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DECORATION DAY BY ANY OTHER NAME…

5/28/2021

This year the long Memorial Day weekend probably begins today, May 28 through May 31. Although celebrations may be less intense than prior three-day weekends due to the pandemic, it is likely to involve large picnics, holiday drinking, maybe parades, and large crowds at the beaches.
Image Source: dailycaller.com/2019/memorial-day

THE ORIGINS OF DECORATION DAY
History took the original Decoration Day along a twisting path to get to the official federal holiday we call Memorial Day.

What?
Decoration Day, now called Memorial Day, is not just a holiday and a trip to the beach. This day is a special time set aside to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives for this country, and to thank them for their contribution to America.

Why?
Decoration Day came about as a response to the massive number of lives lost in the Civil War. Considering losses on both sides, an estimated 620,000 died in the conflict.
mentalfloss.com/memorial-day

The tremendous toll taken in human lives affected the country in a way that fostered spontaneous commemorations of the dead.

When?
In 1864, a year before the Civil war ended, women from Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, put flowers on the graves of their fallen soldiers from the just-fought Battle of Gettysburg. The next year, a group of women decorated the graves of soldiers buried in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Two years later, women from Columbus, Mississippi, laid flowers on the grave of both Union and Confederate soldiers. mentalfloss.com/memorial-day

In April 1886, the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia resolved to commemorate the fallen once a year—a decision that seems to have influenced Major General John Logan to follow suit.

Major General John A. Logan, officer of the Federal Army
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/Logan

Logan was commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic GAR), an organization of and for Union Civil War veterans founded in Illinois. The southern states already had started commemoration days, and the northern states quickly adopted the holiday.

By 1868 the event was being celebrated in 27 states. With his proclamation, Logan adopted the "Decoration Day" practice that had begun in the Southern states three years earlier. The northern states quickly adopted the holiday.

However, southerners continued to memorialize the Confederate dead locally on days throughout spring and early summer, often on important dates such as Joseph Johnston’s surrender, Stonewall Jackson’s death, or Jefferson Davis’ birthday.

Who Gets The Credit for Being First?
Even before the end of the Civil War, such days to honor those who died in that war were held, and the phenomenon spread quickly. Many communities claimed they were the first to recognize and hold memorials to honor those who lost their lives serving.

Wikipedia has a long list of which communities did what and when. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.

The first large-scale observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns. Notice from Boalsburg – 85th Anniversary
Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/Memorial_Day
May 30, 1868- First official observance of what would
eventually become Memorial Day
Image Source: blog.fold3.com/may-30-1868

It is not clear when and how the term “Memorial Day” came into use unofficially.

After the end of World War I, the Decoration Day/ Memorial Day tradition was expanded to in-clude those killed in all American wars, but Decoration Day was not officially recognized nationwide until the America was deeply embedded in the Vietnam War. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Image Source: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_personen_overleden

On May 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson designated an "official" origin of the “Memorial Day” holiday. The proclamation named Waterloo, New York ‒ a community which had begun observing an annual “Decoration Day” on May 5, 1866 ‒ as holding the title of “Birthplace of Memorial Day”. As far as I could tell from my research, this was the first official recognition of Decoration Day being called "Memorial Day". It was a long road getting there.

This action was followed by House Concurrent Resolution 587, in which the 89th Congress officially recognized that the patriotic tradition of observing Memorial Day had begun one hundred years prior in Waterloo, New York.

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, although it is still sometimes called Decoration Day. At that time the observation day was officially placed on the last Monday in May. Other adjustments were made to place various federal holidays on Mondays or Fridays.

THE REAL MESSAGE
So, here we are in 2021. Before you head out for your Memorial Day weekend or events, take a minute ‒ a mere sixty seconds ‒ to remember all those soldiers who never made it back to their family and friends, and give thanks for their sacrifices.

These people and many others are the reason we continue to enjoy long weekends in a free country. Honor them.

