Download Virtual Field Trip of Rome

Senate
Forum
Baths
Circus
Maximus
Colosseum
Attention, citizen! You are
about to take an interactive
journey to Rome in the first
century. The Roman
civilization is the largest the
world has seen. It is known
for its architectural and
engineering feats. Join me
as we visit some of these
sites .
Drag your mouse across
the view of each site to
learn more about that
place.
The Senate is the governing body
of Rome. It is composed of citizens
who have distinguished
themselves. The duty of the
Senate is to ensure Rome thrives.
Let me introduce you to some of
the government officials that keep
the republic thriving.
The Roman republic was led by
two CONSULS. The main role of
consuls was to prepare and
propose new laws. 42 was the
minimum age to hold this title.
They were the leaders of the
government and military
commanders during their 1 year
terms. Consuls functioned as
military commanders, provincial
governors and curators of public
works.
This is a “consul’s eye” view of the Curia. It is the building of the Roman Senate,
where the emperors and the senators meet to discuss important affairs. It is the
administrative center of the empire. For most of the republic, the Senate consisted
of three hundred men, but swelled to over a thousand in the time of Julius Caesar.
The appointment to the office of
PRAETOR is only open to
Senators. The Praetor is
responsible to the Senate and
People to ensure that ALL
Rome's laws are obeyed. He acts
as judge in disputes involving
Romans.
The TRIBUNE is the only Plebeian allowed to sit in
on all Senate meetings as the People's
representative. Tribunes represented the interests
of the common people. The tribune is empowered
with the VETO, allowing him/her to reject literally
any Senate legislation or function.
The AEDILE was a government official responsible
for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of
public festivals. He sponsored and presided over two
events in Rome's name, i.e., battle, games, races,
feast, quest, or a sacred hunt. The office was
generally held by young men intending to continue to
high political office.
The Roman Forum is located in a
valley that is between the Palatine
hill and the Capitoline hill. It
originally was a marsh, but the
Romans drained the area and
turned it into a center of political
and social activity. The Forum is
the marketplace of Rome and also
the business district and civic
center. It was expanded to include
temples, a senate house and law
courts.
Come with me as we explore some
of the buildings in this impressive
public land.
The Rostra, or orators’
platform, was a raised
area for public
speeches. It was
decorated on the sides
with rostra (rams),
which were the iron
prows taken as
trophies from captured
enemy ships. The five
columns were erected
after Diocletian visited
Rome. Many statues,
honorary columns and
other dedications are
clustered around the
platform.
The Arch of Septimius
Severus is one of the
best preserved
monuments on the
Forum Romanum. It was
built in 203 A.D. to
commemorate the
victories of emperor
Septimius Severus in
Parthia. The arch is 23m
high and 25m wide. It
has three archways: the
central one is 12m high
and the others 7m 80cm.
The relief panels at the
top depict various stages
of the war.
There is only one place in the Roman Forum where
there are fresh flowers every day.
The Temple of Caesar was begun by Augustus in 42
BC. Augustus did not dedicated the Ionic temple to
Caesar (his adoptive father) until after all the
conspirators in his death had been dealt with.
After his assassination, a funeral pyre was built and
his body cremated. Initially a commemorative column
was erected on the spot with a dedication to the
"father of the fatherland", but soon after Augustus
started the construction of a temple for his adoptive
father who the senate had declared a god.
The Temple of
Saturn is the oldest
sacred place in
Rome. The temple’s
chief purpose is to
store the Roman
national treasury of
gold and silver. It
also houses decrees
of the Senate and
the bronze tablets
on which Roman
law is inscribed.
The Basilica Aemilia was
built in 179 BC. The
building consisted of two
floors. Next to the forum
there was a shoppingarcade. The ground was
made of marble with lots
of colors. The roof was
covered by bronze tiles.
Partly due to the basilica,
the Roman Forum
became a meeting place
surrounded by wondrous
buildings.
The Basilica Julia was built in 5448 BCE by Julius Caesar as a
part of his reorganization of the
Forum. The function of the
Basilica Julia is to house tribunal
courts and other activities from
the Forum when weather didn't
permit outdoor meetings. The
central area is divided in four by
wooden removable structures to
allow the hearing of more cases
at a time. The spectators who
frequented the Basilica Julia
whiled away the time between
trials by playing games on
boards inscribed in the steps and
aisles. The basilica also housed
some administrative offices of the
city.
The universal acceptance of bathing as a central event in daily life belongs
to the Roman world. The Roman Baths embodied the ideal Roman way of
urban life. They provided facilities for sports and recreation. Their public
nature created an environment—much like a city club or community
center—for social interaction varying from neighborhood gossip to business
discussions. There was even a cultural and intellectual side to the baths as
libraries, lecture halls, and colonnades were included.
Let’s go inside to pamper ourselves in this midday activity!
ENTER
This is the dressing room or Apodyterium, your entry into the baths. You will
leave your clothing and other belongings on shelves while you bathed. Leaving
belongings behind unprotected was a risk, of course, for one of the most
common visitors to the Roman baths apparently was thieves. Privately owned
slaves, or one hired at the baths, would watch your belongings while you
enjoyed the pleasures of the baths. Slaves might also wash you or give you a
massage.
