At Rome’s E.U.R., the Museum of Roman Civilization has no actual artifacts, but it does have dozens of rooms full of plaster casts and models which illustrate the greatness of classical Rome. The highlight is a plaster model of Trajan’s Column sliced up and laid out so you can actually see the scenes. The original is one of the first great examples of “continuous narration” — when a relief is carved into a column as if winding a scroll around and around a huge pillar.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
Comments
I made it to E.U.R. last December but alas the museum closes really early in the day and all I saw of it was the outside. The E.U.R. suburb looks almost American in its layout and street grid – different from central Rome!
The plaster casts of sections of Trajan’s column in the British Museum on London also give a close-up look at some of the scenes – more permanent than a modern U-Tube video or sound bite!
The EUR was originally chosen for the site of the 1942 World’s Fair to show Fascism and its glory. However, this did not happen because of WWII. I visited this site when I have been in Rome, the last time, 2 yrs ago. I like the modern look and the grand size of the main building, it is so streamlined . Definitely different from Old Rome (Roman Forum and Coliseum) and the Central part of Rome which I both love to visit.
These plaster casts really are marvels. My local university museum has casts of the Parthenon Marbles, and even after visiting both the British Museum and Athens, I find it remarkable that I can continue to study them here in my (relatively) little town.
Question: Rick, what kind of camera did you use to shoot this? It seemed like you were holding it yourself, but it was remarkably shake-free.
I enjoy the blogs, but this one would have been improved by at least one brief stop at one section. The camera was moving a bit fast to appreciate the details in the casts.