hudginswesternheritage2020

[hudginswesternheritage2020]

The Colosseum.

The Colosseum is an amazing feat of architecture. It is bigger than I ever expected it to be. It was created to be an entertainment center. It was what we would consider on arena for competitions and executions. Back when the Romans first built it, a lot of Christians were sent in with wild animals to be executed. It’s symbolized the power of Rome. It was also used to host gladiator matches. It brought the people of the time together. They had events lined up all day. It was a structure representing power and Roman strength.

Today we see it differently. It is a reminder or the brutality of the past, but also of the advancement of the people. It shows how they were smart enough and technologically advanced to make such a structure, but also how the use of the arena changed over time. It went from a place for persecuting Christians to a place where they held an Olympic Games. It gives insight into how different life was back then, what a day in a Roman citizens life may have consisted of.

And for me it represents sadness. It is truly awful what they did to people inside. It is an amazing piece of architecture and looks beautiful, but all I could think about when I was there was how many people were killed. And how many people enjoyed watching. Families with children would sit around the arena to spectate these terrible acts of violence. It made me really sad for the people of that time, but relieved that we no longer have such ceremonies in our time. People have moved past that part of history and I’m thankful for that, and I feel like the Colosseum history might have something to do with that.

[hudginswesternheritage2020]

The Pantheon.

This is an absolutely beautiful structure in Rome, Italy. It used to be a temple to the gods/goddesses of Rome. A long time ago Romans worshipped many gods and had a polytheistic religion. This temple was meant to be a temple for all of them. It was a house for all the deities they worshipped and a place for them to go and praise those deities. It is called the PANtheon, because, unlike some of the other temples, it was not meant to house only one of these gods, but many. It is also the first free standing dome created. The Romans perfected the dome and incorporated into many of their structures, including this one. The dome is the biggest free standing dome to this day! 

The dome is probably the most impressive part of the building for modern people. It represents just how advanced the Romans were in technology. They had the ability to heave these large stones around and get them to stay in a dome shape. It’s impressive and it also shows their dedication to the gods and goddesses. They believed they needed and deserved these huge temples that they built for them. It gives insight into how dedicated they were to the religion they had and how smart the people were during Rome’s golden years, so to speak.

For me, it was just impressive. It made me feel small, which I guess was the point, to remind the citizens that the gods were bigger than they were. I used to want to be an architect, and then an engineer, and although I no longer want to be either this building was impressive from both views. It is not only big but ornately decorated. It showed me how different their culture was back then and how they viewed their religious deities, with respect and awe. They wanted you to come in the building and bow to the deities, to show your respect and this building encourages it. Even just the statues of the gods and goddesses are bigger than life. It was beautiful and you can tell the impact it had on them and it helps modern people understand their dedication.

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A triumphal archway. This one belonging to Constantine.

These archways from the past had a lot of significance to whoever they were made for. They were a sign of victory in battle. Roman Emperors would parade through town and underneath these archways with all their winning from raids and battles. They got to help design their archways and the archways became a center point of Roman main streets. They saw the archways representing strength and victory.

Today we see them as representatives of people. The archways can be used to show what was important for the emperor they were built for. This one, built for Constantine, shows how important Christianity was to him. After he had a dream of what to do in battle he became an intense believer of the Christian faith and that is portrayed on this (his) triumphal archway. It helps the people of today understand who the person from the past was and how important they were just to receive an archway.

To me, it represents power. I found the archway more interesting than the Colosseum next to it. It’s amazing to me to think of all the times Constantine’s army would have marched underneath it. All the battles they won and wealth they brought back to Rome. I can see why Rome was such a big deal when I look at the archway. It was a powerhouse, and not only that it was a powerhouse that could show off how powerful it was. That just blows my mind. Not to mention how the people saw it as an amazing thing when the Emperor and his troops marched through town instead of viewing it as some sort of conceited ceremony. To me that just shows how important Rome was to history and how it important it was to the people.

