This past summer, Dr. Christopher Bungard took several students to the Italian Peninsula for a Rome in the Ruins trip. Fulfilling the Physical Well-Being requirement and the Texts and Ideas requirement or a 300-level classics course, the group took the adage “When in Rome…” to heart. They read ancient authors and toured multiple cities and ruins while visiting. Dr. Bungard wanted students to experience the reality of their readings. He notes, “You get a sense of scale and where things are in relation to each other. The stories become alive with a more personal connection.” Seeing the material culture firsthand is drastically different than seeing images of it in the classroom. Dr. Bungard wanted this trip to bridge the gap between the past and the present by being in that physical space. Besides learning about the Ancient Roman world, Dr. Bungard wanted students to learn about themselves while navigating a different place. He states the experience is “eye-opening for students.” While traveling the Italian Peninsula, the Rome in the Ruins trip achieved these goals and more.
On the three-week adventure, Dr. Bungard and his students briefly visited Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples, but spent most of their time in Rome. They walked around archaeological sites, toured many museums, and explored the Colosseum, multiple churches, and some catacombs. Not everything went as planned, as some sites were closed for renovations, but these shutdowns provided ample opportunities to explore different areas. One day, the group was supposed to visit Nero’s Golden House but ended up at the Domus Romana. While touring, Dr. Bungard and the students experienced the depth of Roman history. A more modern building sits on the ground level, while its basement houses an ancient Roman archaeological site. As a result of this tour, they also stood at the base of Trajan’s Column and experienced it like a Roman would in the past. It was an unexpected but welcomed experience.
Besides visiting the Domus Romana, another highlight was touring the cities Mount Vesuvius took out in 79 CE. Before walking around the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, students read the accounts of Pliny the Younger, who wrote about the rescue efforts of Pliny the Elder to save the people fleeing the eruption. After reading the primary sources, they experienced the cities themselves. They saw ancient graffiti in Pompeii and encountered a different side of the story in nearby Herculaneum. Both Via Sarjent and Elijah Smith, students on the trip, agreed that Herculaneum was one of the best parts, as it was interesting to see and learn about a different side of Vesuivus’ destruction. They said it was “ten times more gruesome” and wondered why it is not more well-known than its famous counterpart, Pompeii.
In the end, the Rome in the Ruins trip was a success. Students learned so much about the Roman Empire and how it functioned. According to Sarjent and Smith, each day was a different topic, and it was exciting to learn so much. At the same time, they were excited to learn about themselves and the other people on the trip. They lived and navigated a foreign country together for three weeks. It was a fun trip filled with history and constantly thinking about the Roman Empire. Fans of the Roman Empire couldn’t ask for anything more.