Ruïnes langs de Via Appia Antica, met op de voorgrond drie kinderen c. 1890 - 1910

This stereoscopic photograph captures ruins along the Via Appia Antica, framing three children in the foreground. The Appian Way, or "Regina Viarum" (Queen of Roads), built in 312 B.C., was Rome’s first long road, a vital artery for military and commercial traffic. The road itself, rendered in this image as ruins, serves as a profound symbol. It speaks to the rise and fall of civilizations, a memento mori reminding us of the transience of power and earthly achievements. The motif of the road as a metaphor for life's journey echoes through millennia, from ancient Egyptian funerary texts, where the deceased navigates perilous paths to the afterlife, to medieval pilgrimage routes symbolizing spiritual quests. Note how in ancient times the Romans used roads to connect far away places and how this is still relevant today. Here, the children present a powerful emotional counterpoint to the ruins, suggesting the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. The photograph evokes feelings of melancholy and hope, a reminder of our place in the grand, ever-turning wheel of history.