Museu d'Història de la Ciutat
Our first class field trip was to the Museum of City History in Barcelona. I did not know what to expect from this trip but it was definitely a surprise! An entire section of the ancient Roman city was still for the most part intact and was discovered during remodeling of the city. In the times before machines and modern construction, old buildings were demolish and new ones built right on top of them. This is how it was preserved so well because the Gothic buildings used existing Roman structures as foundation.
The Roman city was called Barcino and was founded in 15 b.c. as a post for Roman soldiers during the Second Punic War with Carthage. It was contained within walls which you will see below, and the center of the city-the forum- existed where Placa Sant Jaume is today.
Roman Monumental influence in Barcelona
Bottom portion of part of the old Roman city walls, seen from inside the underground Museum. You can see other buildings built directly on top of the existing city walls.
Part of the sewage channel on part of the old Roman streets. Sewage was a technological advancement of the time and led waste out of the city walls.
Wine duct where grapes would be crushed into juice under very large stones and fermented for a few months.
Vats where wine could be held in storage for longer periods of time. Barcino was known for having cheap wine that was easy to make, and it was also mixed with water to make it easier to drink and not as strong.
Remains of the old Roman aqueduct, seen to the side of the Cathedral of Barcelona. This brought water into the city for drinking and sewage.
Area where laundry could be done in the smaller pit. Laundry would be rinsed and washed with a mixture of urine, limestone and ash. This would disinfect the clothes and also bleach them to give them a white color.
Facade of the workshops of the Roman town
Salted Fish and Garum factory. The Romans used to salt fish to preserve it in times before refrigeration and garum was a common food made by salting fish remains and could be stored for long periods of time. It was one of Barcino's main exports.
Religious Artifacts
The top picture is a Sculpture of the head of one of the old Roman gods, and the second one is an artifact with carved writing that was located next to the temple. The last picture is of a sculpture that depicts another Roman god.
Domestic Objects
Bowls and plates found in Roman houses
More dishes
The Roman wax edition of a modern day iPad, where you could write something and then reset the wax to a blank page.
Small trinkets and personal items
No comments:
Post a Comment