The Colosseum Archaeological Park presents the exhibition «The journey of Aeneas. From Troy to Rome», conceived and organized in collaboration with the Rotta di Aeneas Association to promote and disseminate knowledge of the myth of Aeneas and the cultural itinerary «Rotta di Aeneas», certified by the Council of Europe in 2021. The exhibition, curated by Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, Roberta Alteri, Nicoletta Cassieri, Daniele Fortuna, Sandra Gatti, will be open to visitors from 15 December 2022 to 10 April 2023 at the Temple of Romulus in the Roman Forum.
“This project makes it possible to narrate the journey and the myth of Aeneas through precious finds from all over Italy, some never previously exhibited – said Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park -. A way to learn about the history of a legendary route whose roots date back to the mists of time and which early became part of the most ancient myths of Rome. A route that today can be enhanced and retraced also thanks to the important recognition received in 2021 from the Council of Europe, which included it among the certified Cultural Itineraries and which saw the Colosseum Archaeological Park among the first members of this network since 2019″.
«Promoting the common European roots, which were formed through the travels and exchanges that took place in the Ancient Mediterranean as evidenced by the magnificent finds displayed in the exhibition, represents a fundamental mission of our Association – added Giovanni Cafiero, president of the Rotta Association of Aeneas –. The recommendation of the European Parliament to the Commission of September 2022 for a new Agenda for the Mediterranean citing the Route of Aeneas recognizes the value of our itinerary as a bridge and cultural infrastructure. A value that the Colosseum Archaeological Park immediately embraced, in the common belief of the important role that culture can play in society and in international relations”.
The myth of Aeneas, sung by Virgil in the Aeneid, has deeply pervaded European culture. Abandoned Troy, destroyed by the Achaeans, the hero leaves his land and embarks on a long journey to the West to reach a new homeland for the surviving Trojans and give life to a lineage from which Romulus, founder of Rome and its first king, will be born. Aeneas personifies the values of the Roman tradition: loyalty, a sense of belonging to the community, respect for the family, for the state and for the gods. Today the figure of the Trojan hero represents the emblem of the possible encounter between different cultures and of hope for the future.
In the exhibition, which has received the institutional collaboration of the Museum and archaeological excavations of Troy, the story of Aeneas is presented through 24 works of great interest, datable between the 7th century BC and the full imperial age, loaned by 12 different national institutions. The works are proposed according to key thematic paths such as the images of Aeneas, his father Anchises and his mother the goddess Aphrodite; depictions of the Trojan War; Palladio – talisman of salvation first of Troy and then of Rome – and finally the landing in Lazio and the foundation of Lavinium, where archaeological discoveries have given substance to the legend of the hero.
Among the precious finds on display are the monumental Apulian red-figure crater from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, a true masterpiece of ancient pottery, dated to 370-360 BC, depicting the massacre of the body of the Trojan prince Hector by Achilles. From the same museum also come two frescoes found in Pompeii, one of which represents a rare depiction of the Trojan horse being dragged inside the city.
The heart of the exhibition are the terracotta statues from the sanctuary of Minerva in Lavinium, a significant example of late archaic and mid-republican art from Lazio, many of which are on public display for the first time.