It is going to sound a bit strange but the experience that I had at Roman Barcino was probably one of the best experiences that I have had in Barcelona thus far. I’m certain that much of my excitement deals with the fact that I am a history major; however, that does not take away from the fact the preservation of this old city is astonishing. To think that something so old – Roman Barcino came into existence during the First Century AD – has not crumbled into ruins is absolutely amazing. Certainly, much of this preservation must be associated with the fact that people have attempted to keep everything preserved. This is quite understandable because this vestige of the Roman city provides a “sliver” of the cultural life during Roman times. The areas we saw effectively gave us an idea of what life would have been like if we had lived in their times (of course, this can only be accomplished with a little bit of imagination).
As I reflect upon my visit, I realize that there were a few things which really stuck out in my mind. The first of these deals with the fact that Roman architecture was so unbelievably strong. Roman builders were not necessary “architects” in the modern sense of the word but they certainly were engineers and knew what they were doing. As such, they did study ancient techniques and through that analysis they were able to develop “revolutionary” designs/implementations like the “arch.” Although the development of the arch is important, the thing that struck me as more fascinating is the fact that people from the Middle Ages [and even people after them] built on top of Roman ruins. This is something that is practically unheard of during these times. When new generations or invading peoples came to power, they usually took apart much of the previous inhabitants’ buildings in order to make way for their own buildings. In most cases, they would destroy “old buildings” and “salvage” the materials which could be used in the creation of their “new structure.” However, the buildings that you see above Roman Barcino sit on top of the old Roman foundations. Essentially, there are buildings from the fourteenth century that sit atop these foundations! Why you ask? They sit atop these old foundations because they are so sturdy, well laid, and effective that there was no need to destroy them. Why should you remove/fix something that is perfectly functional?
This is absolutely amazing because this is something that would never happen today. Structures today do not stand for thousands of years; let alone would their foundations be able to support new, heavier structures. This simple fact says a lot about Roman ingenuity during their times and it says even more about the mentality of the Roman people. It says so much about the people because they were the ones who created the buildings. In a way, architecture is nothing more than an extension of society and what the individuals of that society find valuable. As such, it is clear that the Roman people desired a style of architecture which was extremely strong, undeniably practical, and could effectively send a message. Of course, that clear message was that the Roman people were strong, domineering figures who were there to stay.
The second thing which was really interesting was the fact that the Roman civilization was highly advanced for their time. I knew that the Romans were a highly developed civilization; after all, they helped “lay the foundation for Western civilization.” However, to see everything up close, it truly put everything into perspective. Such highlights of their ingenuity can be seen with their advances in highway technology, development of the aqueduct system, the first real implementation of a sewer system, construction of vast temples, bath houses with [hot] running water, slopped roofs to keep the fountains filled with water, and that is just to name a few. All of these things express creativity and intelligence while at the same time they scream common sense and functionality. Even by taking a simplistic look at these developments, a person can see why the Romans were so important to the foundation of western civilization. Almost all of our “modern” developments are connected to these original creations/foundations in one way or another. It is something that really makes question how far we have actually come.
As I reflect upon my visit, I realize that there were a few things which really stuck out in my mind. The first of these deals with the fact that Roman architecture was so unbelievably strong. Roman builders were not necessary “architects” in the modern sense of the word but they certainly were engineers and knew what they were doing. As such, they did study ancient techniques and through that analysis they were able to develop “revolutionary” designs/implementations like the “arch.” Although the development of the arch is important, the thing that struck me as more fascinating is the fact that people from the Middle Ages [and even people after them] built on top of Roman ruins. This is something that is practically unheard of during these times. When new generations or invading peoples came to power, they usually took apart much of the previous inhabitants’ buildings in order to make way for their own buildings. In most cases, they would destroy “old buildings” and “salvage” the materials which could be used in the creation of their “new structure.” However, the buildings that you see above Roman Barcino sit on top of the old Roman foundations. Essentially, there are buildings from the fourteenth century that sit atop these foundations! Why you ask? They sit atop these old foundations because they are so sturdy, well laid, and effective that there was no need to destroy them. Why should you remove/fix something that is perfectly functional?
This is absolutely amazing because this is something that would never happen today. Structures today do not stand for thousands of years; let alone would their foundations be able to support new, heavier structures. This simple fact says a lot about Roman ingenuity during their times and it says even more about the mentality of the Roman people. It says so much about the people because they were the ones who created the buildings. In a way, architecture is nothing more than an extension of society and what the individuals of that society find valuable. As such, it is clear that the Roman people desired a style of architecture which was extremely strong, undeniably practical, and could effectively send a message. Of course, that clear message was that the Roman people were strong, domineering figures who were there to stay.
The second thing which was really interesting was the fact that the Roman civilization was highly advanced for their time. I knew that the Romans were a highly developed civilization; after all, they helped “lay the foundation for Western civilization.” However, to see everything up close, it truly put everything into perspective. Such highlights of their ingenuity can be seen with their advances in highway technology, development of the aqueduct system, the first real implementation of a sewer system, construction of vast temples, bath houses with [hot] running water, slopped roofs to keep the fountains filled with water, and that is just to name a few. All of these things express creativity and intelligence while at the same time they scream common sense and functionality. Even by taking a simplistic look at these developments, a person can see why the Romans were so important to the foundation of western civilization. Almost all of our “modern” developments are connected to these original creations/foundations in one way or another. It is something that really makes question how far we have actually come.
The last thing that I took a particular interest to revolves around the ongoing debate between Spain and Italy: who has the better wine? Even during the times of Roman Barcino, this argument was going on and people were quarreling over who had the best wine across the Empire. Although Italy usually won out, the wine which came from the area of Roman Barcino/came through its small port was quite good. If I remember correctly, it was considered a “good second class wine.” That being the case, it was just extraordinary to see how far that wine was able to travel through the channels of Roman trade. One of the maps that we saw made it clear that the places where the wine from this area travelled stretched from the coast of Britania all the way to parts of the Eastern Mediterranean/Byzantium. It is just fascinating to not only see how far people were able to travel during those times but, more importantly, how connected we still are with the past. Things that were going on back then (debate over who has the better wine) are still going on to this day. In a way, this fact simply serves a bizarre reminder of how history always seems to repeat itself…
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