JUST SAYIN’

Civil War Drawing - Image Source: War of 1812 - Image Source: Spanish American War - Image S:
teamtradingcards.fandom.com/ inquiriesjournal.com/war-of-1812 britannica.com/Spanish-American-War

World War I -- Image Source: Women in WW II -- Image Source: Korean War -- Img.Source:
thoughtco.com/trenches-in-world-war 1 vintag.es/women-world-war-ii rediff.com/north-korea-standoff

War in Afghanistan - Image Source: War in Iraq - Image Source: Desert Fox - Image Source:
commons.wikimedia.org/Sangin2007 strategyinternational.org/war-iraq/ commons.wikimedia.org/468278

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Sources:
http://captaindriver.com/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/27858/10-things-remember-about-memorial-day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history
https://firefightermortgages.com/blog-post/happy-memorial-day/
http://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/history.asp
https://blog.fold3.com/may-30-1868-first-official-memorial-day-observance/
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States
Photos Only:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_A._Logan_(general).jpg
https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/25/memorial-day-fly-flag-soldiers/
https://steamtradingcards.fandom.com/wiki/Battleplan:_American_Civil_War_-_Fort_Gregg
http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1337/economic-historiography-of-the-war-of-1812
https://www.thoughtco.com/trenches-in-world-war-i-1779981
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/92176/11-weapons-won-world-war-ii
https://www.britannica.com/summary/Overview-of-the-Spanish-American-War
http://www.artofbeingconflicted.com/2011/07/war-memorials.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US-UK-Sangin2007.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=468278
https://strategyinternational.org/aftermath-war-iraq/
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_personen_overleden_in_1973https:/nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_personen_overleden_in_1973
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:85th_Anniversary_of_Memorial_Day_-_DPLA_-_b34e7aa9e159dc170d8702e5f0c836a6.pdf

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BOTT'S DOTS

5/21/2021

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SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: Botts’ Dots and Turtles and Southern States’ Buttons

Upon occasion all of us who drive have had the experience of not paying a lot of attention to driving when… bump, bump, bump! You run over those raised white things in the road that warn you you’re , drifting into another lane. Yes, I thought so.

Those round, non-reflective, raised pavement markers are called Botts’ Dots, named after Elbert Dysart Botts, a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) engineer credited with overseeing the research that led to the development of the raised markers.

If you live in Washington or Oregon, you know them as turtles; in Texas and other southern states they are called buttons.

Whatever they are called, they are one of the great contributions to traffic safety in the 20th century. They have saved more lives than can be counted and I, for one, believe all drivers should thank Mr. Botts for a significant advancement in traffic engineering.

UNANTICIPATED BENEFITS?
I’m inclined to believe those references that assert the development of the dots was not motivated and funded for safety benefits. Some sources claim the primary purpose was to reduce the cost of repainting white lines on highways, which in places in the California highway system, was a very frequent requirement. Traffic safety was a collateral benefit. I don’t know if that is fact but knowing government, it rings true.

To replace or enhance painted lines, Botts’ Dots started out as white, but now are often yellow to substitute for the yellow lines that divide opposing directions of traffic in North America. They can be round or square, and today are white, yellow, red, and blue, each color used in specifics locations. I’m surprised I’ve never seen this as a question on a drivers’ test.

● White Markers
These are used to designate lane divisions and the edge of the road.

● Yellow Markers
Yellow is used to designate lanes moving in the opposite direction, i.e. two-way trafic; center dividers.

● Red Markers
Red dots indicate that a motorist is going the wrong way.
● Blue Markers
These dots are used on roadways so fire fighters can locate fire hydrants.

Over the years the use of the markers has expanded, primarily to warn of upcoming issues drivers need to be aware of. Several rows of markers generally convey the message “Slow Down”. They are used for upcoming stops, school proximity, railroad tracks, entrances to parking facilities and so on. They are also important for indicating the side of the road, particularly in areas prone to fog.

