How does Ancient Rome look like?
Ancient Rome
Travel Details
Hello everyone! So
today I decided to use my free time to see the globe, meet new people, and
explore different cultures. My priority is to travel to Rome. Rome previously
served as the capital of many of the more powerful Roman states, and today I'm
going to share with you some of the most incredible places to visit in the city
to get a sense of the Roman Empire. Today, when I spent my first day in Rome, I
saw how hard Romans work to earn enough money to live, the majority of the
population has to go to work. They spent time with the family and managed the
household and in their spare time, they engage in drinking, and gambling as
well as the modern-day counterparts of competitive sports such as gladiator
matches or chariot races held in huge stadiums such as the Colosseum.
Naturally, how you live your life depends not only on what state you live in
but also on who you are. Rome, the largest and most important city of the
empire, offered a completely different way of life than the rest of the people
living in the provinces. I also noticed that the ancient Romans experienced
diseases and accidents. They strive to better themselves and others. They have
an excellent knowledge of anatomy, perhaps aided by their observation of the
battlefield and gladiator injuries, but they lack understanding or experience
in areas such as biology and microbiology. This means that Roman medicine was
limited to little fundamental knowledge and a great deal of religious beliefs.
Its borders, culture, trade, and influence spread over a large part of the
world. Roman roads were vital to the basic operations of the empire, yet they
are often neglected. Roads connect cities and ports across borders to allow
easy movement of goods and people. The empire would have been little more than
a collection of colonies without city-states and highways, making it far more
vulnerable to invasion. If so, this would significantly reduce the overall
power of the Romans in the Mediterranean. Besides all this, I have seen how
women were treated in ancient Rome. There are two categories of women in Roman
culture rich women and poor women. Roman women from low-income families often
had to make the same efforts as men. Thus, despite their low status in society
due to legal restrictions, the daily life of most women is not much different
from that of men. Women of the upper class were brought up almost entirely at
home, rarely going out. Because they were unable to vote or hold office and
were expected to spend most of their time at home caring for their husbands and
children, women in ancient Rome had very limited social lives. However, in the
market, they are incredibly sociable. Learning to spin yarn and weave cloth is
the primary goal of women's schooling. That's how I spent my first day in
ancient Rome.
The following day, I went to The Roman Forum.
Giovanni Paolo Panini (Italian, ca.1692-1765) (Painter)
Senate House: The Senate House,
often referred to as the "curia", served as the council chamber of
the Roman Senate and as a venue for various types of political gatherings.
After several reconstructions, the curia was converted into a church in the
seventh century.
Saturn Temple: The first Temple of
Saturn, believed to be one of the first temples in the Roman Forum, was
constructed in 498 BC. The structure, which was used as a treasury where Rome's
wealth was administered and protected, is dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture.
Arch of Titus: Emperor Domitian
built the Arch of Titus in 81 AD to commemorate his brother, Emperor Titus, who
had won the Siege of Jerusalem.
Temple of Vesta:
Vesta,
the goddess of hearth, home, and family, was honored in the Temple of Vesta, which
had a circular form.
Rostra: Speakers may stand
on the rostra to deliver their remarks.
Castor and Pollux
Temple:
According to historians, this temple was completed in 484 BC. It went through
various stages of construction and was dedicated to the twin Roman gods Castor
and Pollux.
Sacra Via:
This was the major route that connected many important places and ran through
the Roman Forum. The Forum was close to the Colosseum, which was located along
this famous boulevard. The road was mostly used for rituals and processions.
I went to the Colosseum on
Day 3
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Colosseum#/media/1/126613/213168
Nobody who travels to
Rome should miss a chance to see the Colosseum. Sure, it's overused, and
yes, there are tones of visitors, but it's well-known for a reason—it's
fantastic.
The Colosseum, the
largest amphitheater ever built under the Roman Empire, was used for public
performances and gladiator battles. Up to 80,000 people can come to this arena
to see the Colosseum. Rome's most iconic landmark is the Colosseum.
Vespasian the Great
ordered the construction of the Colosseum to begin in the year 72, and Titus
the Great ordered its completion in the year 80. The Colosseum is the largest
Roman amphitheater whose length is 188 meters, and width is 156 meters, and 57
meters in height. Under the motto "Bread and Circuses" and during the
Roman Empire, the Flavian Amphitheater (then called the Roman Colosseum) hosted
over 50,000 spectators for its most spectacular performances. For years the
Romans delighted in exotic animal displays, executions of prisoners, battle
re-enactments, and gladiatorial contests.
The main attraction
of the Colosseum for Roman entertainment is the Gladiator contests.
