Bobbe's trip to Rome, part 1: the ruins of Ancient Rome

Bobbe wrote to me to tell me about her trip to Rome and to share some great pictures of her enjoying her first adventure. Here's what she had to say:

Hi Benny,

I'm writing from Rome, which is the capital of Italy. Rome has been a cultural center for well over 2,000 years. Long ago, the Roman Empire was based in Rome. At its height, the Roman Empire covered a huge amount of territory: the Mediterranean coastline of North Africa, most of the Middle East, Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Italy, Spain, France, and even England. From 27 BC until AD 108, Rome's control over all the land around the Mediterranean Sea was so complete and the Roman Empire so strong that very few wars were fought; this period was called the "Pax Romana," meaning "Roman Peace." During this time of prosperity, Rome flourished. Goods and people from all across Europe, Asia, and Africa poured into Rome. Have you heard the saying that "all roads lead to Rome"? Back then, Rome really was the cultural center of the Western world. A huge number of great buildings were built back then to glorify Rome and its emperors. I got to see many of these buildings on my trip to Rome.

Perhaps the most famous building in all of Rome is the Colosseum. The Colosseum was built during the reigns of the Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus between the years AD 72 and 80. It could seat up to 50,000 people, who packed the seats inside to watch all sorts of events. Some of these events were contests between gladiators, who would fight each other for the enjoyment of the crowd. Sometimes, people put on huge dramas and pageants in the theater. Other times, engineers would flood the whole center of the arena so that people could stage mock sea battles -- complete with big wooden boats -- right inside the stadium.

I pose outside the Colosseum in Rome.

I also went to a stadium on the Palatine Hill in Rome. Rome -- like Seattle -- was built on seven different hills. Of these, the Palatine is the one that used to be in the center of ancient Rome. This stadium probably once held sporting events as well as other forms of entertainment.

I stand above a stadium on the Palatine Hill.

On the road between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill is a giant triumphal arch called the Arch of Constantine. Constantine was a much later Roman emperor than the ones I mentioned earlier. He built this arch to celebrate his victory in the AD 312 Battle of Milvian Bridge. According to legend, Constantine had a vision before the battle that God would grant his soldiers victory if they drew the sign of the cross on their shields. After Constantine won the battle, he began the process of converting the entire Roman Empire to Christianity. (You will get to learn more about Constantine and Roman Christianity when I make my first post from Istanbul)

I sit on a railing in front of the Arch of Constantine.

For many of the ancient Romans, daily life would have revolved around a space in the middle of the city called the Forum. The Forum was a place where official business, elections, and trials happened. It was also a place where ordinary citizens went to buy and sell things and to exchange news. Romans built forums in many of the cities that they founded all over Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

At the Forum in Rome, I got to see archeologists working on a dig. The archeologists are looking for clues to help them learn more about how people lived 2,000 years ago. Archeologists painstakingly dig to find shards of pottery, pieces of statuary, foundations of ruined buildings, and even human and animal bones underground. With a lot of work, they can use these clues to piece together a picture of what life used to be like long ago.

I stand in front of an archeological dig at the Forum.

I pose with the surviving buildings and columns of the Roman forum.

I pose in front of the Arch of Septimius Severus in the middle of the Forum.

I hope that you like learning about ancient ruins, since you're going to learn a lot more about the Romans, the Greeks, and the Byzantines as I continue my trip around the Mediterranean. In my next post, however, I'm going to talk about modern Rome, which is still a vibrant cultural center today.

--Bobbe