Slow for stop – day and night Entrance to parking garage
Image credit: Bel-Aire Hoa, Delray Beach, Florida! Image Source: yelp.com/biz_photos/

They are not used often in states with heavy snowfall because they would fall victim to the ravages of the snow plows. If they are installed, they are placed into divots in the road, ensuring that the top of the marker is level with the roadbed so that it will not interfere with clearing the roads. In some states with snow, the reflectors are places in metal casings.

HISTORY
The need for some kind of raised highway marker was recognized as early at the 1930s, and several different versions were developed. The first raised markers were made of glass and nailed to the pavement, and degraded and faded quickly. Botts' and his team not only developed a much tougher material for the markers, but they also invented an epoxy strong enough to hold them to the roadway, which made them much easier to attach and longer lasting.

In a personal way, the story is a little sad. Botts headed the Caltrans research laboratory (Translab) in the early 1950s. His division was assigned to determine the best shapes and materials for raised pavement markers. In 1955, when they tested their research in West Sacramento, they discovered the tactile importance of the raised markers, which was very important regarding flooded roadways. This was a solution to the problem of paint disappearing visually under water.
Elbert Dysart Botts
Image Source: caltransd7info.blogspot.com/

Unfortunately, Botts died in 1962 without seeing the far reaching impacts of his research. His work on the dots was deep-sixed and it wasn’t even mentioned in his obituary in the Translab newsletter.

Two years later, the research surfaces and the new direction decided it was worth pursuing. Using the original research, Translab developed the modern pattern of interspersing plastic square reflectors between groups of four round polyester or epoxy dots. This pattern was first tested along Interstate 80 near Vacaville in 1965, and ultimately Caltrans switched to ceramic round markers in 1966.

Because the innovations were developed by State of California employees, any patents belonged to the State. According to Cal-Trans employees, verbal history has it that all Botts received was naming the raised markers Botts' Dots.

FUTURE CHANGES
In 2021 it appears that Botts’ Dots may be headed for the dumpster, at least in California. Given the current volumes and speeds of auto and truck traffic on state highways and freeways, Bott’s Dots don’t hold up well anymore, plus they aren’t reflective. Initially, the dots on Caltrans maintained highways and roads required replacement every ten years. These days, they need to be replaced every six months.

But don’t worry! Better raised reflective technology will continue to replace the dots and a rumble effect will still be there to bump you to attention if you get sleepy or are not paying attention – like in talking on your cell phone which will get you a big fat ticket if you are caught. The rumble effect will come as two bumps per second when traveling at 60 MPH
One of the newer approaches for warning drivers are “rumble strips”... a not-so-gentle reminder of curves or other roadway changes, and safety is their primary objective.
Milled rumble strips
Image Source: ayresassociates.com/rumble-strips

illed rumble strips are grooves in the pavement created by a machine using a rotary tool. Tires press into the grooves as they roll over them, producing noise and vibration. Milled rumble strips are about a half-inch deep, 5 to 7 inches wide, and 12 to 16 inches long.

Obviously, any change to the dimensions of the groves alters the sound and vibration caused. The general rule is that the wider and deeper the rumble strip, within reason, the more sound and vibration produced.

The findings of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) report concluded that installing rumble strips along rural roadway shoulders reduced crash frequency by 36% and, on rural and urban two-lane roadways, by 45% and 64%, respectively, after installing rumble strips along the center line. The strips are deemed effective even on rural freeways. ayresassociates.com/rumble-strips-
Rumble strips work well under water and in snow.

IT’S THE LONG-RANGE, LAND USE PLANNER IN ME
I can't help it. Because I spent most of my 35-plus-year career in long-range urban planning, I can’t resist taking this twenty or thirty years into the future and ask the question what will our roads be like when we are using self-driven vehicles. Image Credit: Hal Tenny/Diviant Art
Image Source: pinterest.com/pin/4632375

According to some of the research and predictions, that isn’t very far down the road ‒ no pun intended. We are already in the testing stages and the rate of change is accelerating faster and faster. If you are able to read this blog now, change in the general paradigm of roads, highways, and individual cars most likely will not change too dramatically in your lifetime.

