The ancient sights of Rome can be estimated today very ambiguously. An impressive arena, in which no form of torture was considered too cruel. Places of worship where gods were often worshiped with ritual sacrifices that shock us today. Amusement palaces in which not only sexual corruption was accepted, but even encouraged. The State of Ancient Rome has attracted the interest of many scholars and history buffs.
Who were the people who created such grandiose structures in Rome? What made them build ever greater monuments and at what cost? What were the laws of ancient Rome? The answers to these questions are very interesting, although to this day not all are known to us. The ancient sights of Rome are truly impressive. Let us introduce you some of them.
Coliseum
Crowds of people were attracted to the bloody spectacle. At times, up to 50 thousand people were spectators in the Roman Coliseum. All of them longed to see scenes of indescribable horror. Know, priests, senators, emperors, slaves, ordinary people had fun seeing the bloody scenes.
The gladiators fought each other, wearing heavy armor. Often they beat an opponent to death. In the arena wild hungry animals were pitted against each other, they were released to battle with man. The goal pursued by the participants in these confrontations is to tear each other to shreds. Some features of Ancient Rome today are not clear to us.
Arena water filling for performances
On the stage, various types of special effects were used. These included water-filled arenas to simulate naval battles. How did the ancient Romans manage to fill the Colosseum with water?
Everything is actually quite simple: a reservoir system was filled from the aqueducts. They were located directly above the arena, on a slope. These ingenious ancient Romans pumped down water from aqueducts, and then through tanks to the center of the Coliseum. A more complex question is how did they manage to then pump out the water?
It is believed that the ancient Romans built a sewer system. However, the researchers have yet to answer this question, since excavations have been carried out quite a bit in the Coliseum until today. The ancient sights of Rome are still not well understood.
Bloody contest
Basic Roman myths were part of the play. And the worse they were, the better. Christians and criminals often took on the most dangerous roles.
In the Roman Coliseum, bloody contests have prevailed since its discovery, which occurred in 72 A.D. The opening ceremony was hosted by Emperor Titus. It lasted 100 days. An unprecedented massacre occurred on the opening day: about 5 thousand animals died.
Colosseum - a gift of Vespasian
The Colosseum is a gift to the Romans from the emperor Vespasian, the forerunner and father of Titus. Vespasian, the founder of the Flavian dynasty, began to rule in 69 A.D. This time was a critical moment in the history of Rome. Hundreds of years have passed since the empire was founded by Augustus, and now its future has been very dim.
Chaos reigned when the civil war in Rome began. Four emperors changed in one year. After that, the governor of Syria Vespasian seized power.
Being a clever diplomat and hero, he easily gained the support of the Senate and was declared emperor. After that, suppressing the uprising on the Rhine and the Jewish riot in Jerusalem, he focused on domestic problems.
Vespasian over a ten-year reign saved the treasury from the deficit left by his predecessor Nero. He also began to build many public buildings. The Colosseum became the grandest enterprise. He was conceived as a symbol of the success and power of Vespasian.
Colosseum building
It took more than 10 years to complete the construction. The Colosseum was originally called the Flavius Amphitheater. Many laborers and slaves were used to build it. Some builders were prisoners captured by Vespasian, winning the Jerusalem campaign.
The name of the architect who created the Colosseum is still unknown. One of the most amazing features of this attraction is a very complex system created to control the crowd. The amphitheater originally had 80 entrances. All of them led to certain sectors. Places were divided into tiers.
The fate of the Coliseum
The last games, which are known from written sources, were held in the 6th century AD. They completed these fierce contests, which once entertained the bloodthirsty Romans. The Colosseum after that for a long time was not used. It was partially destroyed, like many other ancient sights of Rome. A terrible earthquake occurred in the 9th century, as a result, most of it was destroyed.
Later, the Colosseum began to be used as a quarry. The rich marble lining, which began to be used in the construction of churches and palaces, was torn off. Part of the four levels that originally existed was still intact. To this day, the Colosseum is evidence of both the cruelty of the ancient Romans and the skill of the people who built the sights of ancient Rome. It attracts many tourists to Italy.
Pantheon
The temples of ancient Rome are impressive. The most famous of them is the Pantheon. In the 30s of the twentieth century, Benito Mussolini, an Italian dictator, conceived an original propaganda campaign. In particular, he drew parallels between the glory of the new regime and the greatness possessed by the empire of Ancient Rome. This has led to many archaeological research and excavations throughout the state. Due to the spill of the Tiber, deposits of land appeared on many monuments, which completely covered them. The mausoleum of Augustus due to its proximity to the river was badly damaged. This structure was built from about 27 to 23 years BC.