I have seen a few gladiator fights during my visits to the Colosseum. I was
looking out over Rome when I suddenly hear a loud boom. Curious as to where the
noise was coming from, I hastened to investigate. When I arrived, I was shocked
to see two warriors fighting fiercely amid a crowd of people, all shouting and
beating each other. The idea that two people can brutally murder each other to
survive was completely new to me. I felt very bad about it and decided that I
should beg the public to intervene and stop the two warriors from fighting. Such
conflicts should be put to an end because, in my opinion, they can never be
entertainment and only serve to play with the lives of slaves.
Pollice Verso, With a
Turned Thumb, by Jean-Léon Gérôme.
Another thing that
took me by surprise is how everyone present started opposing me and abusing me
as if I had committed some kind of crime when I begged them to stop. After
trying to beat me up, they chased me away. With so many people there, no mercy
was shown and the blood of the two heroes covered the blood-stained land. They
became mortal enemies, but no one intervened, and the one who did was killed.
Therefore, advise against
playing such games as they
will defile both your
soul and you. That fight was about to end as one of the fighters was already
dead and the other was celebrating his victory by raising both palms.
https://arkeonews.net/volunteer-female-gladiators-in-ancient-rome/
As
soon as another fight was announced, this time involving two women fighting, I
made sure to go because I couldn't see anything anymore. I stayed there and
watched the fight because I was afraid of what will happen to the women if men
continue to act like this. Although the number of gladiator women in Rome is
unknown, their participation was equal to that of men. Gladiator usually refers
to a person trained to fight in the arena under contract to earn for his
living. They were given a certain level of training, they are important for
satisfaction of the audience as it mattered the most. As with Venator, the
killing of animals suggests that the women were not slaves, prisoners, or
criminals who were given swords and ordered to fight to the death and that they
were not slaughtered animals without skill or equipment. , which was the
specialty of true Beast-Gladiators.
The next day, I set
out to explore Rome once again and saw that everyone is busy getting
ready for a festival. I learned that there are several holidays held in Rome,
but the Lupercalia and the Saturnalia are two
of the most well-known and well-researched events.
The celebration
of Lupercalia
https://random-times.com/2023/02/15/february-15-the-roman-festival-of-lupercalia/
The Lupercalia, which
commemorated the foundation of Rome, was an annual event that took place on
February 15. Beginning in the Lupercal, a grotto where the she-wolf is said to
have taken care of Romulus and Remus, the mythical founders of Rome, two young
people rushed around the city. The festival's runners were picked from among
two esteemed young men. The runners' foreheads were initially stained with goat
blood, which was subsequently removed with a cloth dipped in milk. Following
that, the runners made whips from goat skin and ran around the Palatine hill in
Rome while whipping any women they came across. This was thought to bring the
ladies good fortune and increase their fertility. Even the authors of the Roman
Republic did not seem to be certain about which deity the sacrifice and
festival were genuinely devoted to; the festival started long ago.
Saturnalia
festival
Saturnalia (1783) by Antoine-François Callet,
showing his interpretation of what the Saturnalia might have looked like
Saturnalia is a
festival celebrated in honor of Saturnus, the ancient Roman god of agriculture.
The official day of celebration is 17 December, although depending on who is in
charge of Rome at the time, the festival is sometimes extended over several days,
usually at least three. The festivities began with a sacrifice at the Saturnian
temple, and the following days included household sacrifices. There is a big
feast every day. Beeswax candles are a typical gift given when friends and
family members exchange gifts. The ups and downs of social positions are one of
the distinguishing features of the festival. During this festival, slaves
received service from their masters and were generally treated equally.
There are many
festivals celebrated every month in Rome, yet I got to see only two of them.
State sponsorship of many large-scale festivals, competitions, and feasts has
been common and well-liked by the public. They had an important role in Roman
religion. In their belief, each ceremony is performed in a precisely prescribed
manner. Parts of their festivals are so ancient that the Romans themselves have
lost memory of their purpose, but they continue to observe the rituals and
avoid troubling any gods who claim ownership of the festival. I was very happy to
know about the Roman holidays. As much as I have seen Rome so far, I have found
it interesting that the local people place a lot of importance on their culture
and religion. Roman People work hard and work very hard every day. Women in
this country fight valiantly for their rights, yet they do not get complete
equality.
I recently witnessed
a different intriguing occasion, a Roman wedding.
Fragment from the front of a
sarcophagus; relief in blue-veined marble with large crystals (probably
Proconnesian), showing a Roman marriage ceremony. British Museum 1805,0703.143.
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5
Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. Wikimedia Commons.
