#2 - Tour of Classic Rome

What was Ancient Rome like?

by Sam Green

It's hard to tell exactly how the ancient ruins of Rome fit together, but through much research, people have begun to figure out where certain buildings sat in relation to others and whatnot. For example, we know where the Pantheon and Colosseum sit and what they probably looked like, but they are a mile apart; therefore, we barely know what the land between the two was like. Bear in mind that the Tiber River separates the city into two parts. On one bank, you have the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. It sat on top of the Capitoline Hill, which was basically the center of Rome. This layout of Rome is c. 320 AD, the peak of Rome's development in regards to architecture. The current leader of Rome is Constantine, and soon after this time, he moves the capitol to Constantinople. Past Capitoline Hill is Palatine Hill. This is where all the palaces and such lie. Further down the river lies Circus Maximus, and next to that is the Imperial Palace. The Circus Maximus was an arena area that held chariot races, animal hunts, parades, and religious processions. The Imperial Palace was the dwelling of the emperor. If ever so choose to do so, he could walk right down to Circus Maximus and enjoy whatever events were happening that day, due to the two establishments being connected.

Traveling toward X on the map, one comes across the aqueducts system. They existed throughout the city and were basically water highways. Without them, Rome wouldn't have been what it was. The water was brought in from 20 to 30 miles away, from nearby mountain ranges. These aqueducts usually emptied out into great fountains or bath houses. Further down the street lies the Arch of Constantine and the Meta Sudans. To the northwest of those lies the Baths of Trajan. This was simply a public bath house for all. In between the Baths and the Arch of Constantine sat the Colosseum (a.k.a. the Flavian amphitheater). At the Colosseum, they would either have gladiator battles, animal hunts, or prisoner executions. Northwest of that lies the Temple of Venus and Rome, and further past that lies the forum. The Forum was about business. It consisted of courts, monuments, temples, etc. One could compare the Forum to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. One of those important buildings was the Basilica of Maxentius, which was originally used as a court but turned into a church when Christians came into power.

Going back toward the Capitoline and past it, you reach Campus Martius (the plane of Mars). The Pantheon lies here. What looks like a temple from the outside actually appears to hold the Rotunda on the inside.