Architectural plan discovered by workers
Workers, delving 6-7 meters into the ground, found a pavement that was made of massive blocks. However, the Second World War soon began, and for some time this discovery was forgotten. Only 20 years later, in 1964, Roman specialists again began to study this place. A full-sized architectural plan was carved on the pavement. Obviously, the yard served as a workshop for the construction site. The whole question is for what.
None of the existing monuments matched the design. One of the experts in 1992 solved the riddle. It seems that these plans were created for the Pantheon. Many parts of the structure coincided exactly, but not all.
First Pantheon
The Pantheon is a famous temple that was built in honor of the emperor, as well as for the worship of the gods of Rome. What we see now is not the first Pantheon. The temple was originally conceived by Mark Agrippa, a powerful Roman general. Construction began in 27 BC, and was completed two years later. However, in 64 A.D. a big fire destroyed the Pantheon.
Pantheon rebuilding
After that, in 118 AD, perestroika began, led by Emperor Hadrian. He was an amateur architect who participated in many construction projects in Rome.
The Pantheon was built after 10 years of work. Adrian dedicated the construction to its first builder. That is why the name of Mark Agrippa is visible on the facade.
In the Pantheon, a huge rotunda made of brick and stone is noteworthy, as well as a vault that forms a dome. The Pantheon is a square structure, 43 meters high and wide. Its walls are 7.5 meters thick, and each of the bronze doors weighs 20 tons.
Where now there are paintings on biblical motifs, previously stood marble statues of the gods of Rome.
The Baths of Caracalla
Attractions of ancient Rome also include the baths of Caracalla. These antique baths are similar to modern wellness centers. They are the largest and most richly decorated of all the public baths erected in ancient Rome. Their construction began Septimius Severus in 206 A.D. And the construction was completed in 216. The terms of Caracalla were discovered by the son of Septimius.
Decoration term, their use
These buildings of Ancient Rome were decorated really richly: walls faced with marble, mosaic floors, stucco ceilings.
The terms were occupied by a large and beautifully decorated area, used as a gymnasium. Here the men went in for sports: threw a spear, a disk, boxed. Entrance to the baths, even for slaves, was free. Initially, women and men washed themselves together, but at the beginning of the second century Adrian forbade this.
Invasion is ready, term destruction
These buildings of Ancient Rome continued to be used until 535 CE. At this time, the Goths invaded, which broke the aqueduct. The same fate befell the terms of Caracalla, like many other monuments of ancient Rome. They were partially destroyed. The large amounts required for their repair disappeared when the empire collapsed, the surrounding world, familiar to the inhabitants, disappeared. Ancient Rome was a thing of the past.
In the Middle Ages, marble and bronze were torn off the walls, and beautiful sculptures adorning the baths were in the collections of the Roman Popes and the aristocracy.
Forum
From the magnificent Roman Forum, not much has been preserved. He was the center of the life of Rome. The Forum appeared in the IV century BC In its place today only fragments of some monuments, a lot of overturned stones and a couple of vaults are preserved. We note right away that the imperial forums are adjacent to the Roman Forum, which are not part of the Roman Forum, although they are similar in purpose and name.
Reconstruction of the forum in August
The construction of the forum was random. A systematic plan did not exist. Therefore, the forum lacked harmony. During the time of Augustus, it was completely renovated. This emperor removed most of the structures, while paving and expanding the territory. Now, what the forum looked like during the republic’s period is a mystery. Many of the buildings were wooden, so they were demolished or destroyed. August used only stone and cement for construction.
Vestals
Temples of Ancient Rome on the forum include a temple dedicated to the goddess Vesta. It was for the Roman people one of the most important and ancient goddesses. They connected her with her heart, as well as with fire. It was believed that this fire represented the spiritual strength of the whole country. Priestesses served her, watching that the fire did not go out. They always had to remain virgins, otherwise they would be executed. Vestals lived near the temple. They were chosen from aristocratic families aged 6 to 10 years. For 30 years they had to serve at the temple. After serving, these women were thus at least 36 years old. To many, they seemed too old to marry them. Most of the vestals remained priestesses for the rest of their lives.
The architecture of Ancient Rome far surpassed the greatness, functionalism and scale created by the Greeks. An important role was played here in part by the invention of good cement. But no less important was the vanity of emperors, who, over the centuries, tried to surpass their predecessors by erecting ever-more majestic, grandiose and richly decorated monuments.