Aeneas’s Journey in Ancient Italy

The Greek playwright Aeschylus’ masterpiece, Agamemnon, revolves around the murder of the title character by his embittered wife after he returned home victorious. Euripides’ tragedy Trojan Women focuses on the fates of the female captives from that city. Odyssey’s decade of wandering across the Mediterranean is recounted in the epic by Homer.

An image depicted time and again in ancient sculpture and painting is of the fleeing Trojan Aeneas carrying his father and leading his young son away from their burning city. Aeneas’ subsequent search for a new homeland for his people led him to Italy and his descendants would go on to found Rome.

This is a myth, but it was of great importance to later Romans who did not view it as such, and the journey of Aeneas is the subject of a new exhibition in the Italian capital.

Although small, the exhibition captures the enduring popularity of Aeneas’ story throughout ancient Italy, by including objects ranging from the seventh century BC to the second century AD. The image of the Trojan refugee depicted on painted vases and in terracotta statuary, in fresco paintings, and on marble relief panels attest to an ancient interest in the stories of what happened to people when the fighting stopped.

'The Journey of Aeneas: From Troy to Rome' is being held at the Temple of Romulus in the Forum Romanum. The exhibition is curated by Alfonsina Russo, Roberta Alteri, Nicoletta Cassieri, Daniele Fortuna, and Sandra Gatti.