Circa 313 A.D.
Copyright © 2010 Josh Rose
Yet another in my series of proficiently artless photographs, taken with the camera on my Backflip. Came across this scene while on a dusk walk with the wife and kiddo, acting the flânuer, and felt this scene rather nicely encapsulated the end of the Roman empire -- via the crumbling rectangular columns -- with neatly stacked bricks in the foreground foreshadowing the use of brickwork in the late medieval era after the knowledge of concrete from ancient Rome was forgotten. The specter of Constantine haunts this scene, as if that Roman propensity for quick resolution and pragmatism has kicked in and he barks orders: "Roman empire is done! Move that old Imperial stuff out and make way for Christendom!" (This is, of course, woefully anachronistic, since Constantine rather proficiently balanced his sponsorship of Christianity by legalizing all mystery cults in Rome, and did not even become baptized until he lay dying.)