antonius-aureliussorcinelli

[antonius-aureliussorcinelli]

Disclaimer.

The content presented in this vlog consists of fictional excerpts portraying the life and experiences of a character, Antonius Aurelius, within the context of the Roman Empire. While historical research and references have been utilized to provide a semblance of authenticity. All visual sources, including images and illustrations, are diligently cited to the best of our ability. The bibliography of this project is presented in this post.

[antonius-aureliussorcinelli]

Rome, year 68 

 I have been in Roma for over a month now, rebuilding my home, and organizing different businesses. However today the city announced the emperor had taken his life after the rebellion of Vindex. Almost no one was supporting Nero’s reign anymore, and the senate started to support Vindex's idea of bringing back the empire that Augustus left, then Nero slashed his neck with a knife and none was able to help him on time. Now the city is a chaos since we do not have an emperor and do not know who will be, some people say Otho, others say Galba, and a few say Vespian or Vitellius, but however, get the power I hope to get it by fair instances because we do not need a civil war; not after Nero’s reign. As well, I hope this massacre ceases. We have been unlawful to Christians, especially after the promise made during the Pax Romana of respecting everyone’s cultures and religious beliefs. 

As I walked back to the place I was staying I faced The Colossus, the statue that number he commissioned to make in his likeness. This statue was bigger than twenty men, made out of bronze, and it exhibited Nero with a likeness to Sol. The Colossus exalted the divinity and power that only existed in Nero’s head, and it only reminisces his delusion, a desire for eternal glory. The colossal statue today only represents the irony of how an insecure human tries to hide it by representing himself as a secure man, a powerful man who deserves respect, a ruler who must be obeyed; now it is only a tragic end. I don't know what the future holds for us Romans, I don't know what it holds for the others who did not fit with Nero's ideas. No one knows if better times are there to come, or obscure times. This is the intrigue and the concern that awaits all citizens of the empire. What will happen if a civil war breaks out? Nero, by no means, was the perfect ruler, nor a good emperor ruler under my eyes, but at least he provided us with, somewhat, political stability. I only hope the empire keeps moving forward and looks out for every citizen. Deus nos protegat.

(National Geographic. "Reconstruction of the Colossus of Nero." Accessed November 11, 2023. https://colosseumrometickets.com/colossus-of-nero/)

[antonius-aureliussorcinelli]

Galia, Belgica, year 64

Today in Belgica we received the emperor’s last memo, the Nero has declared war on Christians. Emperor Nero lost his mind if he thought the Christians burned Rome, because why would people who promote peace do such a cruel thing? Today the Roman soldiers started to take prisoners some of the Christians from Belgica, but according to the emperor’s update, he is burning Christians as if they were torches. Is also amazing how since the emperor decided to spread hate on one community, the rest of the Romans took this message as if Christians were our enemies despite we all lived in harmony until yesterday.  The peace achieved by Emperor Augustus was destroyed by a single man, and the saddest part is that my people supported it. Now people despite Christianity, talk bad about Christians and their god, calling them names, without mentioning the cruel acts they will suffer. Burned alive, tortured, and executed are things that we would do to our enemies during wartime, not to my neighbor. What a disgrace of time is there to come.

However, my friend Filipo today was an inspiration to our Christian friends here in Galia, he told them the story of Queen Boudicca and how she has become an image of resilience to his people.  Queen Boudicca was not allowed to be despised by the Romans and started a revolt against them. With an army three times smaller than the Roman army she was able to take over three of the main cities and stand against the tyranny. Filipo, as expected omitted Boudicca’s Destiny, death. No one knows how exactly she died, Tacitus said she killed herself after a lost battle, and Claudius says it was an intoxication. But however she might die, it was irrelevant to Filippo’s message, it would be discouring instead of aspirational. Filipo told their Christian friends to follow Boudicca’s idea and defend their principles, for themselves and for their loved ones. Filipo was not encouraging a fight back, however, what other option did they have? Filipo encouraged them to not abandon their identity, while I suggested burying all Christian symbols and moving to a small village. Despite our different points of view, we shared the same big concept, Nero lost his mind. 

(Siemiradzki, Henryk. "Nero's Torches." 1876 https://ga.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Domh%C3%A1:Siemiradzki_Study_for_the_Torches_of_Nero.jpg)

[antonius-aureliussorcinelli]

Rome, year 64

Two days ago a great disaster happened in the city of Rome; an immense fire destroyed almost everything including my house. Right now I am in a buggy direction Belgica, where my friend Filippo hoping he can give me a place to sleep. No one knew how the fire started, or who started. What an obscure day for everyone in the city. I lost my home, but I was lucky to save my accounting book and my chest of gold, also I will have a place to stay for a while. However many people that I know did not have the same fortune, and many lost everything they had without counting the deaths that this disaster left behind. I still have to go through my mind the face of Julia, my neighbor's young daughter, when her home fell while her dad was inside trying to rescue some of their goods. The screams of pain coming from the flames were like seeing the underground. Everything I saw that night just continues to torment me until today.

