Our last day of sightseeing we spent going to the Vatican. Here is a view of St. Peter's.
Upon entering the Vatican Museum we saw these ancient bronzes that were moved into the Vatican. The pine cone was once a fountain and the two bronze peacocks were taken from Hadrian's Mausoleum.
This is an ancient statue of the Trojan priest Laocoon. The statue was unearthed in 1506 but was known to the ancients, being described in a letter from Pliny the Younger. Vergil in Book II of the Aeneid wrote that Laocoon tried to warn the Trojans that the Trojan Horse was a trick, saying Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes (I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts). He even threw a spear into the side of the horse. Neptune and Minerva (Poseidon and Athena) sent two sea serpents to attack him and his sons. After killing Laocoon, the serpents slithered up and hid in the temple of Athena, convincing the Trojans that they should bring the horse through the walls and into Troy.
The famous statue of Apollo Belvedere. The statue depicts Apollo having just fired an arrow (the bow is lost). This statue is a Roman copy (made around 120 AD) of what was originally a Greek bronze made several hundred years earlier.
The "Belvedere Torso" is another statue that was made as a copy of an earlier statue. This copy was made around the time of Christ, of an original Greek statue from a century or two earlier. This statue was inspirational to Michelangelo. He was asked to sculpt arms, legs and a face to complete it, but he declined, claiming it was perfect and he could not improve it.
An elaborate mosaic taken from the Roman baths at Otricoli.
A huge bowl made from porphyry. This red porphyry was found in only one quarry in the world, in Egypt. Its rich purple color made it highly prized and it was extremely expensive.
A statue of Antinous. He was the emperor Hadrian's lover and the emperor established a religious cult honoring him after his death by drowning in the Nile. His death took place under suspicious circumstances.
A bronze Hercules, similar to the one seen in the Capitoline Museum.
A statue of Augustus, shown in his role as Pontifex Maximus, the chief priest of Rome. Augustus united the position of Pontifex Maximus with that of the Emperor. His adopted father, Julius Caesar, had been Pontifex Maximus, but the title passed to Marcus Aemilius Lepidus after the assassination. Lepidus was part of the second Triumvirate with Augustus and Marc Antony, but got shoved out by the two of them and forced into retirement from political life. He was allowed to retain his title as Pontifex Maximus until he died, when Augustus claimed it.
This mosaic of Minerva can from Tusculum and dates back to the second century.
One of two porphyry sarcophagi.
This Roman statue of a biga, or two-horse chariot, dates back to the first century.
This statue of a discus thower was unearthed in Hadrian's Villa in 1791.
Finishing our tour of the Vatican Museum (and we saw lots more stuff than is in the pictures!) we headed to the Sistine Chapel. No photographs are allowed there, so there are none in the blog (sorry). Our guide Richard gave us a thorough run down of what was included in the paintings on the ceiling and of the Last Judgment by Michelangelo. We then headed to St. Peter's Basilica, here standing just below the Pope's Balcony.
The famous statue of the Pieta by Michelangelo.
The shrine of St. John Paul II.
The altar and the dome.
A long shot view of the interior.
Upon leaving the basilica, we saw two of the famous Swiss Guards on duty.
To wrap things up, some group photos in St. Peter's Square. Here is the whole group.
Here are our seniors.
Our juniors.
And, last but not least, our teachers Mr. Spearman and Ms. Thorner and our awesome guide Richard Bowen.
Heading to the Pantheon this evening and then to our last dinner in Rome!
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