But the S&P Global’s report The Road Ahead For Autonomous Vehicles forecasts that, by 2040, between 10% and 50% of new registrations in the U.S. will be unmanned vehicles. However, the low operational cost of an electric, self-driving vehicle, combined with the possibility of having them on the road continuously, will make the cost per kilometer drop significantly, such that there are already those like predicting that in 2030, 95% of the miles traveled will come from this type of vehicle operated by large service companies. blog.ferrovial.com/future-roads.

Based on those forecasts, as self-driving cars begin to hit the road, they will have to share the roadways with conventional vehicles. Logically, self-driving vehicles can only be allowed to operated when the car itself and the roadways meet certain requirements. This is when the paradigm will have to change.

A high volume of unmanned vehicles might be handled with toll roads or managed lanes on which only self-operating vehicles are allowed. Another approach might be creating a communication system between vehicles and the roadway itself, known as V21 (vehicle to infrastructure). Regardless of the approaches that evolve, a new and improved infrastructure technology will be required.
Image Source: electronicspecifier.com/artificial-intell-roads
JUST SAYIN’
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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botts%27_dots
https://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/19/botts-dots-after-a-half-century-will-disappear-from-freeways-highways/
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bott-s-dots
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbert_Dysart_Botts
https://www.infobloom.com/what-are-botts-dots.htm
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/botts-dots/
https://blog.ferrovial.com/en/2019/03/future-roads-smart-roadways-self-driving-cars/
https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/The-Road-Ahead-for-Autonomous-Vehicles
https://99percentinvisible.org/article/end-road-botts-dots-round-markers-phased-california/
https://www.ayresassociates.com/rumble-strips-help-keep-drivers-safe/
https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/11/bots-dots-did-you-know-they-come-in-4.html?template=default
https://www.electronicspecifier.com/products/artificial-intelligence/marking-roads-to-make-them-safer-for-self-driving-cars
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/353034-self-driving-cars-are-coming-but-us-roads-arent-ready-for-the-change
Photos Only:
http://www.stocktongov.com/government/departments/publicWorks/tCalmChoiceExped.html
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tscm-huntington-beach-2?select=RF6AhZ7iUYieCaRImUBlUQ
http://caltransd7info.blogspot.com/2014_11_01_archive.html
https://99percentinvisible.org/article/end-road-botts-dots-round-markers-phased-california/
https://www.rgbstock.com/photo/mq24338/Fire+Hydrant
https://99percentinvisible.org/article/decoding-cats-eyes-global-color-guide-reflective-road-markers/ https://hellobeautiful.com/2688563/beyonce-shows-off-blue-ivy/3/
http://www.hyviz.com/hyvis/street.htm

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ROCK FOREST: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China

5/14/2021

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Image credit: chensiyuan - chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22046362

THE CHALLENGE
By the end of this blog, you know how to pronounce the name Zhangjiajie, at least in your head. Phonetically, the name is pronounced zhangji-a-jie or SZ-aa-ng-J-ee-aa-J-ee-uh. You can go to https://www.pronouncekiwi.com/Zhangjiajie and hear how to pronounce it, or you can take the lazy route to enlightenment and simply substitute the word Avatar.

WHAT PUT ZHANGJIAJIE ON THE RADAR?
In 1982, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park became China’s first national forest park. It comprises almost 12,000 acres, which is only a part of the much larger, 153.5-square-mile Wulingtuan Scenic Area. Ten years later, in 1992, Wulingyan was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Zhangjiajie is listed as a UNESCO global geopark.

The location has been known for a long time, but as far as the western part of the world, the general public had never heard of it and couldn’t pronounce it. Think about it… if you can’t pronounce something, it’s hard to talk about it.

