Hi Everyone,

I'd like to start by warning you that there will be a lot of history in this post. If you find it boring, I apologize.

You'll be glad to know that I am finally adding some substantial pictures… it's about time! We had our first history class yesterday and I think that class will be somewhat of a whirlwind. Our teacher, Jan, has been on the History Channel (or Discovery, I forget which one) lending his expertise about Rome. The class is going to be super intense; when we were not power walking from stop to stop, we were scribbling down notes as fast as we could. Definitely no time for pictures. But with only 5 class periods, one of them gone already, at only 3 hours a piece, I can't complain about the speed if I want to learn as much as I can.

In the class, we are breaking ancient Roman history into four periods. Yesterday we learned about the first of these periods: the Archaic Age which lasted from the late 2nd millennium B.C. - 509 B.C. This is when Rome gradually developed from a series of huts into an urban reality. Jan talked about the 7 hills of Rome and how each of these hills was a one point connected. They were all once a mass Pyroclastic flow from a now inactive volcano that you can actually see from atop Capitoline Hill on a clear day. (He showed it to us but I forgot to go back and take a picture of it). A long process of erosion took place to form the 7 hills.

The pictures that I have today were taken after class and they aren't necessarily what we talked about in class. Many are of the Roman Forum which we will talk about next class period. Here's what my book says about it: In the early Republic, the Forum was a chaotic place, with food stalls and brothels as well as temples and the Senate House. By the 2nd century B.C. it was decided that Rome required a more respectable center, and the food stores were replaced by business centers and law courts. The Forum remained the ceremonial center of the city under the Empire, with emperors renovating old buildings and erecting new temples and monuments.

I numbered one of the pictures to indicate certain monuments of importance. Here are the explanations for those:

1. The columns on the left of this picture is the Temple of Antonius and Faustina. Directly to the right of that is the Temple of Romulus, the founder of Rome. According to legend the twins Romulus and Remus were brought up on the Palatine Hill by a wolf. Here Romulus having killed his brother, is said to have founded the village that was destined to become Rome. Traces of mud huts dating back to the 8th century BC have been found on the hill, lending support to the legend.

2. The Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius. The basilica's three vast barrel vaults are all that remain of the Forum's largest building. Like other basilicas, it was used for the administration of justice and conducting business.

3. Temple of Castor and Pollux. Although there has been a temple here since the 5th century BC, the columns and elaborate cornice date from AD 6 when the temple was rebuilt.

4. Santa Fancesca Romana. The Romanesque bell tower of Santa Francesca Romana towers over one of a number of churches built among the ruins of the Forum.

5. Coliseum. Rome's greatest amphitheater was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in AD 72. Deadly gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights were staged by emperors and wealthy citizens, largely to gain popularity. Slaughter was on a huge scale; at the inaugural games in AD 80, over 9,000 wild animals were killed. The Coliseum could hold up to 55,000 people, who were seated according to rank. I will tell you more about the Coliseum when we go inside for class.

Other things to look for:

In my other pictures you can also see a single white, complete column which is the Rostra. This was the orator's tribune from which speeches were made.

The Curia, a square, brick building that looks quite plain was the ancient Roman Senate House. It has been reconstructed.

The Arch of Constantine, located directly next to the Coliseum, was built to celebrate Constantine's victory in Ad 312 over his co-emperor Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. It is one of Imperial Rome's last monuments, built in AD 315, a few years before Constantine moved the capital of the Empire to Byzantium.

The significance of the domed church that is in many of my pictures is 3unknown to me at this time. I hope to ask Jan when we meet next Tuesday. Obviously it was built later than the ruins of the buildings that surround it.

Sorry to bombard you with history but I thought some may appreciate it. I have theology today so it will be interesting to see if we go anywhere for that. Thank you for keeping up with my stay in Rome.

Ciao,

Kristi