*Artist's visualization of Roman Barcino
1) Roman engineering and architectural influence can be seen all throughout Barcelona but especially in the Gothic District. An example of Roman influence can be seen in the narrow, winding, cobblestone roads that meander throughout the Gothic District, which is pictured below.
These walls have been incorporated into modern day Barcelona, which is a testament to Roman influence on Catalan buildings. These structures have been standing for almost 2000 years, they obviously influenced how the area was styled around them. The following picture is an excavated Roman bathhouse found in MUHBA, the ingenuity to build public bathhouses has lasted many generations and similarities can be found in modern saunas.
In terms of hygiene and sanitation the Romans were far ahead of their time, examples of this ingenuity can be seen in the previously mentioned bathhouses and their sewer systems (pictured below). The Romans built a series of sewer systems that connected houses and businesses, which allowed them to dispose of liquid waste. This sewer system improved the overall sanitation and hygiene of Barcino and many other Roman cities.
2) While exploring the Museo d'Historia de Barcelona, I was unable to find statues or monuments that related to Roman paganism and polytheism, or I simply did not notice them. Although I was unable to take pictures of anything related to polytheism, I found a number of examples relating to the Roman shift to Christianity in the 4th Century A.D. Below is a picture of two Roman candle holders from the 5th century and if you look closely you can see the emblem of a cross in the middle of both candle holders. The museum explained that these candle holders were used by bishops to light rooms or to be used in ceremonies such as a baptism.
Another prime example of Rome's shift from polytheism to Christianity is the construction of the Batissiere, which is shown below (sorry for the lighting, the room was very dark).
The shift from paganism to Christianity in Rome was a radical change in culture and effected many different aspects of Roman life. For the average person, Christianity was more welcoming than many of the different belief systems in Rome because there was no fee to join the religion. It was open to all people, required no fee, and also provided the people with an "afterlife," which are all things that were not as widespread with the pagan cults. It is impossible to say that Christianity affected all people for the better but it is easy to recognize that Christianity benefitted high-ranking members of the church greatly. When I reached the "episcopal center" within the museum it became quite obvious that the bishops gained a great amount of respect and power once Christianity became the religion of Rome. As more and more people flocked to Christianity the new churches and worship areas were built larger and more prestigious, and were overseen by the bishops.
3) There are a number of construction similarities between Roman buildings and Catalan architecture. As you can see in the picture below; the windows get progressively smaller as the building increases in height. This style was used in ancient Rome as the wealthy and more important people had larger living quarters and larger windows, whereas the poorer people lived in the smaller living quarters on the top floors with smaller windows.
The palace pictured on the left is the Casa de la Ciutat (city hall) and the picture on the right is the Generalitat de Catalunya. The city hall is where city officials of Barcelona come to meet and make decisions regarding Barcelona as a city whereas the Generalitat de Catalunya is where the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain is politically organized. You can see that both buildings have some sort of imitation of the traditional Roman Column. The city hall has four real columns above the entrance, whereas the Generalitat de Catalunya has 4 pseudo-columns that are built into the facade of the building. The ancient Roman government building, Temple of Augustus, was composed of many columns and was located in the same square as these two modern buildings. It is quite fitting that the governmental buildings of Barcelona and Catalonia are located in the same square as the Roman government from 2000 years ago.
As explained earlier, one construction similarity between the Romans and Catalans was the winding, narrow, cobblestone streets. The picture below is yet another example of how Catalan construction was influenced by Roman city planning and architecture.
3) There are a number of construction similarities between Roman buildings and Catalan architecture. As you can see in the picture below; the windows get progressively smaller as the building increases in height. This style was used in ancient Rome as the wealthy and more important people had larger living quarters and larger windows, whereas the poorer people lived in the smaller living quarters on the top floors with smaller windows.
One of the most popular Roman construction designs has been copied by governmental buildings all throughout the world spanning numerous generations. This construction design is the Roman Column and can be seen on both Catalonian governmental buildings found in Placa Sant Jaume seen below.
The palace pictured on the left is the Casa de la Ciutat (city hall) and the picture on the right is the Generalitat de Catalunya. The city hall is where city officials of Barcelona come to meet and make decisions regarding Barcelona as a city whereas the Generalitat de Catalunya is where the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain is politically organized. You can see that both buildings have some sort of imitation of the traditional Roman Column. The city hall has four real columns above the entrance, whereas the Generalitat de Catalunya has 4 pseudo-columns that are built into the facade of the building. The ancient Roman government building, Temple of Augustus, was composed of many columns and was located in the same square as these two modern buildings. It is quite fitting that the governmental buildings of Barcelona and Catalonia are located in the same square as the Roman government from 2000 years ago.
As explained earlier, one construction similarity between the Romans and Catalans was the winding, narrow, cobblestone streets. The picture below is yet another example of how Catalan construction was influenced by Roman city planning and architecture.