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This is a picture of Charlemagne’s statue in Aachen, Germany. Before this course I didn’t know anything about Charlemagne. I didn’t even know he was significant to Aachen until we went there.

When he came to power Charlemagne had some big shoes to fill. His grandfather was Charles Martel. A man who started the centralization of Frankish territory during the dark age of the Middle Ages. Charlemagne was also a man responsible for some light during this time. His name is a French word for Charles the Great, and he was great. Back then there was chaos and division everywhere you turned, but Charlemagne helped unite the people. He used Aachen as his home base and as a way to bring people together. He brought in people from everywhere to enrich the culture there. He even gathered enough small territories together to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the church at the time. He truly helped the people during his time, but unfortunately could not help them once he died.

In today’s world we see him as powerful figure. He made life better for so many people. Although he died a long time ago (814AD) he still impacts people today. People look to him and see leadership, a man who truly grasped what it meant to be great for the people and not just for himself. And it was him that made Aachen the great and historical place it is today. He gave it beautiful buildings and a rich culture. It’s hard to believe that his reign took place during the dark ages because of how much centralization it brought to the area he was in. And how much stability.

To me though, he represents learning. Because of how much I learned about him. How much I learned about when he did and why exactly Charlemagne is a name that everyone knows. Because once upon a time he was a name that everyone wanted to follow. He was the stability and the strength that people needed during a time where those things were hard to come by and that’s amazing to me. Knowing what I know now I wish I’d had taken a picture with the statue. But I didn’t know just how amazing of a figure he was when we went to Aachen. That he would be one historical figure that I was genuinely interested in. For everything he stood for and everything he tried to do.

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The Laocoön Statue displayed in the Vatican Museum.

I was sadly unable to get a picture in front of it because of the crowds, but if I could’ve it still wouldn’t have captured how amazed I was by it. It was beautiful, and it still amazes me that someone was able to make it, especially so long ago with none of the tools we have today. When I saw the statue I had not learned of its importance, but even then I knew it was meant to be impactful, and it impacted me. It was one of my favorite things I saw the entire time we were in Italy. I wish I had been able to take more photos from different angles. I could start to understand the reasons people were scared of the gods. They would see something like this statue and be scared. They didn’t want that to happen to them. It certainly would’ve scared me.

This statue was created during the Hellenistic time period. It was found in Rome in 1506. It shows the tragic end of a man and his two sons according to a myth of the time period.  Laocoön was a priest in Troy and warned the people about letting in the Trojan horse. A goddess was angry with him because she wanted the horse to enter the city. She then sent the snakes to kill him and his sons. This statue represents this attack, he is in the middle of being killed and watching his sons die along with him. It shows pain in a way that only it can, both physical and emotional. It holds great insight into the world at the time. It shows the art of the Hellenistic time period, but it also visually shows off their religion. Mythological stories were what they believed. They believed gods and goddesses had direct control over their lives. This statue was a demonstration of what could happen to you if you tried to question them or interfere with their plans. Not only that but it showed the change of art styles from Hellenic to Hellenistic. There is no balance in this sculpture like there was in the Hellenic time. They are writhing, fighting, moving. They are in pain and you can see it in intense detail. This made it even more useful as a teaching tool: don’t mess with or interfere with the gods and goddesses, or else!

Today, however, the statue is simply used to educate us about the people of the past. It shows us a piece of our heritage. The things that people were worried about. The things that drove them to artistic creation. Although we don’t believe in the mythology that brought about the statue, we can see how those stories would affect day to day life. People didn’t speak out against the gods, and it could be used to control them. Not only did it teach them lessons, but today it shows us the advancement of people. They were becoming creative. We know where their art started and know how it progressed and it shows how society progressed. As civilizations’ structures came and went, artists, have been able to show us what was happening with the people and their ideals. It is truly a window to the past and I think that is amazing and nothing will be able to capture it as well as just seeing what they created for yourself.

[hudginswesternheritage2020]

Slowly conquering my fear of flying.