Rome, Italy: National Museum - Rick Steves Travel Guide - Travel Bite

A visit to the National Museum at the Palazzo Massimo helps humanize the empire. While ancient Rome's architecture was monumental, its citizens were just people, like you and me without electricity. These frescoes, a rare surviving example of Roman painting, bring color to our image of daily life back then. Romans liked to think of themselves as somehow living parallel with the gods. These domestic scenes come with a twist of mythology. And this painted garden, wallpapering a Roman villa, showed an appreciation for nature while creating an atmosphere of serenity. Admiring the artifacts of Rome's elite, from exquisite jewelry to this delicate golden hairnet, we can only marvel at lifestyles of the rich and Roman. Many aspects of Roman life are represented. Roman artists excelled in realism. This boxer is a picture of exhaustion by the time you touch him, with a roughed-up face and tired hands, complete with brass knuckles. The museum's collection tells the empire's story through art. Caesar Augustus was the nephew of Julius Caesar and the first great emperor of the Pax Romana. Looking into the eyes of the man who called himself the first among equals, you get the feeling that the ship of state was in good hands. But by the time this statue was carved, it's clear the Pax Romana was finished, and Rome was falling. This boy is about to become head of state. It was a chaotic and unstable time. In fact, in the 3rd century, 16 emperors were assassinated in a 50-year period. Surrounded by nervous senators, this child emperor is no picture of confidence.