Introduction

In the background, the sounds of crowds, bells, birds, carts, and horses fade in

Welcome to the interactive component of ‘Accessing Anna: A Sensory Experience of the Casa dei Catecumani’. To reflect the sense emphasized by the author (and likely the editors) of this text, this experience is audio only. If possible, please use headphones for the duration, and follow all instructions to the best of your ability. Every effort has been made to make this experience faithful to the text and the time, however, it is impossible for us to know precisely how individuals spoke, reacted, or felt. Therefore, some liberties have been taken with the source material, although this is minimized as much as possible. Any fictionalizations, as well as historical references and information are included in the footnotes of the transcriptions, accessible on the project’s home website.

Please be aware, this audio experience is in the second person, meant to integrate the listener as much as possible, and features loud voices, antisemitism, descriptions of abuse, mentions of suicidal thoughts, and is intended to generate some level of tension. If you feel overwhelmed at any time, you can leave the experience by closing the window or scrolling to the top or bottom of the page.

Thank you, and welcome to “Accessing Anna”.

The sounds fade out