Ancient Rome

On Wednesday, Tom and I spent his last day exploring the Roman Forum, the Coliseum and Palatine Hill. We got up super early- as we have been for the whole week to maximize the time I have before and after school- and headed out to ancient city. We stopped for a delicious cornata and café before walking from the tram stop to the Coliseum. We took some pictures in front of the Coliseum, but didn’t want to wait on the long line at that entrance so we walked behind the Arch of Constantine and bought tickets at Palatine Hill. We debated whether or not to hop on a tour but winded up just going at it alone. 12 Euros gets you in to the Coliseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum and you can enter though any of the entrances. (Palatine Hill usually has the shortest lines) Palatine Hill was interesting, although we spend the least amount of time there out of the three sites. During the Republic, the Palatine was the city’s most fashionable residential quarter, where aristocrats and statesmen built their homes. We walked around the ruins for a bit but then made our way to the Roman Forum to see the real interesting stuff. The forum was not reserved for any single activity- there were basilicas, government buildings, temples, the city’s eternal flame, wells, etc… Since we didn’t book a tour, Tom and I found our way around using the map that’s in my Rome book to guide us through the ruins. We walked by the Basilica Amelia, which was the judicial center of Ancient Rome, through the market square to the Arch of Septimius Severus- which was pretty epic looking. The arch is covered with reliefs to celebrate the imperial family and was raised to celebrate the emperor’s victory in the Middle East. We walked by some temples- each with their significance to the gods- to the House of the Vestal Virgins. The Vestal Virgins were the female “priests” of the city and guarded the eternal flame (that was kept continuously lit for over 1000 years), among other prestigious other rights. We spent a good 2 hours in the forum, reading about all of the ruins as we walked by- especially the senate and government buildings. The temples were interesting too, but there was just too many of them to remember what each one stood for in its time.
After the Forum, we finally headed over to the coliseum. It was pretty packed once we got there- probably should have gotten there earlier, but in the end it was all the same. How do I even begin to describe the massive amphitheater? It dwarfs every other antiquity in Rome by reputation- if not by sheer size. I can just image how majestic it must have stood 2000 years ago- covered in marble that’s now gone, and holding crowds of 50,000 people. Some parts were reconstructed to show what the stands used to look like and the underground maze that was used by the gladiators and animals to prepare for the night’s activities. It was interesting to learn that a pulley system was used to bring the gladiators from the underground to the arena floor. (Arena coming from the Latin word harena- meaning sand, which covered the floor to soak up blood) It was just amazing architecture, the very first stadium in the word, with more history in its walls than any other stadium anywhere. Needless to say, we really enjoyed it there. Tom and I had most of our conversations around what it might have been like back then, what the people were like and how this was their life. It was pretty amazing to be walking through the streets just as the Romans did 2000 years ago.
I called it a day after the coliseum; unfortunately I did have to go to class. I can’t get enough of this city, honestly. I wish more than anything that I had all day to wander and literally do as the Romans did. And I wish more than anything that I didn’t have to say goodbye to Tom the next morning…