The Lacus Curtius in the Forum Romanum and the Dynamics of Memory.
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2017-08-15
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en
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In the 40s BC, Varro introduces to the reader one of the most mysterious monuments located in the core of the city of Rome—the Lacus Curtius. As a good antiquarian, Varro confines himself to offering just the different stories associated with this monument. Nothing looks certain. According to Varro, at least three distinct authors—Piso, Cornelius, and Procilius—tried to explain in Late Republican times the origin of the monument; surprisingly, none of the versions coincide. To make matters more complicated, Giacomo Boni, guided by ancient sources, found in the beginning of the 20th century the physical spot of the Lacus Curtius. Its archaeological analysis reveals that the monument underwent several reconstructions during the Roman republic. Such as long-lasting monument located in the Forum Romanum is still nowadays barely understood. With several legends and a substantial number of reconstructions, why were the Lacus Curtius and its memory shaped and reshaped in the Late Roman Republic?
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Faculteit der Letteren