#15. BASILICA JULIA
=A0=A0Ok still standing in this corner of the Forum with your back to
the Temple of Saturn look down the Via Sacra. =A0=A0On the leftside is
the fenced-off Forum Sq. and on the rightside is the fenced-off Basilica
Julia.
=A0=A0I'm going to do the Basilica now but in the next section as you
walk down the Via Sacra you will be mainly hitting sites on the Forum
Sq. side but also some sites on the Basilica side. =A0=A0The reason is
the Basilica is 100m long so it's easier too see them as you walk along
the Via Sacra doing the Forum Sq. sites. =A0=A0The original BASILICA
JULIA was built by Julius Caesar but still unfinished at the time of his
assassination. =A0=A0But let's start at the beginning and look at this
football field size area we see today.
=A0=A0In Romulus' day this area was just a useless diseased marshland.
But after the Forum area is canaled this land is reclaimed, legend is
that during the 5th King of Rome's reign Tarquinius Priscus (616-579BC)
the 1st shops are built on this side of the Forum. =A0=A0These shops are
called Tabernae and the ones on this side of the Forum are called
'Tabernae Veteres', meaning shops on the shady-side of the Forum and the
shops on the otherside of the Forum 'Tabernae Novae' or sunny-side.
=A0=A0These are just wooden stalls probably ramshackle-like where the
basics are sold, butchers with meats, farmers with produce, wine sellers
and I assume craftsmen with pots & pans, iron goods, etc. With barter
most likely as the main currency.
=A0=A0And behind these shops are private homes, in the beginning
probably just simple huts of some of these shop owners but later and for
centuries the homes of the rich and powerful. =A0 =A0They have excavated
(1960's) and found the atrium of one of these large aristocratic houses
beneath the Basilica Julia. Also part of the 1st Basilica built-over
this house.
=A0=A0The cool part is that they know whose house it was and he was a
major player in ancient history. His tactics are still studied by the
military Worldwide.
=A0=A0His name was 'Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus' 236-183BC,
better known as just Scipio Africanus.
=A0=A0I believe in the movie Gladiator when the chariots attack Maximus
and crew in the Colosseum that was supposed to be a re-enactment of a
battle Scipio was in and lost during the 2nd Punic War against Carthage.
=A0=A0After Maximus wins somone in the stands or Emperor's Box mentions
"I thought we (Romans) lost that battle". =A0=A0Anyway Scipio was a
member of one of Rome's 6 major Patrician families, a great Statesman
and one of the greatest military commanders in history. =A0=A0He was the
General who defeated Hannibal. Here's a Wikipedia bio on him
http://tinyurl.com/yon4bq
=A0=A0One cool romantic story about him, was midway thru the Second
Punic War (218-201BC) he goes on basically a suicide mission to Hispania
(Spain). =A0=A0Hannibal's boys have conquered Spain which they will use
as the beginning of an overland route to attack Italy via the Alps.
=A0=A0Scipio attacks Cartagena, Spain and wins the city. But he wishes
to win the 'hearts and minds' of the locals and be seen as liberators
rather that conquerors like Carthage was. Plus he also needs supplies
and reinforcements for his small outnumbered army. =A0=A0Scipio loves
his wife and he grants her much more freedom and spending money than
most Patrician husbands. =A0=A0But he does have a weakness for beautiful
women and it's said for pretty boys.
=A0=A0After the city is taken his men capture a very beautiful woman and
they bring her to their commander as a prize of war. =A0=A0Even Scipio
is astonished by her beauty. But he learns that the woman is betrothed
to a local Chieftain named Allucius. =A0=A0He returns her unharmed to
her fiance along with the ransom money that was offered by her parents.
=A0=A0They marry and Allucius allies himself and his tribe with Scipio.
Throughout his career Scipio strongly believes in humanitarian conduct
towards the conquered people and their lands also with prisoners and
hostages.
=A0=A0But in his army non-Roman deserters get beheaded and Roman
deserters crucified. After the war Scipio returns to Rome and this
house, the people love him but he has political enemies who hassle him
and his General brother for years.
=A0=A0His ghost is walking past you now. He used to leave his home and
walk-up the Clivus Capitolinus to make daily sacrifices at the Temple of
Jupitor on the Capitoline Hill. His enemies claimed it was just PR too
show he was a devout Pagan.
=A0=A0In his later years he tires of the political attacks and retires
to a villa far from the city he saved.
=A0=A0After his death his son-in-law Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus has
the house torn down and builts the Basilica Sempronia (his family name)
on this site in 169BC.
=A0It's like a sister-basilica to the newly built (179BC) Basilica
Aemilia on the otherside of the Forum.
