THE STORY OF ANCIENT ROME

8:26 PM

Because who wouldn’t want to know about it?

Rome has always been a beauty. It's known for its amazing architecture, culture, and innovation of materials. In here, you'll find out how Rome began, and know more about how they lived their life.

Let’s put in a little geography here: Europe is the 2^nd smallest continent in the world, and it has over 51 countries! I’ll also add in a little trivia, in those 51 countries, 24 languages are being spoken (including English of course). They say that the name Europe is still unsure where the name came from. There are, however, myths and theories where the name of Europe came from. The myth came from the ancient story of Zeus and Europa. Wherein Zeus transformed into a bull and was captivated by Europa’s beauty. He then brought her to the isle of Crete and then became lovers; in which Europa bore him three sons. One theory was that Europe’s name came from a Greek word that means ‘wide gazing’.

Chariot Racing as a form of entertainment
Source: http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/circus.html

In Rome, life was determined by where you stand. Meaning that even back then, there was already the division between the rich and the poor. The life of a wealthy Roman was very extravagant. They lived in beautiful houses which is often by the hills outside of Rome. They are also surrounded with luxurious furnishings, slaves, and servants who would cater to their every need. For the poor Romans, however, they live in small houses that could easily collapse. They may be poor in wealth, but they are strong in numbers. For their entertainment, they watch chariots racing and gladiators fighting among themselves. Though the rich and poor may be different in certain aspects, they are common in one thing: in every Roman family, the head of the household is always a man, making Rome a very patriarchal society. He controls the property they live in and he decides the fate of his children on who they would marry.

Before there were businessmen and entrepreneurs, the jobs of the Romans were simple. They had farmers who lived in the countryside, and their common crop was wheat to make bread. They also had soldiers in which was a way for the poor Romans to earn a regular wage. There were also merchants who kept making the Empire rich, while there were also craftsmen who made pots, jewelries, weapons, and many more. Entertainment was important in their culture and tradition. Their entertainers were gladiators and chariot racers, and just like today, Rome’s entertainers include musicians, dancers, and actors. The educated Romans on the other hand become lawyers, teachers, and engineers. In the government, there were all sorts of jobs like tax collectors, clerks and Senators. When Senators serve their position, they serve for life, and there were as many as 600 members of the Senate.

The colosseum that holds gladiator wars and other forms of entertainment

Source: http://7-themes.com/6931521-rome-colosseum.html

The famous Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci
Source: http://artdiscovery.info/rotations/rotation-1/packet-22/

We all know that Roman art is very beautiful. There’s just something about how their buildings, basilicas, and colosseums are made. Let’s not forget their amazing paintings during the Renaissance period. The Renaissance period started in the 1400s. The Early Renaissance art works were about Humanism. It became a central motif for the artists because it was a “rebirth” of the classical style. After that, the paintings were towards humans, thus making Humanism focusing on inner beauty on humanity. The effect of Humanism during the Renaissance period was very captivating because the painters focused on human interests. They also used different colored patterns like the mosaics to show or advertise everyday life scenes. It is said that mosaics have come from the Babylon, and since the Romans discovered new found beauty, they decided to copy it by adding it to buildings. We all know that the arches started with the Romans, it is because they needed the water to get in and out of the city, thus creating the aqueducts. One of the most magnificent pieces of architecture made by the Romans was the Colosseum. It is so magnificent because it could fit 50,000 spectators who would watch brutal fights of the gladiators!

There’s so much to say about Rome. It’s still amazing that after all these years – decades, Rome never lost its touch. Their works and influences made such an impact to our culture that what they did before, is still alive today. I hope you guys found this useful and that you get to have an insight on what Rome was before. Also, if you plan on travelling there, at least you know a little history about them!

Take care now!

Denise