Old and New in Old and New Rome

Abstract

It has often been remarked that the central parts of Rome, notably the Forum Romanum, retain their pagan character long after the Empire has become Christianised. Various explanations have been offered: hostility from a largely pagan Senate, or fear that the pagan buildings might be inhabited by demons. However, the late antique fora built in Constantinople by Christian emperors, show the same pattern. This article suggests that rather than political and religious reasons, traditional Roman conservatism lies behind the reluctance to “Christianise” public squares. This traditionalism is also manifest in the extensive use of spolia in the buildings of the first Christian emperor, Constantine. The spolia are in this article seen as a means to acquire auctoritas by including older elements in a new building. Similar aims, though achieved with different means, can in Roman architecture be traced back at least to the time of Augustus, manifesting a will to recreate a real or imaginary past.