It's quite remarkable what a lasting impact Roman construction can have on the world. From their ingenious engineering of sewer systems and aqueducts that provided them with water, to their simple building aesthetics of columns. Roman influence can be found all over Barcelona and throughout many other cities and countries not only in Europe but also in the United States. Below are three examples of buildings in the United States' capital city; the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Lincoln Memorial. From these examples, it is easy to see that Roman architecture has had a lasting impact on the rest of the world.
*White House
*US Capitol Building
*The Lincoln Memorial
4) There were a number of displays throughout the museum that contained household items from Roman times. Examples of some of these things were; vases, bowls, pots, and cups made of ceramic, clay and even tin. Most of the artifacts throughout the museum were vases, bowls, or cups that are common in modern day life and needed in essentially every household, so these items did not surprise me. Some of these items are pictured below.
*Decorative ceramic vase
There were many other common artifacts such as rings, buckles, and earrings found all throughout the museum. There were also some uncommon items like fish hooks, dyes used in laundries, and even a large engraved stone slab that was used to play a game. The item that I found most surprising was the ceramic perfume holder. What puzzled me most was not the fact that they had a small ceramic pot for perfume but it was the fact that they even had perfume in the first place. For some reason, I was under the assumption that general hygiene and sanitation was not a high priority for civilizations until the 16th or 17th century. The perfume bottle was one of the first artifacts I encountered on my tour of the museum and I was surprised by it, but as I continued to learn about the baths and laundromats of Barcino I came to find that the ancient Romans placed great importance on sanitation and hygiene.
5) Wine was likely introduced to the Catalan region by the Phoenicians well before the Romans arrived. But wine culture did not expand in the area until the Romans built the city of Barcino and made it one of its main exports. Aside from the fish sauce garum and salted fish, one of the main exports of Barcino was its wine. The reason there was such a high demand for wine from Barcino was because of its price, as it was much cheaper than the wine made in Tuscany. Due to the large production of wine in Barcino, the Romans created a thriving wine culture in Catalonia that persisted even after their downfall. Below you can see a picture of the dolias where crushed grape juice was left to ferment for weeks until it became wine.
Before Christianity became the main religion of Rome, the people of the Roman empire held activities and festivals associated with the god of wine, Bucchus. One of Jesus Christ's most famous miracles was to turn water into wine, this changed the Roman's typical festivities associated with Bucchus into religious events related to Jesus. The sacrament of Eucharist greatly involved wine and with the introduction of Christianity the consumption of wine came to be a stand-in to metaphorically consume Christ. Other than drinking wine with the sacrament of Eucharist, Romans consumed wine with every meal as they had before the introduction of Christianity.
*Decorative ceramic vase
*Ceramic pot
*Engraved tin cup
There were many other common artifacts such as rings, buckles, and earrings found all throughout the museum. There were also some uncommon items like fish hooks, dyes used in laundries, and even a large engraved stone slab that was used to play a game. The item that I found most surprising was the ceramic perfume holder. What puzzled me most was not the fact that they had a small ceramic pot for perfume but it was the fact that they even had perfume in the first place. For some reason, I was under the assumption that general hygiene and sanitation was not a high priority for civilizations until the 16th or 17th century. The perfume bottle was one of the first artifacts I encountered on my tour of the museum and I was surprised by it, but as I continued to learn about the baths and laundromats of Barcino I came to find that the ancient Romans placed great importance on sanitation and hygiene.
*ceramic perfume bottles
Before Christianity became the main religion of Rome, the people of the Roman empire held activities and festivals associated with the god of wine, Bucchus. One of Jesus Christ's most famous miracles was to turn water into wine, this changed the Roman's typical festivities associated with Bucchus into religious events related to Jesus. The sacrament of Eucharist greatly involved wine and with the introduction of Christianity the consumption of wine came to be a stand-in to metaphorically consume Christ. Other than drinking wine with the sacrament of Eucharist, Romans consumed wine with every meal as they had before the introduction of Christianity.
Wine is still a large and important part of the culture in Barcelona and one of the major products of Catalonia. The wine in Catalonia is reasonably priced just as it was in ancient Barcino and there are many different wineries and brands. Conca de Barberá is a type of wine that is produced in the hills just north of Tarragona and they use the limestone based soils to produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and the Spanish wine Cava. The largest and most productive wine region in Catalonia is Penedés and is largely considered the birthplace of Cava. This region's proximity to Barcelona allows it to be a highly exported wine with a rich history is providing wine to other European countries.
Catalonian wine culture is a large part of Catalonian culture in its entirety, consumed at many meals and regarded as an extremely important part of friendship and companionship. Some say that before you do business with Barcelonians, it is recommended that you sit and share a glass of wine together in order to establish a sense of trust and friendship. One cultural difference between America and Catalonian culture is the idea that you do not invite someone over for dinner unless they are a close friend. This friendship is expressed by inviting someone over for dinner and a glass (or two) of wine together. This was also an aspect of Roman times as people felt trust was gained between people over a meal and some wine.
*Dolia as seen from above
