HERCULAPOLIS

A ROMAN CITY IN DACIA

The following is an assignment that I had to submit as part of my online free course on Roman Architecture. The topic was to propose and design the layout of a new Roman City in any part of the Empire.

Introduction

CE 107: It has been two years since Emperor Trajan won a fantastic victory over the Dacian king Decabalus and annexed the whole region into the empire. In gratitude of their bravery, the Roman legionnaires of Legio II Traiana Fortis who fought alongside the Emperor have been given land on the banks of the river Danube to settle. The soldiers want to construct a Roman City here and name it – Herculopolis in honor of the patron God of the legion – Hercules. The Emperor Trajan has agreed to fund the civic infrastructure of the city.

City Location

The location of this proposed city is close to the Trajan’s bridge, built by Appolodorus of Damascus during the Dacian campaign to facilitate the movement of troops and weaponry. Strategically, the location is right at the heart of the Balkans that links Rome to Greece, Asia Minor and the Near East. From Herculopolis, Rome can keep an eye on the troublesome barbarians in the North. The city can prove invaluable in maintaining peace and order in the Roman provinces of Dacia, Dalmatia, Moesia, Thracia, Macedonia and Greece. The proposed city is close to the gold and silver deposits in the Apuseni Mountains, making it commercially important.

At any point, post its completion, the city is expected to support a residential population of about 10000 with an additional 2000 people who are non-natives (i.e. traders, army men, tourists etc.).

City Layout - Overview

The layout will be largely be a square measuring 4 km X 4 km with the Forum at its heart which will be constructed at the intersection of the two major roads – the Cardo and the Decamanus. Considering that entertainment is an important aspect of Roman day-to-day life, Herculapolis will have its own entertainment district consisting of an Amphitheatre for staging gladiatorial contests, a Theater for performances and a Circus for chariot races. The residential section will consist of villas as well as mass apartment blocks. Other civic infrastructure includes wide streets, an efficient drainage system, space for tombs and a wall.

City Forum

The entrance to the Forum will be through a triple arched gateway fronted with marble and built in concrete. The arch will be dedicated to the Emperor Trajan and will have stucco depicting his victory over the Dacians. On entering the Forum, you will find the Senate on the left, followed by a library and a temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad. On the right side will be the Basilica, the Market Complex and a Bath divided into two for two genders. At the end of the Forum will be the main temple, discussed in detail in the next section.

Figure 1: City Forum

Temple of Hercules

The Temple of Hercules (Aedis Heracles) will be the center piece of the township. It will have its own walled enclosure at the end of the Forum with an arched gateway entrance with a statue of Hercules on the top of it. Within the enclosure, the temple will be pushed to the end, surrounded by a covered colonnade.

The temple will be 70-foot-high and placed on top of a 30-foot-high podium, making it the tallest building in the city. The podium will be constructed in concrete with opus incertum facing and have arches highlighted by stone.

The temple will be built in a mix of Etruscan and Greek architectural styles. It will have a façade orientation and a deep porch. The front will have a triangular pediment and sloping roofs. On climbing the stairs, there will be two rows of 6 columns each; these columns will be crowned with Doric capitals. In the center of the sanctorum will be a statue of Hercules, 20 feet high, cast in bronze, a replica of an earlier Greek artwork.

Figure 2: The Temple of Hercules

Entertainment District

The Entertainment district of the city will have a Theatre which will be built in concrete since there is no natural hill in the city limits that can be used for this purpose. To keep the look of this part of city uniform, we will stick with concrete for the Colosseum as well as the Circus.

Both the semi-circular Theatre and the circular Amphitheater will be three floors high, with arches at each level interrupted by columns built in stucco. The orders of these columns will be Doric, Ionic and Corinthian as we move from bottom to top. The cavea will be covered with marble imported from Greece. Both the structures will be provided with a velarium to protect the spectators from inclement weather. Next, we will construct a Circus Maximus for staging chariot races and other athletic events. It will have a capacity of 2000.

The entertainment area will have a gallery; on the lower floor, there will be shops selling souvenirs, where spectators can pick up memorabilia. On the upper floor will be a gallery displaying marble statues of famous playwrights, authors, actors, gladiators and athletes from the Roman world – both from the past and the present.