Here I saw that
everyone is preparing for the wedding and there is an atmosphere of happiness
all around. One thing that impressed me is how deeply involved the people of
the Roman Empire were in history and customs. They also followed a very rigid
structure for marriage rituals. Even before the wedding, the customs
surrounding the engagement ring are followed, the specifics of the culture of
the engagement are fully upheld, the dowry is verified, and a prenuptial
contract is written. This is a traditional type of contract. The bride's
father, two close friends, and the priest officiating the wedding keep watch
over the omens as they prepare for the wedding in the morning. The entrails of
a sacrificial animal would be 'read' before dawn, and before sunrise, the sky
would be checked for storms. I found the local practice of sacrificing an
innocent animal at a wedding strange. Another thing I found strange is the idea
that a marriage will be successful only if the omens are favorable and it
happened early every morning.
Despite the presence
of the parents of the bride and groom, the matron of honor and 10 witnesses is
an important part of traditional wedding customs.
There will also be friends and family
members, just as there are now. Invitations are generally accepted
and wedding festivities are relatively large occasions as it is seen as a
great honor to be asked of someone. Amazingly, the groom is the only guest who
is not required to be present. Ancient wedding customs required that even if
the groom did not feel like coming, the bride and groom would be married.
The bride and the groom did not exchange vows in ancient Roman marriages. (Image: Massimo Todaro/Shutterstock)
This is enough for a letter stating your intention to marry. Ten witnesses
would sign the marriage license before the ritual's conclusion, the couple
jointly offering a sacrifice, often a pig. Then what will happen after the
marriage ceremony? The 'breaking of bread' together is the last formal ritual
of the ceremony.
It
is essentially unleavened bread that the couple feeds each other as a sign of
commitment to the partnership, despite the fact that it is sometimes referred
to as a "cake".
So,
this is where the modern tradition of the bride and groom sharing a wedding
cake and champagne began. I learned about Roman weddings that way, and I
thought it was fascinating.
So
there you have it – a tour of some of the most spectacular places to see in
Rome, along with information about local customs and culture. I had so much fun
exploring this age-old city. And I hope you will use it.
Work cited
Ashby, Thomas.
“Rome.” The Town Planning Review 10, no. 1 (1923): 43–52.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40101638.
Davis, William
Stearns, ed.," Readings in Ancient History: Illustrative Extracts from the
Sources, 2 Vols. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1912-13), Vol. II: Rome and the
West", pp. 90- 97.
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/slavery-romrep1.asp
Davis, William
Stearns, ed.," Readings in Ancient History: Illustrative Extracts from the
Sources, 2 Vols. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1912-13), Vol. II: Rome and the
West", pp.239- 244
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/plinyyoung-letters3-1.as
Davis ,William
Stearns, ed., "Readings in Ancient History: Illustrative Extracts from the
Sources, 2 Vols. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1912-13), Vol. II: Rome and the
West," pp. ?? https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/seneca-letters7.asp
KAREN KLAIBER HERSCH.
“INTRODUCTION TO THE ROMAN WEDDING: TWO CASE STUDIES.” The Classical Journal
109, no. 2 (2014): 223–32. https://doi.org/10.5184/classicalj.109.2.0223.
Mark, Robert.
“Reinterpreting Ancient Roman Structure.” American Scientist 75, no. 2 (1987):
142–50. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27854535.
McCullough, Anna.
“Female Gladiators in Imperial Rome: Literary Context and Historical Fact.” The
Classical World 101, no. 2 (2008): 197–209.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25471938.
Persius, Sulpicia and
Lucilius, "The Satires of Juvenal", trans. Rev. Lewis Evans (London:
Bell & Daldy, 1869), pp. 15-27.
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/juvenal3.asp
Shumway, Edgar S.
“Freedom and Slavery in Roman Law.” The American Law Register (1898-1907) 49,
no. 11 (1901): 636–53. https://doi.org/10.2307/3306244.
Thatcher, Oliver J.,
ed., "The Library of Original Sources (Milwaukee: University Research
Extension Co., 1901), Vol. III: The Roman World," pp. 9-11.
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/12tables.asp
HISTORY. “Roman Forum,” August 21, 2018. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/roman-forum.
HISTORY. “Colosseum - Dates, Facts & Location,” July 11,
2022. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/colosseum.
The Colosseum. “Ancient Roman Gladiators - The Colosseum,”
April 18, 2018. https://www.thecolosseum.org/gladiators/.
Thompson, Austin. “Facts About Lupercalia—the Ancient
Festival of Ritual Sacrifice | Mental Floss.” Mental Floss,
February 10, 2021. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/572191/lupercalia-ancient-roman-festival-facts.
Sheldon, Natasha. “Roman Marriage.” History and Archaeology Online, August 14, 2022. https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/roman-marriage/.
Comments
Post a Comment