of the outdoor food market in Campo de’ Fiori. <img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/2bc3d0ce77d6c58ff812b03118467572/de6fb6253349e2cf-f9/s1280x1920/dfa3ebe53eb49c7e4ab82322bc0f913b0290709d.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px"> Lisa buys a delicious-looking cheese — a toma — as well as prosciutto di San Daniele and a couple cantaloupes. (click: "cantaloupes")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Once back at Lisa's house, you and Lisa set out all the food, along with a couple tall bottles of cold water marked //frizzante//, or sparkling, and start to eat. “Here,” Lisa says, reaching for a book on the counter and tossing it to you. “Read the introduction through page 8. It’ll answer some of your questions. Nicely written, too. Very readable... I think you’ll like it.” The book is called //The Pantheon: From Antiquity to the Present//, by Tod Mardar and Mark Wilson Jones. You open it up and start reading. ] (click: "open it up and start reading")+(t8n:'dissolve')[//(To download the PDF, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the PDF.) // <iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-oNL3LJZTM8wiBl_VxHorGPEIYGWQFa5/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe> By the time you’ve finished, Lisa has put out some //ciambelline al vino rosso// on the wooden table. ] (click: "on the wooden table")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/4ea5be41b33fabbdc54d20cd2689e374/2f5eba1b51a1fa45-d1/s1280x1920/2c465e2bf59a3266613ca4b2052610f578ce1935.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px"> You take a bite of cookie, and Lisa says, “The Pantheon is an architectural wonder — its architecture has influenced many important modern buildings.” “Like the Capitol Building in Washington, DC?” “That’s one of many, yes,” says Lisa. “I was thinking about the statues, too,” you say. “Even though there aren’t any statues left now, ancient writers said they were there...” “We’d call that literary evidence,” Lisa says. “Dio Cassius wrote that there were statues of the deified Julius Caesar — ‘deified’ meaning he was made a god after his death — along with the Olympian gods, including Venus and Mars. He also wrote that there were statues of Augustus and Agrippa in the niches in the front of the Pantheon, almost like they were hosts welcoming visitors inside. But inside, it would have been only the gods, with the light from the oculus bathing the interior with almost a heavenly light. At least that’s how it feels to me,” she says with a smile. ] (click: "hosts welcoming visitors")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“I’m not sure where that leaves me with my Getty statue,” you say, “but I know more about context now, and some of the different ways people interacted with statues.” “It’s a big subject,” says Lisa. “I have an idea about where you should go next.” “Where?” “I’ll let you know tomorrow. I’m going to head upstairs for an afternoon nap. You get to take naps when you’re older, like me.” “Or when you’re a statue of a sleeping little boy,” you say. Lisa smiles and goes up the creaking stairs, leaving you in the kitchen — all alone, but for the mosquitoes. You pop another piece of ciambella into your mouth and check your email. Mostly junk... except for a new message from your advisor, Prof. Moro, which reads: ] (click: "except for a new message from your advisor, Prof. Moro")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<iframe src="https://gauchocast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=a2fa6a37-7d84-4fc3-b242-afba014c9ec2&autoplay=true&offerviewer=false&showtitle=false&showbrand=false&captions=false&interactivity=none" height="0" width="0" style="border: 1px solid #464646;" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay"></iframe>(t8n: "dissolve")+(t8n-delay:1s)[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/52f7ce8f71c3461cd6127e83c5f798b7/c83ae977910f63b7-eb/s1280x1920/d80c4973252d879ecb810e4a86330f4337ba8dc4.pnj" style="width:100%;max-width:1024px">] //Click here to expand the email text for more accessible reading// (click: "Click here to expand the email text for more accessible reading")[ ''Checking In, Tour Opportunity'' I just got a quick update from Lisa that you went to the Forum, Colosseum, and Pantheon today. Wow! In typical Lisa fashion, she really took you around and showed you a lot. I hope you got some good ideas about possible contexts for your Getty statue. Now that you’ve looked at some sites where the statues might have been placed, you should go to museums next to see similar statues, which should give you a sense of the types and how they were used. I am also writing because the director of the UC EAP (Education Abroad Program) based in Rome just reached out to me about getting help running a tour for their students. They read your post on the museum studies blog and thought that since you were in Rome, it would be wonderful if you could give undergrad students in the EAP program a tour. These students are new to Rome and have never taken an architecture or art history class before, so they won’t be familiar with the monuments. I thought it would be best if you could teach them about one of the buildings you just saw (the Colosseum OR Roman Forum OR Pantheon). It’ll be a relatively short tour — the students have a full schedule, and the plan is that you’ll meet them there and take them through the site, helping them to understand what you think is most important, or interesting, about it. I hope you’ll say yes — this will be another great thing to put on your resume, which will help you in your career. This reminds me: when I see you next, let’s talk more about the different career options that’ll be open to you once you finish school. I know we’ve talked about careers several times, but the new Museum Studies minor and the Architecture & Urban History minor in the department open up a variety of career options to graduates. Drives me CRAZY when people who know nothing about it say things like “What can you do with an Art History degree?” “Many wonderful things” is the answer, of course. But I digress... The director will reach out to you later to schedule a time for the actual tour, which the students are really looking forward to! A presto, Prof. Moro] To download the writing assignment for Chapter 3, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the assignment. <iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1afhfDBfiyydi65P40qn4wAf3OvZGndgj/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>] (set: $progress to 18) (float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress (print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="18"></progress>')]