The next day of the fire rumors started, and people spread stories about how the fire started. Most people attribute this disaster to Emperor Nero, saying he wanted to rebuild the city confidently to his wishes. I could understand this, Nero has shown to be a very peculiar person; narcissistic, but why would he fire his Domus Aurea, the place he built? Before leaving Rome, Master Tacitus made a public announcement that Nero was not capable of initiating the fire since he was in Anzio when the fire started, but what if Nero sent mercenaries to do the job? As I make my way to Belgica, these rumors linger in my mind, adding another layer of uncertainty to the tragedy that has destroyed my hometown, but whoever did this atrocity is burdened with the sadness of hundreds of people who lost something that night.

(Robert, Hubert. "Fire in Rome" (1785). https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-fire-of-rome-hubert-robert/HAHxg_lHmo6TqQ)

[antonius-aureliussorcinelli]

Galia, Belgica, year 60

Yesterday night I got to Gallia, Belgica, today when I went to visit my good friend and textile provider, Filipo, I could tell he was going through something. When I asked about the matter, he told me that it was about his motherland. Filipo was born in Britannia, an island north of the mainland, and even though he moved to Belgica over 15 years ago he is still emotionally attached to the land that raised him. FIlipo’s tribe, Iceni, formed a revolt against the Roman Empire because of the assassination of their king. The revolution was supposedly led by the king’s wife, a lady named Boudicca. Filipo also explained to me how Boudicca protested against Decianus, the current procurator of Britannia, about the treatment the Iceni people were receiving she was flagellated and her daughters were raped by Roman soldiers. This treatment only fed the angriness Queen Boudicca held inside her after the death of her husband.

Queen Boudicca then began the revolt of the Iceni people to kick the Romans out of their land, and other tribes of Britain joined her cause. At the moment Filipo was telling me this event, the revolt had already taken over one of the Roman main cities in Britannia, Camulodunum. Boudicca's army did not have any mercy for the Roman people, the same as the Romans did not have any with the Iceni people. Roman children, women, and essentially everyone in the city of Camulodunum were either burned, hanged, or crucified. Filipo's main issue was he was scared of his people, as he expressed to me. He moved to this place long ago but he is still part of the Iceni people, he grew up there and that place reminds him of his childhood. However, he is scared of the repercussions that the Romans will take against the revolt. I tried to comfort him I took his mind out of thinking about it, so we went to drink wine all night, but deep inside me, I knew there was no chance the Iceni people would win. The Roman Empire is too big and too powerful to lose a battle against such a small army. I feel sorry for Filipo and his people, but at least he is safe here in Belgica.

(Smith, Charles Hamilton. "Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni." Engraved by Robert Havell senior. From C.H. Smith & S.R. Meyrick, The costume of the original inhabitants of the British Islands, London 1815, pl.[XII]. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/work-of-art/boadicea-queen-of-the-iceni)

[antonius-aureliussorcinelli]

Rome, year 60

I’m finally back in Roma after a long trip across the empire expanding my textile business. On my first day back on the land where I was born I decided to visit the same bath where my dad used to take me during my childhood. The bath is common for everyone and boasts grand architecture, hot and cold baths, and beautiful mosaics. It's a communal sanctuary where Romans from all walks of life gather to relax and rejuvenate in the timeless tradition of the Roman bath. The tradition is to bathe before the Coena which would be in a few hours. However, I also wanted to be bathed and oiled at this time, since after I finish eating I must leave and start a new trip to Galia Belgica. This is the labor of a merchant, I always have to leave somewhere across the empire, but this only shows how my customers appreciate my labor.

I love coming to the baths also because being a social place, baths have also become a second place to take orders from my clients. Today, Vicious, one of the patricians of Rome, made me an order of textiles. He was telling me his older son is marrying Appius's daughter next season. Two of the most powerful families of the empire are coming together, and they are known for their extravagant tastes. Vicious mentioned that they expect only the finest and most luxurious goods for the upcoming wedding. It's clear that Nero's extravagance has set a high standard, and a bad reputation with these people would destroy my business. Also, baths work for others for the time of gossiping. Today gossip was about Emperor Nero, who supposedly is having an affair with a Roman boy. People say Nero hates his wife Claudia Octavia. Such rumors always find their way into our everyday conversations, and I must say, however, they add a bit of excitement to our otherwise routine visits to the bathhouse.

(“Discover How the Great Bath Is Drained and Cleaned.” July 6, 2021. Roman Baths. https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/news/discover-how-great-bath-drained-and-cleaned-0.)