Residential Quarters

Hellenized Domus Villas: As mentioned, the city will have a planned layout consisting of 60 villas, built in Hellenized Domus style. Each villa will have a falcase which is flanked on either side by two cubicula. Alternatively, these cubicula can be converted into shops also. The falcase opens into an open to sky atrium that has a pool – the impluvium at the center surrounded by four columns. There are two more cubicula on each side, followed by the alcae for the family altars. Next comes the triclinium that overlooks the peristyle hortus offering some beautiful vistas for the owners. The garden will be bedecked with a floor mosaic. All rooms in the house will be decorated in the Second Style of Roman wall painting. The theme for the paintings and the mosaic can be customized as per the choice of the owners.

Figure 3: Villa Plan

The community will have 12 marble fountains to provide water for domestic purpose. The theme for these will be the twelve labors of Hercules, the patron God of the city.

Apartments: Considering that the city would be housing a large plebian population apart from a sizable trading community, the city of Herculapolis will have several six storied Insulae, built in concrete and lined with bricks to make them attractive. Besides, the windows will have impediments to make sure the façade does not look dull and boring. The ground floor will be used for commercial purposes and will be lined with shops. The six stories buildings will be equipped with a light well at the center to bring in natural light. Each apartment will consist of two small rooms and the buildings will accommodate up to a hundred people each. There will be separate baths and fountains provided for this section of the city.

Aqueducts: The water for domestic purpose will be drawn from the Danube via a two-tiered aqueduct built in stone with arches at each level. These will be built in concrete with opus incertum facing. The water will be supplied to the baths and fountains within the city.

Streets & Drainage: The streets will be cobbled and wide enough to allow two chariots to pass at once. The streets will be lined with sewers and the city will be provided with an efficient drainage system that takes all the waste out of city limits.

Tombs: Some open space will be provided close to the northern walls for the affluent to build their family tombs. For the no-so-well-to-do, we will construct two catacombs (underground tombs) and slots for these can be purchased by passing a nominal fee. Besides, people can build their own tombs outside the walled city, along the main roads that connect Hercualpolis to Rome (West), Athens (South), Asia (West) and Dacia (North).

City Walls

It has just been two years since we won the Dacian wars and you cannot rule out a revolt in this part of the Empire anytime soon. Moreover, since the Trajan’s bridge, the only crossing on the Danube is close to the township, any army that wants to cross over to the southern banks of the Danube would come in this direction. As such, we propose to build a defensive wall for the city on a priority.

The walls will be built in local stone arranged in ashlar masonry. The walls that will enclose the entire city will be 16 km long, 20-foot-high and 10-foot-thick. There will be a tower every 200 meters to serve not only as a watch tower but also to engage the enemy during attacks and invasion. There will be four arched gateways in four cardinal directions built in grey peperino imported from Italy.

TREASURES OF ANCIENT ROME

EXPLORING ROME ART THROUGH THE AGES

Art critic and broadcaster Alaistair Sooke is on a quest, apparently to bust the myth that the mighty Romans did not encourage art and whatever little they did was in fact borrowed from the Greeks. I am doing an online course on Roman architecture on the free learning platform Coursera (Link) and though I am no authority on this topic, I am certainly not aware of the existence of such a 'myth'. As our tutor, Diana Kleiner from the Yale University takes us through the syllabus, showing us the magnificent shrines, the splendid villas and the exquisite entertainment quarters that dot the numerous Roman cities across Campania, my belief is further strengthened. Perhaps, this is the only flaw in what is otherwise a superb three part series from BBC Four, first aired in 2012.

The first episode 'Warts and All' is about the art that developed and prospered in the days of the Republic with bust representing the actual facial characteristics of the subjects; the next episode titled 'Pomp and Perversion' examines the changes introduced with the rise of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in the imperial city and the last part 'The Empire Strikes Back', Sooke discusses the achievements in Roman arts even as the empire itself was crumbling and its assimilation into Christian art, thereby forming the basis of the modern Western Art as a whole. One thing that the makers deserve credit for is the in this 'quest', they have traveled far and wide, from the erstwhile empire's epicenter in Rome to other parts including France, Britain, Libya et all. Secondly, it goes beyond the  works of art that one is more likely to be familiar with - Roman busts and the more famous public buildings including the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Villas of the Emperors and the Temples. Here, Soothe explores the other aspects in which they expressed their creativity genius including the wall paintings adorning the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii, the delicately carved silver and glassware, the elegant carvings that embellish the sarcophagi of the generals and so on. Also, we get a perspective of the few modern artisans and sculptors who are still creating these using the same material and more or less the same techniques as did the Roman couple of millennia ago.

