Aurelia Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered a cemetery in the 2,700-year-old ancient port of Rome where they believe the variety of tombs found reflects the bustling town's multi-cultural nature. Ostia "was a town that was always very open, very dynamic," said Paola Germoni, the director of the sprawling site -- Italy's third most visited after the Colosseum and Pompeii. "What is original is that there are different types of funeral rites: burials and cremations," she said this week. More on AFP news site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safiria Caesar Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 News like these continue to have a double effect on me. On the one side, I'm always happy to get to know about new archeological dicoveries, but, on the other side, being Italian, I find amazing that not a single world in Italian TV news or newspapers is spent about new discoveries, whereas they're always ready to make big titles for everything that "falls" in Pompeii, Erculaneum, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted July 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Interesting you mention that, Safiria. When I was looking for more information about this free cemetery in Ostia, I did notice the lack of Italian sources on this subject. I wonder if people in Italy have become "jaded" in terms of archaeological discoveries because there is just so much of it around - that would be a pity though because every such discovery should be celebrated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safiria Caesar Posted July 29, 2014 Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 Dear Aurelia, I'd say that more than "jaded" with new discoveries people in Italy are both tired and unintersted when it comes to things about ancient Rome. That might be because of a sum of things. Just to give you a couple of examples, there are ruins of Roman buildings scattered all over Italy and there are so many that people don't even look at them any more, even if they are in the middle of the way (and I mean it physically). A good example is Largo Argentina in Rome, if you ask to people living in Rome if they new what are the ruins of Largo Argentina and if they know that that is probably the place where Caesar was killed, the majority of them will answer with a polite "Really?, Ah, that's interesting". And that will be it. Another thing might be that in Italy history of ancient Rome (and ancient Greece, of course) is studied at elementary, middle and high school, so that most people are quite fed up with ancient Rome, when they become adults. And even with that, it is awidely common mistake to mix up Caesar and Augustus, and that very easily explained, in Italy they are normally referred to as Jiulius Caesar and Caesar Augustus, so that after a while, in the memory of most people it remains the name Caesar and a mix of the two historical personality. Of course, there are also people interested in ancient Rome and there national associations with "delegations" in each region of Italy and many active groups that study ancient Rome from an historical or archeological of litetature point of view. All this said, I agree with you and I subscribe your words: "that would be a pity though because every such discovery should be celebrated.". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 Not so long ago I spoke to a guy from an italian family upon this very subject, about how the italians saw Roman history. The impression I got - admittedly he was a somewhat jaded character himself - was that Roman heritage was a lot of baggage the Italians were not overly keen on. He even suggested there was some resentment against things ancient Roman because of the constant comparisons between then and now. How true is that? Probably there's a certain level of disdain, but I dobelieve like other countries the majority of Italians, even if not specifically interested, are nonetheless aware and proud of that same heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted July 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 Just to give you a couple of examples, there are ruins of Roman buildings scattered all over Italy and there are so many that people don't even look at them any more, even if they are in the middle of the way (and I mean it physically) Yes, I have been to Italy several times (I live 10kms away from it right now!) and it's true that when visiting any Italian town, chances are one will see some ruin related to Ancient Rome (or sign indicating the significance of the place). But I do remember being struck by the sheer concentration of ancient ruins and remains scattered about in Rome! And the visible layers of history (literally!) that can be observed in many residential buildings (e.g. foundations from antiquity, lower level medieval, top modern) so I understand how it can be easy for someone who has lived in Rome his/her whole life to simply not notice it after a while. And yes, when one is made aware of the history behind what they see everyday it can just sort of become ordinary, I suppose. But as a non-Italian and non-European (although I've lived in Europe for nearly 15 years) I cannot help but be amazed at historical monuments. Especially those dating back to ancient times (ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt...), which is my favourite historical period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryaxis Hecatee Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 On the other hand a thread I follow on the Skyscrapercity.com message board is about archeology of Sicily and they often post scans of newspaper articles talking about new discoveries or sites newly opened to the visitors or exhibits in museums or some sites' shameful condition. So I think it might also be a question of which sources you follow : big media might not talk a lot about it but the more local newsproviders might well. The only thing that will come to the forefront is the occasional world class discovery like the cup of Pericles that's just been announced today (for those not aware : a 5th century BCE ceramic cup that bears inscriptions that strongly suggest it was used at least once at a drinking party by Pericles when in his 20's had been found, ironicaly enough, in Sparta Street, northern Athens, during works for a new parking). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caius Julius Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 This is an interesting take, one I've not really thought of until now. I'm the same in that when I visit Rome, I'm in awe of almost EVERY artifact that I see on the street. But, I live near Orlando, FL in the U.S. and I've been to Disney World about 300 times in my life. So, when I think about going or see something referencing it, I'm very ho-hum about the topic. So, Romans of today probably have a similar feeling regarding what they see daily as well. Never thought of it like that, but it definitely makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted August 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2014 Yeah, perhaps we citizens of the New World have a different perspective on ancient history. It's definitely more exciting for me to visit ruins dating back 2000 years than a monument merely 200 years old (although that can be exciting too depending on the context!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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