Curia |
‘Curia’ in Latin means ‘court’ or ‘senate house’, and
supplied the purpose of having a meeting place for the senators so they can
create political management and organisation in the state by discussing rising
issues within Rome. The first Curia built in Rome was the Curia Hostilla that
was built by Tullus Hostillius and the Curia Cornelia replaced the Curia Hostilla and then Curia which is now known as the Curia
Julia, built for Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. to reconstruct a new senate house as
Curia Hostilla had been torn down (source shown below) and replace the Curia
Cornelia that had been burnt down in 52 B.C. due to civil conflict. The Curia was
located in the Roman Forum and was the third meeting place for the senate. Caesar
wanted to redesign both spaces within the Comitium and the Forum Romanum, however the redesigning and
work was interrupted due to the assassination of Julius Caesar in the Pompey’s
theatre curia, and the project had to be continued and completed by Julius
Caesar’s successor Augustus in 29 BC. The Curia has also been restored several times
due to fires.
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The Curia had a basic structure like a large hall, and was
25.20 metres long, 17.61 metres wide, 15.40 metres high, and the doorway was
5.90 metres in height. It had a similar structure to that of the Curia Hostilla. The exterior of the Curia was constructed of a
brick-faced concrete, with a large buttress (a structure built against a wall
to supply reinforcement and support to the building) at each angle, the lower
section of the front wall was decorated with slabs of white marble, while the
upper section of the front facing wall was decorated with stucco to imitate
marble with heavy draughts in the joints, the travertine consoles and the brick
cornice were also covered in stucco. A flight of stairs lead up to the entrance
way to the large doors that was made from bronze, and leading up the stairs
there were inscriptions. Above the doorway there was three large windows, with
bowed lintels. The roof of the Curia was lofty, that had added rectangular buttress
at each corner.
Inside the Curia the floors were tiled with different types
of marbles in a geometric pattern, and was one of the Curia’s most striking features, Claridge described the floor as a “stylized rosettes in squares alternate with opposed pairs of entwined cornucopias in rectangles, all worked in green and red porphyry on backgrounds of Numidian yellow Phrygian purple”.
The walls were originally veneered in
marble two-thirds of the way up and there were three wide steps that estimated
could fit five rows of chair and around 300 senators. The most significant part
of the Curia’s interior was its ‘Altar of Victory’ which celebrated Rome’s
military competence and it also shows Augustus own personal victory in the
Battle of Actium in 33 B.C. The Altar of
Victory had a statue in its interior of Victoria, who personified victory, and
was on top of a globe standing with a wreath extending in one hand. As
discussed by Augustus (in the source shown below), his achievements in the war were
displayed in the curia by a golden shield, which had the inscription defying
that the Senate and the Roman people gave Augustus the shield because of his
courage, mercy, justice and devotion.
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Vitruvius suggested that the interior walls of the curia had
three niches (architectural plinth or semicircular recess), the main one was
rounded while the other two were triangular. Above the niches there were
protruding mouldings which Vitruvius suggested were to help the acoustics of
protecting voices.
The Curia can be seen as significant due to its political purpose
for a meeting place for the senate, and for its commemoration of Rome’s and
Augustus victory and achievements in the war. It can also been seen as significant as in the
source shown, it is said to be one of the best preserved ancient buildings in
the Forum. It is also significant due to its architectural
features and also being seen as a powerful symbol between Christian and Pagan
religions due to its Altar of Victory. The Curia is also shown as significant through
Augustus Res Gestate (The Deeds of the Divine Augustus) which he stated “I built the Senate House... with the power
of the state entirely in my hands by universal consent, I extinguished the flames
of civil wars, and then relinquished my control, transferring the Republic back
to the authority of the Senate and the Roman people. For this service I was
named Augustus by a decree of the Senate”. This statement of Augustus shows the significance
of the Curia as he demonstrates the values and significance in which the curia
had to him.
Questions
1. What were the significant architectural features of the curia? 2. How did the Curia symbolise the victory of Rome and what significance did it show? Bibliography
Ball Platner, S. (1929), ‘Curia Julia’, Lancus Curtis, Retrieved August 2015 from: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Curia_Julia.html Enriquez, A. Ishac, K. Puno, J. Tang, A. (2008), ‘The Curia’, Slide Share, Retrieved August 2015 from: http://www.slideshare.net/ahendry/the-roman-curia Rome Reborn, (2008), ‘Curia Julia’, Retrieved August 2015 from: http://romereborn.frischerconsulting.com/ge/CB-016.html Seindal, R. (n.d.), ‘Curia Julia’, Retrieved August 2015 from: http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/180_Curia_Julia.html Vitruvius, (n.d), ‘the Curia Julia’, Retrieved August 2015 from: http://www.vitruvius.be/curjulia.htm Wikipedia, (last updated 25 June 2015), ‘Curia Julia’, Retrieved August 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curia_Julia |