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Home |Changes [Jan 04, 2007]
HomeIt is very cold in Rome, has been for a few weeks now and the wave of fur coats unleashed in December shows little sign of receding. The rain has been falling frequently through the hole in the roof of the Pantheon - a lovely sight - and chestnut sellers and umbrella vendors must think all their Christmasses have come again.
The tourists are doggedly sitting in the piazzas, drinking capuccino or, like two well-wrapped German women I spied yesterday, entering into the spirit and downing flagons of chilly orange juice; whatever the elements, Rome is still beautiful. But, said my landlady, the weather is now making the Romans depressed and prone to stay indoors. It is certainly quiet on the streets at night. As I shivered waiting for the tram near the sacred site of Largo Argentina yesterday, I wondered how ancient Rome coped with the cold. What was the effect of unseasonal snaps on the processionals and other performative rituals? Perhaps there would be something in ancient texts, a throwaway line in poetry or a letter (rather like the Vindolanda ones complaining to back home - ie Rome - about the cold in Northern England). Is our concept of "cold" so much different today? How could we evidence this archaeologically? Just a thought.
Still, icy weather or not, the tourist season proper is here. And that evidence is sure from the appearance of curious gold boxes in the most frequented sites, Piazza del Popolo for example, or as below, in the Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere.
My hint is that this something to do with mummy, rather than daddy... When I see more evidence, I'll post it.
......
Well, that didn't take long...went off for lunch after posting the above, and found the mummy returned; the golden "box" holds the gear for quick transformation. I am not clear how many "mummies" are operating in Rome, but it's perfect cold-weather gear, no? On the other hand, come July...