The location achieved world renown through the 2009 movie Avatar. Rumor has it that James Cameron drew his inspiration from this venue when he was working on the production of the movie. The locals say a Hollywood photographer came to the Wulingyuan Scenic Area in 2008 and took photos which later formed the basis of the animated floating mountains in the movie.
Image Source: ▼ tripandtravelblog.com/the-flying-mountains-of-avatar

Image source: youramazingplaces.com/hallelujah-mountains

The Chinese tourist industry knew a good thing when they saw it and have capitalized on the movie ever since. They adopted the slogan “Pandora is far, but Zhangjiajie is near”.

It is now one of the “don’t miss” places in the world. In fact, the Southern Sky Column in Zhangjiajie was formally named Avatar Hallelujah Mountain at a ceremony in 2010.

Southern Sky ▲ Avatar Pillar is 3,540 feet tallImage
Image Source: weirdasianews.com/2010/02/07/china-renames-mountain

ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL FOREST PARK
The entire Wulingtuan Scenic Area is filled with amazing scenery and geographic features, enhanced by man-made novelties like glass bridges and the world’s tallest outdoor elevator, the Bailong Elevator.

Bailong Elevator
Bailong in Chinese mean Hundred Dragons. The glass elevator hangs on the side of a tall cliff in the Zhangjiajie’s Forest Park. Construction started in 1999 and the lift was open to the public in 2002. Operation was suspended for ten months in 2002-2003 for safety reasons. It is 1,070 feet high and carries 50 visitors to the top.

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◄ Image source: pinterest.at/pin/537335799285249009/

Southern Sky Column / Avatar Hallelujah Mountain
Zhangjiajie’s Forest Park is known for the pillar-like landforms such as Southern Sky Column/ Avatar Hallelujah Mountain. In this general area there are approximately 3,000 of these tall quartzite sandstone pillars.

These towering columns are not underlain by limestone and are not the result of chemical dissolution, but result from uncounted years of physical erosion.
Much of the weathering that forms these quartz-sandstone pillars is the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants that grow on them. The weather is moist year-round, and as a result, the foliage is very dense. The weathered material is carried away primarily by streams.

Over a period of 2.6 million years, the formation of the geology in the area uplifted the crust in the Zhangjiajie area. Running water along the joints and fissures cut the quartz sandstone into the landforms like mesas, tablelands, peak walls, peak forests and single-peak groups. The crust is still rising slowly, and Zhangjiajie geomorphologic landscape is still under formation and change.

THE VIEWS ARE NOT ONLY ROCK PILLARS

▲ Source of Images: iliketowastemytime.com/zhangjiajie ▲

▼Image source: windows10spotlight.com/images/ Image Source: the007world.com/zhangjiajie ▼

Sunset over zhangjiajie Image credit: Getty Images
Image Source: chinadiscovery.com/zhangjiajie-tours Image Source: www.redbull.com/glass-skywalks

If you are physically up to this kind of trip, definitely add it to your bucket list. You’ll never regret it.

JUST SAYIN’
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Sources:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
https://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhangjiajie_National_Forest_Park
https://tripandtravelblog.com/the-flying-mountains-of-avatar-are-located-in-china/
https://the007world.com/zhangjiajie-national-forest-park-china/
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/hunan/zhangjiajie/avatar-mountains.html
https://www.weirdasianews.com/2010/02/07/china-renames-mountain-avatar-movie/
https://j-miin.tumblr.com/post/25281389389/realism-in-avatar-film
https://www.thousandwonders.net/Zhangjiajie+National+Forest+Park
https://www.zhangjiajietourguide.com/article-p263-landform-of-zhangjiajie.html#:~:text=Landform%20of%20Zhangjiajie%20Zhangjiajie%20lies%20in%20southern%20China,agents%20like%20water%20erosion%2C%20gravity%20collapse%2C%20and%20weathering.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g494933-d505450-Reviews-Zhangjiajie_National_Forest_Park-Zhangjiajie_Hunan.html
https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/photo-gallery/34753886/image/34787516/Zhangjiajie-National-Forest-Park-China
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/zhangjiajie-tours.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrpCe3rLs7wIVCxmtBh05wQtWEAAYAiAAEgLpEvD_BwE
Photos:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22046362
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10097026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25405860
https://www.youramazingplaces.com/hallelujah-mountains-china/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56431467
https://windows10spotlight.com/images/2ffe9512604071eea6e5ba338a783a6e

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The Bocca Della Veritá (The Mouth of Truth)

5/7/2021

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The City of Rome is full of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of ancient and historical artifacts. I believe someone could live there a lifetime and not see everything. Part of the fun of going there and just wandering around is the discovery of these wonderful pieces of art tucked away in small corners, ready to surprise, then thrill the newcomer.

