Michael Haffner ’16 – On Monday night, we were able to gain a sense of the modern culture in Rome. We attended a Lazio vs Florence soccer match. It was quite an experience as it showed us how serious Italians take soccer and how united the Roman fans were. Each citizen knew the “fight songs” and the chants almost as well as Wallies know Old Wabash.
While we slept with horns and screaming Italians still lingering in our ears, we awoke early on Tuesday. We began our day at the epigraphical museum. The museum itself is rich with early religious and social activity. Multiple students gave presentations at the museum highlighting a topic they had researched earlier in the semester. The museum aided in putting all of the ideas and topics we have learned together. For instance we viewed a statue found at the Syrian sanctuary in the Janiculum. This allowed for us to visualize not only the rituals that a cult would undergo, but also to see how cults and religious views transitioned as the statue was found in the second century and emblems of a different cult were found at the same site in the fourth century.
It’s hard to fully understand how a cult or any religious group functioned in Rome, but small statues and artifacts aid in providing clues as to what may have been occurring. I have learned not only to keep an eye out for details but also to keep an open mind.
Oftentimes, the reasons for why a temple was built where it was or why the road slants in a certain direction are not obvious. One must be open to new ideas as new information is still being found. In the afternoon, we were given a special tour through the Vatican and we were able to see where Peter may have been buried and St. Peter’s Basilica. While viewing other catacombs, we were able to gain a sense of how families would worship their dead family members and what sort of rituals would take place involving the dead.
Overall, the class has been an enjoyable experience which I think is enhanced with the immersion experience. It is one thing to be told that the colosseum is massive and once hosted murders, wild animals, and martyrdoms. However, when one actually stands in the building and visualizes what took place, it becomes a humbling experience. I am very grateful to attend a school where these types of courses are offered as I feel they open students eyes to different ways of studying these topics.