Visitors first exercised in
open courtyards of the
palaestra. It was done to
maintain health and to
work up a light sweat
which was recommended
before a bath. Men would
swim, run, wrestle, box,
lift weights or fencing and
play ball games such as
handball. Women would
also swim and play
trochus, a game that
consisted of rolling a
metal hoop with a hooked
stick.
The tepidarium was the
place where cleansing
often took place.
Instead of using soap,
Roman bathers would
cover their bodies with
oil to loosen
dirt and then
wipe off the
mixture with
various strigil devices.
Another activity that
took place here was
depilation, which
consisted of having your
body hairs plucked out,
as hairless bodies were
fashionable during
much of the Roman
Empire.
The caldarium, or hot room, can get to
temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit
and is very humid thanks to a tank over
the furnace as well as the hot plunge
bath. The hot water and steamy air were
designed to open your pores. The walls
and floor are hot too, which is why you
need the wooden sandals or clogs on
your feet. There is a fountain of cold
water to refresh yourself with. In this
room you really work up a sweat and
then get scraped clean with a strigil
before washing off in the hot bath.
The frigidarium is the cold bath.
The cold baths are an important
part of the Roman bath, and the
were enjoyed after the steam
and the hot baths. Plunging into
the frigidarium's cold waters.
closes all the skin pores that
have been opened. The dip is
meant to refresh and is often the
final bath of a visitor.
The Circus Maximus is a track used
primarily for horse-racing, although it is
used on occasion for hunts or mock
battles. It was built in a long valley
stretching between two hills, the Aventine
and the Palatine. It has 300,000 seats and
is famous throughout the ancient world.
Circus Maximus is the biggest sports
stadium ever built.
If you follow me, I'll take you into the arena,
where you can get a good view of the
Circus Maximus.
This is the main
grandstand, for the
patrician class. Rows of
stone benches three and
four tiers high extend
around the track. The
corridors beneath the
stands are crowded with
shops and filled with
milling people--restless
spectators, vendors
hawking food or cushions
for the hard benches and
gamblers taking bets. The
stands are divided
according to social class.
These are the towers and chariot
gates of the Tiber end of the Circus.
The huge archways are called
carceres and used for processions.
Between these stretch a line of 12
arched openings containing wide
stalls. Each stall was square and
large enough to contain the chariot
and the team of horses. Sometimes
there were as many as ten horses
per team. In the early days there
were four chariots. As time went on,
this number increased to eight.
In the middle of the arena is a
long concrete row called the spina
(or backbone). This ran for about
two thirds the length of the arena. This
spina is beautifully decorated with works
of art such as water channels, statues of
deities, marble altars and shrines, and lap
counters. At the ends of the spina are the
metae, (or goalposts), which marked the
end of the course. One trip around the
spina comprised a lap. The race, or
missus, is composed of seven laps.
Drivers try to round these turns as tightly
as possible without hitting them. One has
seven dolphins on top
of it; the other has seven
marble eggs. Each time
a lap is finished, one
dolphin and one egg are
taken down so the viewers
would know how many
laps were still to be run.
The Colosseum
is the most famous
http://dsc.discovery.com/games/colosseum/tour.html
monument of Ancient Rome. Its original name is Flavian
Amphitheater. It was started by the Emperor Vespasian
between 70 and 76 AD, and completed by his son Titus
in 80 AD. The Colosseum was dedicated the year after
Vespasian's death by Titus. They celebrated the opening
by holding 100 days worth of games there.
Romans enjoyed the amphitheater to watch
bloody sports. Going to the Colosseum was probably the
most popular. Gladiatorial combats, fights with beasts
and other fights were held in the Colosseum. The
Colosseum was big enough to hold the whole population
of a town--as many as 50,000 people would sometimes
spend the whole day there watching sports.
Join me as we enter this venue and discover
the elements that made it special.
Content
The Roman Senate
Works Cited
www.romanempire.net/romepage/PolCht/senate.htm
www.unrv.com/empire/the-senate.php
Visuals
The Roman Senate
http://www.blessingscornucopia.com/Rome_Roma_Ro
man_Ancient_Civilization_Synopsis_of_Important_Tim
eline_Dates.htm
The Forum
The Forum
http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/4_Forum_Romanum.htm
l
www.vroma.org/~forum/forum.html
http://dlib.etc.ucla.edu/projects/Forum
Roman Baths
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/roman/
www.lfelem.lfc.edu/.../romanforum/romanforum.htm
Roman Baths
www.gridclub.com
Circus Maximus
www.dl.ket.org/latin2/mores/baths/history/page01.ht
m
www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/baths.html
Circus Maximus
www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/circus.html
http://australis.www2.50megs.com
http://www.tassoni.it/ancientrome/romearchitecture.htm
http://australis.www2.50megs.com/Maximus/Max.html
Colosseum
http://dsc.discovery.com/games/colosseum/tour.html
Colosseum
www.the-colosseum.net/idx-en.htm
www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/colosseum_0
1.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/launch_
ani_colosseum.shtml
http://dsc.discovery.com/games/colosseum/tour.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/images/l
aunch_colosseum.jpg