The remains of Rome and the dream of a bygone kingdom. The many ruins and objects from Roman antiquity are today one of the main reasons to visit the capital of Italy and they never cease to fascinate us. However, these remains are not only found in the Roman Forum, on the Palatine Hill or in the many museums, but can also be found in medieval churches and other buildings, and not only in Rome but also in Pisa, Genoa and Aachen. How did it come about that the Middle Ages were so happy to reuse both ancient building remains and art objects, what is collectively known today as spolia? What did these centuries-old objects mean, to the medieval rulers and to the common people who saw them? Why did spolia become a medieval export industry and so important that it was even copied? Why does Emperor Augustus appear on a crucifix in Cologne? Magnus Borg talks about the concept of spolia's many meanings and meanings and about the objects' exciting journey through both time and space.
Magnus Borg is a doctoral student in medieval history at Lund University and a scholarship holder from the Famiglia Rausing foundation and the Swedish Institute in Rome's friendship association. His thesis work is called Ubi Est: Readings of ancient Roman artefacts in the medieval urbanscape.
Organized in collaboration with the Swedish-Italian Association in Malmö-Lund, Società Dante Alighieri. Free entry, no pre-registration required.