Campus Martius and its Ancient Monuments: Self-Guided Walks to the Archeological Ruins of Rome (Rome in Ruins -- Self-Guided Walks)

This volume focuses on a specific class of sites to see in Rome, namely, the archaeological sites of ancient Rome. By ancient Rome, we mean the Rome from the city's founding in 753 BC to the end of the Roman Empire in 476 AD. The approach we take is that of self-guided walks through the various neighborhoods of the city center. Along the route of each walk, the remnants of the story of Rome are identified and explained. A detailed map is provided so that one is able to follow the routes through the often-confusing streets and alleys of Rome. The walk included in this guidebook explores the Campus Martius, the large field dedicated to the Mars, the god of war. During the Republic, this mostly open ground, situated north and west of the Capitoline Hill and the Roman Forum, was the place where men gathered to form the Roman legions in preparation for military expeditions. The Campus Martius also was the location of the voting precincts in which the clans of Rome met to elect the magistrates that would rule the city. In the Late Republic and Early Empire, the Campus Martius became the place where an extensive building program began to fill the open spaces with theaters, temples, baths and other monuments. The construction of monumental structures continued in the first and second centuries AD, especially after the great fire of 80 AD that devastated a large part of the Campus Martius. Of the twenty-two sites visited on this walk, some will be familiar (the Pantheon, the Column of Marcus Aurelius, the Stadium of Domitian, the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina), but others may be completely new to you (the Baths of Agrippa, the Basilica of Neptune, the Temple of Isis, the Saepta Julia, the Crypta Balbi). We hope that you will enjoy them all. This self-guided walk begins and ends at Rome's Termini Metro Station. The Metro station is located in the Termini Railway Station, and both lines of the Metro network are accessible at the Termini. This permits you to make efficient use of the Metro and walking to do an optimal amount of sightseeing in the limited amount of time available during a short stay in the Eternal City. The Metro is convenient, inexpensive and easy to use. The more you become familiar with the system, the better you are able to get around Rome and its sites.