Piazza del Campidoglio
AA-2026-E8B3C8
On the image
A woman, dressed in the latest fashion of the 1970s, pauses for a picture in front of a bronze horse and rider that has been standing there for seventeen centuries. Her bright yellow top and floral skirt were, at the time, perfectly acceptable for experiencing millennia of history.
The colossal statue, representing a Roman emperor, points vaguely at something in the distance, perhaps an unseen barbarian horde, or maybe just a very good gelato stand. Its historical gravitas is largely incidental to the primary function of providing a dramatic backdrop for vacation memories.
On the balustrade above, even more ancient figures look on, forever contemplating the human need to document one's presence near significant objects, regardless of how much one understands their actual significance. She will keep this photo to prove she was there.
The historian's note
The image depicts the Piazza del Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy, during the 1970s. The central feature is the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, a bronze statue dating back to AD 176.
The piazza itself was designed by Michelangelo in the mid-16th century, creating a trapezoidal space that dramatically reshaped the ancient hill. The building in the background is part of the Capitoline Museums complex, likely the Palazzo Senatorio, with other classical sculptures adorning its balustrade.
The statue of Marcus Aurelius is particularly significant as it is one of the few Roman bronze equestrian statues to survive largely intact from antiquity, primarily due to its mistaken identification during the Middle Ages as Emperor Constantine, Rome's first Christian emperor. The statue present in the piazza since 1981 is a modern replica, with the original housed in the Palazzo dei Conservatori.
Subjects & keywords — each links to a search
Visually related — by likeness
Tourist at Capitoline Hill, Rome, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-E8B3C8. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/tourist-at-capitoline-hill-rome-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026E8B3C8,
title = {Tourist at Capitoline Hill, Rome, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-E8B3C8},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/tourist-at-capitoline-hill-rome-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Tourist at Capitoline Hill, Rome, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-E8B3C8 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/tourist-at-capitoline-hill-rome-1970s ER -
From the community
Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.
Sign in to add an identification, correction, or comment.
No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.