Roman Historical Sites
December 17, 2008 Most of us have had Classics 150: An Introduction to Greek and Roman Culture, but learning about the history of Rome is not nearly as exciting as seeing it. Ruins from the past are everywhere--one cannot walk a few blocks without seeing at least one. Rome was once a vast empire, spanning into countries as far as the Middle East, but today, almost 2,000 years later, all that is physically left are certain sites scattered throughout the city.Obviously I cannot talk about all of them, so I will discuss only the Colosseum and the Forum. Everyone has seen the Colosseum in movie and in television, but nothing could have prepared us for seeing it in real life. It is much larger than I thought it would be. Imagining it filled with 80,000 people watching mock sea battles and animal fights is difficult, but I think knowing the history of the Colosseum helped me appreciate it more.
The Roman Forum was a very important part of ancient Rome, but I had heard little about it before the trip. It was the center of life for Roman people, as it was a center for religion and the economy. Included in the Forum are the Temple of Vesta (where the famous Vestal Virgins kept the sacred flame burning) and the house of Augustus. The scenery of the forum was beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to visit it. It was a interesting site to end our trip with.
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