=A0=A0Nothing is known of its exact size or design but it still has
shops in front facing the Forum Sq (Livy mentions butcher stalls and
shops there).
=A0=A0Also Gracchus will have 2 famous sons who will fight for land
reform and rights for the common people. =A0=A0In a few decades 1 of his
sons will be in the Forum with his followers at a political rally.
=A0=A0His 1st cousin who is also Scipio's (adopted?) grandson is on the
opposing side and will lead an armed charge of Senators and others
against him.
=A0=A0Gracchus' son is clubbed to death with a stool leg and 100's of
his followers killed.
=A0=A0=A0=A0This basilica lasts for ~146yrs and probably needs
replacement. So Julius Caesar with his war booty from the Gallic Wars
decides to rebuild it in 54BC and rename it after his family's name
Julia. He is still 5yrs away from crossing the Rubicon and taking
absolute power so this is just political PR for him. I'm just *assuming*
he builds it the same size as the original basilica possibly with the
shops still in front?
=A0 Augustus dedicates it in 46BC (2yrs after Caesar's death) still
unfinished.
=A0=A0It burns down during his reign (9BC?) and Augustus rebuilds it but
larger (the size we see today) and dedicates it in 12AD. =A0=A0But this
time he renames it after his dead grandsons Gaius and Lucius Caesar
(remember their ****tico in front of the Basilica Aemila), the name never
catches on and everyone still calls it the Basilica Julia. =A0=A0It's
originally used for banking and business but later in that century
(1stAD) it's used for civil court cases (Tribunals). =A0=A0'Pliny the
Younger' tried cases here including one that packed the place. =A0=A0His
client was the daughter of an 80yr old man who married a very young
woman and disinherited the daughter 10 days later. Pliny won this 'Anna
Nicole Smith' case :).
=A0=A0The Basilica burns down in the major 'Fire of Carinus' 283AD and
again in 410AD when the Visigoths torched it and it's last rebuilt in
416AD.
=A0=A0In 476AD Rome's last Emperor abdicates, the Fall of the Roman
Empire is now official.
=A0=A0In the 7th or 8th a church is built in the SW section of the
Basilica.
=A0=A0In the Middle-Ages the Basilica is used for a Cannaparia
(rope-walk) where rope is made, they need a long bldg protected from the
weather.
=A0=A0Stone cutters and lime kilns set-up shop inside and start
stripping the bldg of it's marble.
=A0=A0In 1496 the travertine is taken to be used in the Girand Torlonia
Palace.
=A0=A0More salvage excavations in 1500 & 1511/2. 1742 the eastern end is
excavated and a cartload of the marble pavement is sold to a stone
cutter.
=A0=A01780 more pavement and architectural pieces sold. Also at one time
the Basilica area is used as a cemetery for a hospital (I'm assuming ~
the Renaissance with the higher groundlevel in the Forum).
=A0=A01848-1872 the Basilica is excavated by archaeologists. But they
destroy the remains of the vaulted concrete ceiling with stucco molding
(from a later rebuilding), I assume it had fallen in pieces and was
lying on the ground...but still! =A0=A0To picture this basilica imagine
a row of arcade arches surrounding this large (101X49m) rectangle, then
7.5m inside another row of arches and again in 7.5m another row of
arches. =A0=A0Now put a roof over them and build 3 more sets of arches
on top of them and roof them also.
=A0=A0So you have 2 corridors on 2 floors that go all around the bldg.
In the center is an open courtyard 82X16m with no roof. So now on top of
the 2nd floor wall-in this 82x16m opening with wooden walls, add *large*
windows and then roof it over in wood. The distance across the roof is
too great for single beams of heavy stone and not practical for a heavy
bulky concrete vaulted ceiling. Large wooden beams like on the Curia's
roof are the way too go, this roof is just to stop the rain with wall
windows to light this interior area which is the heart of this basilica.
=A0=A0Look down the Via Sacra and notice the steps leading up to the
basilica.
=A0=A0At this end there is only 1 step but notice there are more steps
as the distance grows which ends with 7 steps at the far end. That is
because the ground slopes downhill along the Via. =A0=A0At the top of
these steps 3 more steps lead into the actual bldg thru the 1st set of
arches or arcade.
=A0=A0This 1st arcade/corridor is more like a ****tico for the front of
this bldg.
=A0=A0Then 2 steps lead into the 2nd arcade/corridor and beyond that the
large open central area (like an indoor courtyard). =A0=A0The front,
rear and sides of Augustus' original basilica were of solid marble with
the inner arcade arches using travertine faced-in marble. =A0=A0Now
after the 283AD fire and rebuilding they will use concrete faced-in
brick.