When we think of Rome or things Romans, the pictures that come to our mind are that of an imperialistic race intend on subjugating the barbarians on its borders, of powerful men like Caesar, Augustus, Aurelius and Trajan prevailing over the enemies, of the bloody gladiatorial contests that took place within the Colosseum and so on. It is rather easy to overlook the artistic genius that was produced within the city and its colonies. This is where the USP of the series lies; as I have mentioned earlier, it breaks the tradition and views Roman art through the lesser known and lesser famous art forms and artifacts. Certainly, it is must see for all the people who love Rome and things Roman!

ROME - A HISTORY OF THE ETERNAL CITY

JOURNEY FROM PAGANISM TO CHRISTIANITY

It is not always that I watch a three hour long documentary twice; after all, there are so many good documentaries to watch out there. However, I just could not resist myself from watching BBC Four's three part documentary - Rome: A History of the Eternal City for the second time this week. Of course, I have a special liking for the Roman Empire in general and the city of Rome in particular. But it is the content and the manner in which it has been presented in this series that makes it a must watch for all history buffs.

While there have been many documentaries and docu-dramas in the past that have focused on the city from the perspective of it being the epicenter of one of the world's greatest empires, there is fairly less content available on reel that explores Rome's role as one of the world's most important cities and the part that its association with religion has played in it over the years. This is precisely the biggest USP for the series. The music is catchy, though at times, it is not always relevant or required. Another thing that works in the favor of this documentary is the cinematography of the beautiful city of Rome; the documentary makers have gone much beyond the usual places that are shown in other documentaries and it is a treat to the eyes even as the narrator descends into the sewers of the city.

Narrated by historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore, the series sees the 2,700 year old history of Rome from its establishment as a city in 7^th century BC to the present day as the centre of the Catholic faith, albeit the focus is not on the emperors, the wars that they fought or scientific advancements of these people but on the religion and the manner in which shaped and reshaped the city, its population and their fortunes over these three millennia.

In the first installment City of the Sacred, Montfiore explores Rome's pagan past at a time when the Romans, like so many other people in contemporary world worshiped the Gods of Thunder, Rain, Learning, War and so on. As the city fortunes and its empire grew, mighty temples were raised in the honor of these Gods who were looked upon as the protectors of the city and its people, the rituals in their became more elaborate and they even assimilated deities from foreign lands during tough times. Over a period of time as Rome transformed from a republic into an empire, the Emperors too were added to the ever-increasing Pantheon of Roman Gods.

In the second episode - The Divine Gamble, Montifiore talks about how Christianity begins to spread across the Holy City after the martyrdom of Saint Peter and how the early Christians are persecuted by the Pagan Roman Emperors. In fourth century, Emperor Constantine embraces Christianity, a move that changes not only the history of the city but also that of the entire Western World as we know it today. In the coming centuries although the Empire has faded into history, the power and the influence of the Popes of Rome rises with the Christianization of Europe, making them one of the most influential power players in the continent and thereby helping Rome stay relevant. At the end of the first millennium AD, the power struggle between the Popes and kings of various European kingdoms as well as the corruption that has engulfed Roman Catholic Church diminish the Papal authority to some extent.

In the last episode - The Rebirth of God's City, the author starts with the return of the Papacy to Rome from Avignon and how the Church saw off the threat posed by the Western Schism. During the Renaissance, fabulous churches are erected across the length and breadth of the eternal city and embellished with fabulous art works that focus both on Christian traditions as well as the pagan mythology. However, with the increase in the excesses of the Pope and the Roman Church as a whole, Martin Luther launches Protestantism which shakes the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church and forces it to reform. In the nineteenth century, Italian nationalism grows and the Papal states are annexed by the new state of Italy. Mussolini ends the stalemate as Vatican City recognized as a separate country with the Pope as its head.

SEVEN WONDERS OF ANCIENT ROME

THE GREATEST ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS OF ROME

Name: Seven Wonders of Ancient World

Production: Discovery Channel

Year: 2004

Episodes: One

Run time: 46 minutes

While you can find a myriad documentaries on the Roman Empire, its rulers and the wars that it was engaged with its many rivals, this one is different, as can be concluded from the title. As the settlement on the river Tiber in peninsular Italy grew to become the greatest empire that the world had ever seen, encompassing most of Europe and parts of Northern Africa and West Asia, the mighty Roman emperors adorned their capital with some most stunning buildings in the contemporary world. Be it the majestic Colosseum where the Romans enjoyed gory scenes of blood bath or the Pantheon built in the honor of the vast array of Gods in the Roman mythology, these emperors embellished their metropolis to make sure that the population was happy and that their legacy would endure for a long time to come. Besides serving their primary purpose, these monuments were constructed using the best quality material sourced from the far flung regions of the empire while employing the most innovative of contemporary building techniques, some of which continue to intrigue modern day architects and builders.