Unless you are on a tour that takes you to this location, The Bocca Della Veritá (The Mouth of Truth) is a rather unexpected find, located in the ancient cattle market in Piazza della Bocca della Verità, at the left side wall of the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin church.
It was moved there from its prior location to the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin in the 17th century.

Piazza della Bocca della Veritá.
Image source: rome-roma.net/bocca-della-verita

WHAT IS THE BOCCA DELLA VERITÁ?
The Mouth itself in a disc shaped sculpture [a sort of mask] made of Pavonazzo marble, with the carving of a male face with wide open mouth, nostrils and eyes. The stone disc is 5’9” in diameter, seven inches thick, and weighs 2,800 pounds. [The thickness appears to be over 7”, but that was the measurement I found.] The estimated age is 2200 years.

Source of images:romesightseeing.net/mouth-truth/

BITE ME
The name “Mouth of Truth” and the legend both originated in the fourteenth century. The legend warns that anyone not telling the truth who placed a hand in the mouth of the sculpture would have it bitten off. Supposedly, Medieval Romans used the sculpture as an ancient lie detector for those who committed acts like adultery and perjury.

Piazza della Bocca della Verità served as the venue for trials of petty criminals. Those accused were asked to take an oath of honesty at the piazza by placing one hand in the mouth and then answering the questions of the “executioner” i.e. judge. If the executioner believed the person was telling the truth, nothing happened. When the judge did not trust the veracity of the accused, a hidden “executioner” with a sharp sword would slice off the hand.

This gross demonstration was intended to punish criminals and at the same time encourage people to be more honest by creating fear of the consequences.

How’s that working out?

Travelers who witnessed the trials thought it was magic and eventually the legend grew.

THE DUPLICITY OF WOMEN
The practice of using the Mouth to verify a wife’s adultery [no mention of men being tests this way] generated the following popular story/legend. A cunning woman accused of adultery had to undergo the test of the Bocca della Verità in front of her husband and a judge. She persuaded her lover to come with her disguised as a fool and at the crucial moment he mischievously embraced her. She could then swear, without fear, that no man apart from her husband and that fool had ever touched her.

The story was picked up by German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach, the Elder, who created a series of paintings illustrating the “duplicity of women.” Instead of the Mouth, he substitutes the image of a lion.

▲Image Credit: Lucas Cranach, The Elder ▲ Image Credit: Lucas Cranach, The Elder
Source: wga.hu/html_m/c/cranach/lucas_elder Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_della_Verit%

The stone was dubbed “The Mouth of Truth” in the middle of the 15th century. This superstition apparently appealed to the Romans and it persists still, although hundreds of thousands of tourists and Romans alike have put it to the test and miraculously retained the threatened appendage.

THE REAL PURPOSE
As with many artifacts from ancient times, the original purpose is not always clear. To consider the possible “purpose” theories, it is important to understand that this sculpture has always been located in this area of Rome, but its current location was not its first home. That is the big unknown.

Archaeologists know the disc was moved from its original location in the thirteenth century and placed in front of Santa Maria in Cosmedin; one source indicated it was placed against a wall.

However, rome.us/ancient-rome says that “it was installed vertically only in 1632 by Pope Urbano VIII Barberini. At first, it was located directly in front of the church, and then – moved to the portico.” If this is true, the statement implies that the stone was not vertical before that.

