Arch of Constantine - Rome

Arch of Constantine - Rome
Originally uploaded by ptr.watts.

The Arch of Constantine in Rome is one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama of the Arch of Constantine

The Arch of Constantine in Rome is situated next to the Colosseum in the Piazza del Colosseo. It was erected in AD 315 by the Senate to commemorate the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in AD 312. While Constantine claimed his victory followed a vision of Christ prior to battle, there is nothing at all Christian in the Arch. Many components and statues, medallions and reliefs featured on the Arch of Constantine were taken from older monuments. The reliefs on the inside of the central archway and those above on the sides of the Arch come from a monument depicting the victory of Trajan over the Dacians. Similarly, there are statues of Dacian prisoners taken from Trajan’s Forum.

The eight large medallions that adorn the Arch of Constantine depict hunting scenes and pastoral sacrifices. These were taken from an unknown monument erected by Hadrian. The eight high reliefs found at the top of the Arch of Constantine, above the outer arches, were taken from a monument to Marcus Aurelius. These depict a sacrifice, speeches to the army, a triumphal entry into Rome and one of him giving bread to the poor.

In fact, the only sculptural decorations on the Arch that come from the time of Constantine are the small bas-reliefs of the frieze and the victories and captives found at the bases of the columns. Nowadays, the Arch of Constantine is often passed by quickly and without a second glace by people heading for the Colosseum or the Roman Forum.

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

This article may be used freely in full providing the following acknowledgement and link is used:
Article written by Peter Watts on behalf of PanoramicEarth.com

Area Sacra Argentina - Rome

Area Sacra Argentina - Rome
Originally uploaded by ptr.watts.

The Area Sacra di Largo Argentina is one of the locations featured on the PanoramicEarth.com tour of Rome, where you will find panoramic photographs of this and other Roman locations.

Full 360° panorama of the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina

The Area Sacra di Largo Argentina contains four temples discovered between 1926-29 when the area was being prepared for a new building. This was not uncommon in Rome and the site turned from construction to Archaeology. The temples are labeled A to D as it is not yet known who they were dedicated to. All the temples face a courtyard to the East paved with travertine.

Temple A - Area Sacra dell Argentina: Built in the later part of the 3rd Century BC. It is hexagonal and peripteral in design. Most of the columns and stylobate have been preserved. In the Middle Ages the church of St. Nicholas was built over the site. The apses are the only remains of this church and are still visible.

Temple B - Area Sacra dell Argentina: This is the most recent temple, which was circular. The remains include six columns, the original flight of steps and the alter. Behind temples B and C are the remains of a platform built of tufa blocks. These formed part of the Curia of Pompei which was rectangular and contained a statue of Pompey. It was here that the Senate met, and here that Julius Caesar was killed on March 15, 44 BC.

Temple C - Area Sacra dell Argentina: This, the oldest temple, dates from late 4th or early 3rd century BC. During the Imperial era the cella was rebuilt and the columns and podium were covered in stucco. In 1935 an altar was discovered with an inscription dating to 180 BC, though this altar was also a replacement of an earlier one.

Temple D - Area Sacra dell Argentina: Temple D is the largest temple. Part of it still lies buried under Via Florida to the south. The Torre del Papito was also excavated and preserved during this time.

The column stumps to the North behind temple A belonged to the great Hecatostylum Portico which had 100 columns. The remains of one of the two lavatories built here in Imperial times can still be seen.

More Panoramic images from Rome can be found on PanoramicEarth.com. For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Maui in the Sky

Maui
Originally uploaded by ptr.watts.

Taken while shooting the area for the Hawaii tour, Maui is seen in the distance as if floating on a bed of clouds. I never got to the island to do some work there, Hawaii Island just had too many gorgeous beaches and other things of it's own that kept me busy for enough time.

Still, Maui floats in the distance like an inviting dream, beckoning to be explored. Meanwhile, back on Hawaii Island the day was spent continuing up the East coast towards North Point capturing as many of the beaches as possible. This shot was taken from the I18 viewpoint over Kiholo Bay whilst on the way to Waiulua Bay and Hapuna Beach. All of these can be found on the Panoramic Earth tour of Hawaii Island

Panoramic Earth and Flickr

Flickr is the well know site for posting photographs and sharing them with the world. I have been thinking about using it for a little while and have now taken the plunge. Some extra images that are either detail form a panoramic or simply other things taken whilst working for Panoramic Earth will be available on Flickr. All the current images are from Hawaii Island, and most of these were of lava formations or animals that caught my eye whislt there.

It is possible to get an RSS feed for the images that are uploaded. There are two links below that may be of use to people:

Flickr Account
RSS Feed link

I will continue to post some of the images here with a bit more of an expanded comment, but if you are interested in the larger image then Flickr will be the place to go. In cases where the larger image is available on Flickr I will try to remember to include the link. One of the things that we hope to include in the upgrade of Panoramic Earth are descriptions for each of the locations we have photographed.

London and Rome Index

There are now some 50 destinations covered by Panoramic Earth. Some of these are skiing areas in Europe while others covers some cities and other travel destinations. We are now beginning to produce lists of all the individual locations that have been photographed in each of the cities. So, if you want to know what is covered in either London or Rome then you can now do so by following the links given below. We will continue to gradually provide indexes to all the other non-skiing destinations covered in the future.

London Index

Rome Index

You will find the locations listed alphabetically within categories. In the meantime we are also working on constructing the tours and maps for some other cities. These will include Paris for which the panoramic images are being put together as this is being written.

Roman (Magnum) Forum - Rome

Well, here is another one of Rome – the Roman Forum (or though it may also be known as the Forum Magnum). This ranks among the top ten visited sites in Rome, so if you go there during the high season, expect it to be crawling with tourists after about 10am when they begin to surface from the excesses of fantastic Roman food and wine the night before.

So this is the place to come to walk among 2000+ years of history. Makes you think – or would if the noise and bustle of hundreds of other people allowed you to do so. At least this is one place where you will not be contending with the crazy traffic. Though you do stand the danger of being run over by massive tour groups, so big that they can take minutes to pass by in double or even quadrouple file. So big indeed that they are communicated to via a radio earpiece link with the guide. It would appear quite possible then that those at the rear are actually looking at something the guide was talking about 5 minutes ago as they trail along at breakneck speed in order to get to the next site. That way they have ‘Done Rome’.

Oh, and if you think the crowds here are nuts – try the Coliseum, St.Peter’s or, worst of all, the Vatican Museums and Sistene Chapel, where a mile of bodies 4 deep can be found waiting to get in. Ah, but then that is Rome…

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Rome Update now complete

The tour of Rome has now been fully updated. It now features over 100 panoramic images from Rome, including a number within St.Peter’s and the Vatican. With about 900 churches before thinking about anything else, Rome has so much to see that it is hard to know where to stop. Getting all the icons onto a map so they could still be distinguished individually puts some limit on the photographic madness. If you happen to see that your favorite place is not featured, then I am sorry. Let me know what it is and should I make it back there then I can try to cover it next time.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your virtual tour around the Pantheon, Vatican, Coliseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum and all the other places covered. Please let me know what your favorite image on the tour is – that’s what the comments are for!