If you like history and have a flare for architecture, then this is the documentary for you. With a run time of little over 46 minutes, it gives you enough details of the seven sites that the makers have designated as the wonders of Rome. For all those who don't know this, please do not be shocked that buildings like the Saint Peter's Basilica or the other grand churches that adore Rome today have been omitted; this documentary is regarding those monuments of Rome that were built prior to the Christianization of the city. Meanwhile, taking one monument at a time, the user is informed about the emperor who built it and the reason, the purpose it served, the architects who designed it, the material used and the method employed in construction, the process of maintenance and the architectural marvels incorporated in them that make them fit to be adorned with the title of being amongst the 'Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome'.

ROME: RISE AND FALL OF AN EMPIRE

TRACING THE JOURNEY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire

Rising from the ashes of the erstwhile republic in the first century BC, the Roman Empire is considered to be of the greatest ever in the history of mankind. In the six centuries of its existence, this super power grew exponentially; with its epicenter in the eternal city of Rome in the Italian peninsula, it dominated most of Europe, besides colonizing some parts of Northern Africa and Eastern Asia. The famed Legions of Rome – a war machine based on perfect discipline and meticulous planning, led by fierce generals helped in conquering new lands and keeping the enemies at bay, both internal and external. Roman engineers came out with innovations in various streams of science and technology that made it the most advanced civilization that the world had ever seen. As the empire became stronger, art and literature flourished; emperors commissioned architectural marvels in honour of their gods or to commemorate their own legacy. However, in the fifth century, the empire which was by now a mere shadow of its former glory collapsed as internal politics weakened its very foundations, making it impossible for Rome to stand against the various barbaric hordes with which it had fought relentless wars over the ages for the control of the fertile Mediterranean basin. The History Channel documentary – Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire traces the journey of this mighty empire, from the last days of the republic to its ultimate collapse in 476 AD. Relying primarily on the accounts of ancient historians, the thirteen part series depicts the important stages that the Roman Empire went through in those 500 odd years in form of visual re-creation and opinions of experts in Roman studies from various universities.

For a person like me who’s knowledge of the Roman Empire was restricted to a few events like the crowing of Augustus following the brutal murder of his uncle Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, the burning of the imperial city during the days of Nero and the adoption of Christianity under the reign of Constantine, this documentary was a reservoir of information. In fact for anybody who enjoys history and who has time to spare, this series is a must watch. Each episode tells us about a particular period of the Empire, the prominent people including the emperors, powerful noblemen and enemy chiefs leading their savage tribesmen to plunder Roman territories; the intrigues and conspiracies in the royal court; the battles fought both at home and in the farthest corners of the empire as well as the socio-economic conditions prevalent in contemporary Rome. However, what goes against the series is the time; with each episode running for about 46 minutes, the total run time is close to 10 hours. Also, if you do not like political history, the series tends to get repetitive as it progresses. The best way to watch it and enjoy it, perhaps is to see one or at max two episodes per day. While the writers have done their homework very well, I do not understand how they missed out on the reign of Nero, especially the persecution of Christians and the martyrdom of St. Peter following the great fire. All in all, the whole documentary is great for any history buff and the learning at the end is worth all the effort. The episodes are as follows:

1. The First Barbarian War: In the early second century BC, as the republic struggles against the barbarian tribes in the north and the Numidians in the south, General Marius rises to the occasion, beating off the threats from all sides. As he is elected for seven consulship for an unprecedented seven terms, the foundations of dictatorship are laid. 

2. Spartacus: Seeing the pathetic conditions of the gladiators, Spartacus raises the banner of revolt as the republic plummets into a major civil war. While the slave army prevails in the beginning, threatening to march on to Rome, the consuls Crassus and Pompey see off this giant threat from within. 

3. Julius Caesar: An ambitious soldier, Caesar is the master mind of the Triumvirate that controls the political affairs in Rome. Appointed the governor of rich southern Gallic provinces, he captures the whole region in the next decade. Returning to the capital to reap the benefits of his military campaigns, he beats the conservatives led by his former ally - the great general Pompey, who see Caesar as a threat to democracy. As he declares himself the dictator for life, he is murdered and every stab that he takes also hastens the end of the republic. 

