The Tor Millina
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When one thinks of the Middle Ages, a few images come to mind. Knights in shining armor and princesses, but also castles and towers. And in Rome, there are a great many medieval towers. Among these is the Tor Millina, situated just west of the Piazza Navona. This particular tower was likely originally built sometime in the eleventh or twelfth centuries, but was remodeled into an adjoining mansion sometime around 1490. Today, it stands above the surrounding buildings, alone. In the middle ages, however, this would not be the case. Krautheimer argues that in the Middle Ages towers were a part of larger building complexes, and were merely a taller part of a cohesive whole. There would have additionally been many of these towered complexes in the area, such that any one tower would have been more or less on the same plane as many of the other towers, leading to a skyline where towers of the sort would have not been at all uncommon.
While we cannot speak with any certainty to the specific purpose of the Tor Millina, medieval towers as parts of houses would have served in several roles. The most obvious one is a product merely of their elevation, towers allowed their owners to dominate the local area, with towers functioning as a means of control. Additionally, towers were defensive structures, providing a location of safety and shelter for the family that owned them, very much a luxury at the time.
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Description
When one thinks of the Middle Ages, a few images come to mind. Knights in shining armor and princesses, but also castles and towers. And in Rome, there are a great many medieval towers. Among these is the Tor Millina, situated just west of the Piazza Navona. This particular tower was likely originally built sometime in the eleventh or twelfth centuries, but was remodeled into an adjoining mansion sometime around 1490. Today, it stands above the surrounding buildings, alone. In the middle ages, however, this would not be the case. Krautheimer argues that in the Middle Ages towers were a part of larger building complexes, and were merely a taller part of a cohesive whole. There would have additionally been many of these towered complexes in the area, such that any one tower would have been more or less on the same plane as many of the other towers, leading to a skyline where towers of the sort would have not been at all uncommon.
While we cannot speak with any certainty to the specific purpose of the Tor Millina, medieval towers as parts of houses would have served in several roles. The most obvious one is a product merely of their elevation, towers allowed their owners to dominate the local area, with towers functioning as a means of control. Additionally, towers were defensive structures, providing a location of safety and shelter for the family that owned them, very much a luxury at the time.