MamaCez: Imperial Rome (11 of 14)

The Ruins... throughout Rome are lots of old old...very old buildings.. some that don't even look like buildings anymore. Our guide, an archeologist, Fabio, was excellent. So good that Emily stuck to him like glue while the rest of us wandered and took pictures galore! (He did warn us to not get lost so Emily, being the obedient tourist, stayed near him so she wouldn't get lost!)

Fabio had various illustrations to show us what everything used to look like a long time ago.

As we entered the Forum area, we encountered the Vittoriano, a huge monument built in pure white marble, which was erected in honor of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of unified Italy.

Buried beneath is the 'milite ignoto' or 'unknown solider' from WWI.

Then to the Roman Forum, the city square where Romans gather for political, judicial and religious rituals. It is a rectangular plaza surrounded by ancient government buildings in the center of the city of Rome.

There are multiple Forums within the Roman Forum, such as Trajan's Forum created in 106 AD by Apollodorus of Damascus, the most famous architect of the time.

Completed in 113 AD; Column of Trajan

The Column of Trajan was erected at the center of the courtyard to commemorate Roman emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. The continouous 'frieze' winds up around the tower from base. The relief portrays Trajan's two victorious wars against the Dacians: the lower half illustrating the first(101-102) and the top half illustrating the second (105-106).

This freestanding column is most famous for it's spiral bas relief which artistically describes the wars between the Romans and Dacians .

The Roman Forum, for centuries, was the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials and gladiatorial matches. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men.

The Forum lies in the valley surrounded by the Palatine, Capitoline and Esquiline hills. In 9th-8th century BC the city was made up of independent villages. Later the villages merged and the Forum village naturally became the place where the inhabitants met for economic transactions and social activities.

The vastness of the Forum.. today

...and a what it looked like a long time ago

a panoramic of the Roman ruins

The Forum Square today

The Forum Square a long long time ago

The Temple of Caesar: Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC and was cremated in the Forum, in front of the Regia. On this spot Augustus raised a temple, dedicated in 29 BC. Set on a high podium with six columns at the front, it was decorated with the rostra taken from the ships of Anthony and Cleopatra captured by Augustus, two years earlier, at the battle of Actium.

Only the cement core survives today.

The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium and mass entertainment venue located in Rome. It was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and later Empire.

Today it's a green grass field...

...before it was filled with spectators and chariots.

Lastly, the infamous 'Colosseo' or Colosseum (started building 70 A.D.) is an elliptical amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome.

Arch of Constantine, built in 315 AD to commemorate Constantine I's victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge over Maxentious.

Built of concrete and stone, it was the largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.

Before.. the arena comprised a wooden floor covered by sand covering an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum or 'underground',

The Colosseum could hold an estimated 50,000 and 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, and re-enactments of famous battles. The Colosseum was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty following the reign of Nero. It has stayed partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone robbers.

...and After. The underground tunnels housed animals and slaves.

The hypogeum consisted of two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the arena for caged animals. It was connected to number of places outside of the Colosseum for animals and performers along with Emperors and other dignitaries to enter and exit without passing through the crowds.

Unlike earlier Greek theaters that were built into hillsides, the Colossuem is an entirely free-standing structure. The outer walls monumental facade comprises of three stories of superimposed arcades surmounted by a podium. Each of the arches in the 2nd and 3rd floor arcades framed statues probably honoring divinities and other figures from classical mythology.