Today we visited the Museo Capotilini on the capotaline hill. The immediate reaction that came from me was the reaction to the two statues that guard either side of the top of the stairs designed my Michaelangelo. They watch over all who enter the piazza and are colossal in size. These two statues are dressed in warrior-esque garb and stand next to a horse. These two men are the twins Castor and Pollux. Pollux was born of the god Zeus and so was immortal but Castor was not. Both twins are depicted with a cone shaped hat on their head, which is actually the shell of an egg and the reason we are able to identify these statues as Pollux and Castor. The story goes that Castor and Pollux’s mother, Leda, is seduced by Zeus who had taken the form of a Swan and so the pair were hatched from an egg. What’s amazing about these statues is that they were art work commissioned by local noble families and shown in their own personal homes and gardens. When you walk along side these huge statues you get a taste of the extravagance that ancient Rome produced in its hay day and the way of life these wealthy Romans lived. They’re a blaring reminder of the strength of ancient Rome and an example of how they immortalized their heroes.