Before the Venus of the Capitol
Before the Venus of the Capitol

Summary/Abstract: On Campidoglio, in the well-known Roman museum of antiquities I finally stopped in front of the hall of Venus. Luckily, there were no Englishmen or Germans nearby. Only from over there, from the hall of the imperial busts, the rough voice of a cicerone could be heard, lecturing in a Babel mixture of Italian and English about Karakala’s bloodthirsty acts, also mentioning the fire in the temple in Ephesus and Helioghabala’s unusual passions. But around me everything was silent and lonely. The custodian himself was napping in his chair in the passage, just at the door which opens wide into a small round hall. And as soon as I cast a glance at the door, I knew I wouldn’t move on so soon.

• Details
• Contents