● Drain Theory
Because the area was once a cattle market, some researchers believe the Bocca della Verità was used by merchants as a downpipe to drain the blood of the cattle slaughtered as a sacrifice to Hercules. Temple of Hercules Victor
Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_della_Verita

Another variation on the same theme is that it was a drain cover inside the nearby Temple of Hercules Victor, a pagan temple in Piazza Bocca della Verità [built 161-166]. This small round temple has, or had, a round open space in the middle of the roof allowing rain to come in. As a drain, which would have been placed under the aperture, it would have provided for disposing of both rainwater and blood from the sacrifices, plus the timing, location, and shape make this a viable possiblity.

The outstanding anomaly with this theory is that a temple dedicated to the pagan god Hercules would include a sculpture with another god’s face on it. Apparently, no archeologist or historian believes the face is supposed to depict that of Hercules.

● Fountain/ Artistic Disc Theory
Another theory is that it is a remnant of a fountain dedicated to a pagan god, or was simply a decorative sculpture. Those are possible also. If so, it would have been mounted vertically, similar to the mounting of the Roman fountain, The Mask.

The Mask sculpture is much more recent and displays the manner in which Face Fountains looks and the pattern of deterioration. The concept of free standing fountain or wall display makes better sense in terms of whose likeness is represented on the Bocca della Verità.

Fountain of the Mask-Rome
Sculpture by Giacomo della Porta , 1593
Image Source: art.com/products/giacomo-della-porta

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
A great deal of debate is in this name, and no one will ever know for sure. In the meantime, some scientists believe it is meant to resemble the Greek god Oceanus, Titan god of the seas, preceding Poseidon as ruler of the world's oceans.

Other candidate include Tiberinus, god of the Tiber River; Faun, a creature from Roman mythology who is part human and part goat; or Pan, the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds, rustic music and impromptus, and companion of the nymphs.

Before 1953, the name Bocca della Verità or Mouth of Truth didn’t mean much unless you were a resident of Rome, an architect, or an archaeologist. Then, in that year, the world was introduced to the monumental marble stone face in the film Roman Holiday staring Audrey Hepburn, in her breakout role, and Gregory Peck. The movie was a hit, Audrey Hepburn was a hit, and the legend of the sculptured stone was a hit. It still is in 2021.
Roman Holiday trailer, Public Domain
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2470305
REPLICAS
If you can’t get to Rome to see the real thing, this work of art has been replicated is many places. A full-size reproduction sits in the Alta Vist Gardens in California and one of Jules Blanchard’s sculptures in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris depicts a woman with her hand in the sculpture's mouth. Or you can buy a replica of your own to hang in the garden or drawings and photos to hang on your wall.

My replica sculpture is about 18” in diameter, and is very realistic… except for the toy duck one of my grandchildren put in his mouth.

JUST SAYIN’
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Sources:
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_della_Verit
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_della_Verit%C3%A0#/media/File:Roma_-_Santa_Maria_in_Cosmedin_5846.jpg
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-mouth-of-truth-rome-italy
https://rome.us/ancient-rome/mouth-of-truth.html
https://www.itertours.com/mouth-truth-story-behind-one-romes-recognizable-symbols/
https://www.romesightseeing.net/mouth-truth/#:~:text=The%20Mouth%20of%20Truth.%20La%20Bocca%20della%20Verit%C3%A0%2C,face%20with%20wide%20open%20mouth%2C%20nostrils%20and%20eyes.
https://www.watergallery.net/blog/a-look-back-at-ancient-roman-water-fountains/
Photographs:
https://www.art.com/products/p36985595387-sa-i9597927/giacomo-della-porta-rome-fountain-of-the-mask-1593-by-giacomo-della-porta-c-1540-1602.htm?savedConfig=true
https://www.rome-roma.net/en/bocca-della-verita.html
https://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/cranach/lucas_e/14/2bocca1.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_della_Verit%C3%A0
https://www.art.com/products/p36985595387-sa-i9597927/giacomo-della-porta-rome-fountain-of-the-mask-1593-by-giacomo-della-porta-c-1540-1602.htm?savedConfig=true

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