=A0=A0And going by that interior stucco molding found and destroyed in
the 19thC, I think it is safe to assume that all the bricks in this
rebuilding were faced-in white stucco to give the impression of marble
(like the Curia facade after the 283 rebuilding). =A0=A0But perhaps like
the Curia the lower level was faced-in marble to make it look like real
marble blocks at eye level? =A0=A0I don't know if any of the original
marble blocks survived the fire. But if you look in the SW corner you
will see brick-faced concrete arches still intact.
=A0=A0These are from the 283 rebuilding and the outer wall remains have
definitely replaced the original marble blocks that once made up that
side wall of the basilica.
=A0=A0So I assume this was a complete rebuilding of the basilica from
the floor up.
=A0=A0Also I assume that those still standing arches only survived
because of the 7/8thC church that was built there, probably used the
arches as a foundation for the church.
=A0=A0Now notice the large lone brick wall section closest to you, the
one I pointed-out earlier as part of the unknown arch that spanned the
Vicus Jugarius.
=A0=A0If you look on the side of it that faces the basilica you'll
notice it is thicker, that is because it was reinforced and was actually
part of this arch and the basilica.
=A0=A0The rear of the basilica wasn't open like the front but instead
had a line of 2-storied Tabernae (stair remains were found, SE corner)
opening into the basilica. But often it's claimed they opened out into
the street but excavation plans show them open to the basilica and
closed on the street side. I believe there was another row of
(commercial) shops behind them that open into the street.
=A0=A0=A0=A0These earlier shops very likely were for bankers and
moneychangers but later when it became a courthouse they think these
were for court related offices with a few bankers/money changers.
=A0=A0The floor in the courtyard was colored marble (Numidian Yellow,
Phrygian Purple, Lucullan Black) and the 2 surrounding corridors were
white marble.
=A0=A0This floor is slightly sloped and tilted to allow any water to
run-off to the NE corner, this was noticed by an archaeologist during
the 1878 flood of this area.
=A0=A0A Middle Age 'lime kiln' was found on the floor when it was
excavated, marble is burned which makes lime. =A0=A0The many short brick
piers you see on the floor are just 19C recreations to show where the
original arcade piers were located. But any fragments placed on top of
them are original. =A0=A0We'll pass on the basilica early career as a
boring business center and straight to it's use as courtrooms (before
this trials/tribunals were held outside in and around the Forum).
=A0=A0This courtyard using 3 large curtains (some say large wooden
partitions) could be divided up into 4, 3 or 2 seperate courtrooms, if
it was a really big hi-profile case 1 courtroom (like that Pliny trial).
=A0=A0The spectators would be in that 2nd corridor with low marble
balustrades (fences) between the arches too keep them back and also on
the 2nd floor watching the proceedings.
=A0=A0Also men on 1 side and woman on the other. =A0=A0These trials were
a thrilling spectator s****t, where anything went. Private citizens
brought the charges against another often for revenge, power, money or
for the accused political position. Outright lying, bribery, buying
witnesses, spreading rumors, etc was all par for the course.
=A0=A0Cicero (not here though) once hired a woman and her young children
and made them pityful looking and told the court that if his client was
convicted what would happen to his poor wife and children, he wasn't
married:).
=A0=A0But once Cicero definitely was going to win his prosecution of
Clodius but a couple of days before the verdict an unknown slave visited
the juror/judges at their homes. And with offers of money, *** with
beautiful women or young upper-class boys (that class forbidden
fruit)...Clodius was aquitted.
=A0=A0The Romans had the same word for both a prosecutor of these cases
and a person on the stage...'actor'.
=A0=A0It wasn't so much a lawyer by today's standards that did these
cases but an orator whose powerful and witty words often won these cases
like a popularity contest (OJ?).
A Roman orator named Vibius Crispus has a statue in this courtroom put
there by Emperor Domition (81-96AD).
Crispus was a favorite and yes-man to the Emperor, which is a wise thing
to be with someone like Domitian.
=A0=A0He was very rich and influencial and a great orator and would take
the side most favorable to the State while under Domitian. =A0=A0He is
also a delatore (political informer) but that's par for the course. He
once prosecuted another delatore who ratted him out to Nero. =A0=A0It
was called the Centumviral Court
and there were 180 judges total. They didn't all have to present and
would divide up among the 2,3,4 courtrooms. But for a big case they
might all show-up.
=A0=A0Trajan presided over this court a few times. The judges sat on
benches with the orator/lawyers before them on each side. =A0=A0Also a
slave's testimony in any trial about anything was only valid if it was
given under torture.
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