4. The Forest of Death: As the empire begins the process of Romanizing the tribes to the east of the Rhine, Armenius – a barbarian prince who rises to the position of a commander in the Roman army, rebels against Rome’s invasion into the lives of his people. He forms a coalition of tribes and ambushes the imperial army at Kal Kriese destroying three legions. Devastated at the loss, Emperor Augustus sends his general Germanicus to revenge this ignominious defeat and salvage the lost pride of Rome. Locked in a bitter war, Aremnius is killed by his fellow tribesmen whereas the Roman general dies of disease. 

5. Invasion of Britain: As Claudius is unexpectedly crowned the emperor, he decides to invade the island of Britain – the land of the Druids to prove his worth to his army and his subjects. Caractacus, the prince of the Catuvellauni tribe and the master of guerrilla warfare leads a long drawn campaign against the Romans till he is captured by general Scapula and paraded through the streets of Rome in a procession where he is surprisingly granted pardon by the emperor. 

6. The Dacian Wars: In 96 AD, the unpopular emperor Domition who faced several disastrous defeats in Germania and Dacia is assassinated in a court conspiracy. Trajan, who had an illustrious military career in his early years, is chosen for the top job. He defeats the Dacian king Decebalus and captures his entire treasury with which he builds the famed Trajan’s column in Rome. In his later years, he leads a campaign into Parthia where he meets with partial success. 

7. Rebellion and Betrayal: The initial years of the reign of Marcus Aurelius as the sole emperor is marked by plague that destroys a tenth of Rome’s civilian population and a large portion of its army, besides barbarian invasions in the north. As he matures in his role, he wins a series of victories over the Germanic tribes, suppresses the revolt in Egypt and also defeats his rival to the throne and his former friend - Avidius. 

8. Wrath of the Gods: Believing that the many problems plaguing the Empire are due to the dissatisfaction of the Pagan Gods over the functioning of Rome and her institutions, Emperor Decius orders all citizens, irrespective of their religion to offer sacrifice to the ancient gods. His reign which is marked by the persecution of thousands of Christians ends when he is slaughtered on the battlefield by the savaging Goths. 

9. The Soldier’s Emperor: Aurelian ascends an empire which has lost its farthest corners to rebellious armies and is threatened by barbarian invasions into the Italian peninsula. However, the warrior king who makes regular sacrifices to Soul Invictus – the God of Victory, beats back the invading Alamannis, defeats the Palmyrene Queen Zenobia and puts down the revolt of Tetricus in Gaul, reuniting the once torn empire. 

10. Constantine the Great: Grateful to the Christian God for his victory at Meluvian Bridge, Constantine embarks upon a religious revolution granting equal rights to the Christians – a sect which has been persecuted for ages. His patronage to this new religion will make Rome the capital of Christendom in the coming centuries. By the time of his baptism, he has unified the empire and built the city of Constantinople, which will in the course of time became the capital of the Eastern Empire. 

11. The Barbarian General: Eastern Emperor Theodosius and his lieutenant the half Vandal, half Roman Stilicho re-unite the empire with the help of Visigothic king Alaric. After the former’s death, his young son Honorius ascends the throne in the West with the barbarian general as his guardian who enters into a treaty with the Visigoths to capture the rich province of Illyricum from the east. However as anti-barbarian sentiments spread across Italy and ethnic riots rock the cities, Honorius refuses to abide by the pact and has Stilicho executed. As the treaty falls, Alaric sacks Rome. 

12. The Puppet Master: In the middle of the fifth century AD, three generals – Majorian, Aegidius and the barbarian born Ricimer defeat the unpopular emperor. Lucimer who craves for absolute power has both his former friends assassinated and becomes the real authority. The Eastern Emperor Leo installs Anthemius in Rome and sponsors a campaign against Vandals. It is a failure thanks to sabotage by Lucimer who sees the new emperor as a threat. The latter leads an army from Milan to Rome and deposes the emperor. As there is no government in Rome, the barbarians savage the country. 

13. The Last Emperor: As Nepos marches to the West with the backing of the East, the presiding emperor surrenders. Orestes, a Roman and Odoacer,a barbarian rise to the highest positions in the new court. Sent to put down the Visigoths, Orestes befriends them, making his son the emperor, thereby sidelining his former friend. As he refuses to give the barbarian land he had promised, they join Odoacer. In the battle that follows, Odoacer's army defeats Orestes, making him the first barbarian king of Italy, marking an end to the Roman Empire.