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Notes on video lecture:
The Meier Museum and the Jewel of the Lungotevere
Notes taken by Edward Tanguay on February 28, 2014 (go to class or lectures)
Choose from these words to fill the blanks below:
secoli, Flaminia, refilled, Actium, mausoleum, obelisk, Pacis, modern, Mussolini, shadow, palace, Cleopatra, travertine, tenor, battle, death
Richard Meier Museum
built to enclose the Ara            [AHR-ah PAHK-is]
the original location of the Ara Pacis was elsewhere in the vicinity, ended up beneath a             
it was                    who sponsored the project to bring all the pieces together for display
together with other buildings in Mussolini's fascist architectural style
Meier was careful to use at least some                      in this structure
inscription on building to north of square
flying victory figure carrying a fasces, or bundle of twigs and rods, that the magistrate's lictors used to carry
Mussolini's name was scratched out of the inscription on the building
his name has now been officially                  (!)
used to be on the ancient Via                  (now the Via del Corso), the street that Augustus used when returning victorious from Spain and Gaul
had in front of it an                which was brought from Egypt that was part of a sundial, the              would fall on the Ara Pacis on Augustus' birthday
on obelisk a mention of the victory over                    and Antony at the Battle of             , as well as a mention of his victories in Spain and Gaul
*** for the Romans, victory in              and victory over            were essentially synonymous
the                    dates to 28-23 BC, earlier than the Ara Pacis
Richard Meier museum is the first              building that has been put up in the center of Rome since the time of Mussolini
many people felt that it didn't fit the            of city or suit the environment
2006: grafitti of the building, "Meglio gli architetti di              fa..." (architects of the past were better)
but when you go into the door
impressive plaster casts of Augustus and his family
impressive interior: egg crate ceiling
at night: the Ara Pacis is lit up "like a jewel in a jewel box"

Vocabulary:

fasces, n. [FAS-eez] a bundle of rods bound together around an ax with the blade projecting, carried before ancient Roman magistrates as an emblem of authority, also used by Mussolini as a symbol of fascism  "In the seal of the United States Senate, the red liberty cap above the shield and crossed fasces below the shield represent freedom and authority, respectively."
lictor, n. a Roman functionary who carried a fasces when attending a magistrate in public appearances and was responsible for punishing criminals  "Each consul was accompanied in every public appearance by twelve lictors, who displayed the magnificence of the office and served as his bodyguards."

People:

######################### (1934-)
American architect who built Meier Museum in Rome
  • 1957: Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University
  • after graduation, he traveled to Israel, Greece, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland and Italy, among other places, to network with architects
  • abstract artist and architect whose geometric designs make prominent use of the color white
  • Meier Museum in Rome, described as a "modernist eyesore"

Spelling Corrections:

grafittigraffiti

Ideas and Concepts:

Etymology of the day, via this morning's Roman Architecture class: "The term fascism is derived from the Latin word fasces, which was a bundle of rods that were tied around an axe, an ancient Roman symbol of the authority of the civic magistrate. These bundles were carried by the magistrate's lictors and could be used for corporal and capital punishment at his command. The symbolism of the fasces suggested strength through unity"
Romulus Founds Rome
The Temple of Jupiter OMC
The Servian Wall of Rome
Temple of Portunus in Rome and Temple of Hercules in Cori
The Increasing Greekification of Roman Temple Building
Opus Caementicum and Opus Incertum
Porticus Aemilia
Temple of Jupiter Anxur at Terracina
Tabularium and Theater of Marcellus
Bathing, Entertainment, and Housing in Roman Cities
Roman Tombs, Aqueducts and the Lasting Impact of Roman Architecture
Julius Caesar's Vision to Make Rome the Architectural Equal of Alexandria
Augustus and Luna Marble
The Forum of Augustus and the Temple of Mars
Ara Pacis Augustae
The Meier Museum and the Jewel of the Lungotevere
Tiberius' Villa Jovis on Capri
Caligula, Lighter Concrete, and the Underground Basilica
The Significance of Nero's Octagonal Room on Roman Architecture
Hadrian's Pantheon
The Flavian Amphitheater a.k.a. the Roman Colosseum
The Temple of Venus and Roma
The Arch of Titus
The 79 AD Ruins of Herculaneum
Early History of Pompeii