Essay on living in Rome

Rome has always been known as the beautiful city with Colosseum, sport arenas, basilicas,Roman baths and many more amazing sites and buildings. So many people picture Rome as an amazing place, what they don't realize is that it hasn't always been so beautiful. Roman buildings were built out of wood and stone, and the streets of Rome were disgusting dirty. Rome went through a time period where they had famines, flooding of rivers, fires, and this really put Rome in a bad place. Just like when someone says New York and people say I would love to live there, it's the same for Rome. People do not look at the details of Rome but instead only at the name, which in itself means so much.

Rome isn't all ugly, it does have amazing sites. It was preferable to live with in Rome rather than elsewhere because of its amazing sites and building though some were quite dumpy. It didn't really matter where you lived in Rome, whether it was nice or not it just was the thought of living there. A fitting place to start, for anyone at all interested in Roman history, would be in Rome. It may not be the prettiest place to visit, but there is a lot of history behind it. Just to be there and experience Rome, is a dream well known for. It's like brand name clothes, you got to have them, and when we hear of Rome we imagine how great it would be to live there. I think why it's a dream of many people is because it's a whole new culture and lifestyle.

Here in America we have everything handed to us but there people have to work to get somewhere. There was and still is the middle class and the upper class. Where you were born in a family depended on which class you were from. Life in Rome was a struggle to get to the top or be the best. The middle class and upper class both competed to be the best. But the upper class always had more privileges and rights. The only way you could move to a higher class was to be adopted into a family of an upper class. In Rome if you wanted if you wanted to make a change or difference you had to make a statement and let the people hear what you had to say.

To be able to fathom the understanding of living in Rome is not possible to figure out. Just to breath in the air, to be there gives you a whole new perspective on Rome. I hope that when I am a senior and I go to Rome that I will have an experience like that. Living in Rome was wasn't ever all fun in games, there was the threat of diseases, earthquakes, ad famines. Life in Rome wasn't easy. The boys went to school every day and the girls stayed home and took on the job of a mother. Women in the Roman minds weren't treated as well as the men were. Men excelled in Rome while women were left with the chores around the house. The boys had to be prepared for life and the challenges ahead of them.

How the Romans lived there lives depended on their class. The more upper class you were the more there was for you to do. The upper class was basically handed everything and the lower and middle classes had to work more to get what they wanted. Many people lived in Rome because that's where everyone was, it was the main part of Rome, the city. The Romans lived a similar life like us just in a different time in history. Something that really effected Rome was their emperors. Each time a different emperor came to rule, it would change Rome's society. Each emperor either helped Rome out or caused major damage. All in all to live in Rome would be a dream though it was never outstandingly beautiful. Most times beauty isn't important, it's what you make of life and what you do to make a difference. In conclusion Rome just was the best place to live, just like many other places today, it's not about where you live it's about what you do to make the best out of it.

Roman architectural and artistic development

The Romans were best known for their architecture and art. The Romans brought a lot of new ideas to architecture. The three most important were the arch, the baked brick, and the use of cement and concrete. Brick and cement were used for arches to build a new forum with a big column in it. This technique also helped elaborate market building that is the source of modern shopping malls. Roman architecture is more reflected in the development of engineering skills and secular monuments than the ideas of gods then that of the Greek architecture. They introduced new ways to construct a more efficient building and also a entirely different purpose for the building to be built. They build their temples more as for the public and they believed their was a purpose behind architecture.

The Romans learned much of their architectural techniques by the Greeks and the Etruscans. They used many natural materials to form plaster and brick to make their structures and buildings. Once Ancient Rome became a dominating world power their architecture began to grow. One of the architectural techniques that came into use was the arch and vault. These helped in the building of the amphitheater, monumental avenue, and public baths. Aqueducts were channels made of brick or stone that were designed to carry water to a location. Rome didn't have the first aqueduct of the world, but it was the only major city that was supplied with water and therefore they were most famous for them. Public baths were also an important part of Roman life. The baths generally had dressing room suites and bathing chambers with hot, warm, and cold water.

The Romans were very well known for their roads and bridges and no other society have done better. The Romans original intented to build roads for military use. As the Romans conquered new territories, roads were built to allow the soldiers to travel throughout the empire quickly. The roads were generally constructed in four layers. The top layer consisted of a pavement of flat, hard stones, concrete or pebbles that were set in mortar. These roads were usually constructed in straight lines but sometimes they were constructed in a curve. The bridges that the Romans constructed were just as remarkable as their roads. When the arch was developed it made bridges easier to build and many are still in use today.

Romans were also well known for their artistic abilities. They used designed many mosaics and sculptures. The Romans art consisted of many different cultures like the Etruscans, Greeks, and even the Egyptians. Mosaics were pictures made by an artist that was made out of stone and many other hard pieces of natural items. The rich families were usually the ones who had their houses decorated in sculptures and mosaics. The Romans used other cultures ideas and from there added on to them. They seemed as a very moderate society. (Adkins)

The Emperor Hadrian was responsible for the Pantheon which was one of the most influential buildings in western architecture. Hadrian transformed the traditional Roman temple into a structure employing architecture and concrete. It best exemplifies the importance of Roman architecture. Hadrian was strongly influenced by Greek culture and many of the temples were dedicated to the gods. Roman architecture was almost an exact copy of that of Greece. There were three types of designs that were used with concrete and they were the Doric, Corinthian, and the Ionic. The use of concrete allowed marble to be used and it made it easier to build temples and it was much better then using stone. The concrete that the Romans used is used today and is most relevant throughout our world today. (Bookrags)

ONLINE BOOK http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Roman_architecture (Bookrags)
Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. "Handbook to Life In Ancient Rome". Oxford University Press Inc. 1994. New York.
Mr. Lockwood the spell check isnt working again just letting you know

The government of Rome

The Roman government was a strange mix of a republic and democracy. An very interesting fact about the people of Rome is that they took many of their ideas of government from the Greeks. The Roman state was described as a republic with its consuls which continued to be appointed after the establishment of the one-man rule under the empire. The Roman government only lasted until the beginnings of the first century. Many Romans did not like how one man made all the rules. So they decided to balance the power of the government between three branches. They were the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch.

The Romans viewed their empire as the instrument that brought law and justice to the rest of the world. They started out with the most powerful and largest empire in the world. They were considerated a military state and because of this they ruled a vast amount of land in subject countries. The Romans devoted much of their brilliance to military strategy, administartion, technology, and law. Ancient Rome in the earlier years was ruled by kings, but that changed in a very short amount of time, because the Romans hated it. When Rome began to grow and become more powerful, a government position became more and more attractive in Rome's society. This meant that more men got involved in goverment. These men believed that their empire and city would be ruled by one man. They called the one man rulers emperors.

The one man rule was not working for the Roman government so this started the first triumvirate. The first triumvirate was a time when three men ruled instead of one. These three men were Crassus, Pompey, and Julius Caesar. Pompey was killed in a battle and Crassus and Caesar were left. The only problem was that when there was only two men in charge each wanted the power so they fought for it. Crassus then died and Caesar had an affair with Cleopatra, this Cleopatra was claimed to be the most famous. This then leads up to Caesar's murder, because Rome did not want a king. Then in the year 146 B.C. the Roman government began to fall. The only important power left that they had was the Mediterranean Sea. From this they controlled almost all of its coastline. The Romans then realized that they could no longer depend and lean on the Senate. (Barnett 14-16)

The Second Triumvirate was basically the same as the first but different people and a different time.The three men were Octavian, Caesar's nephew, Ledipus, and Mark Antony. The story starts out with how Ledipus was pushed out of his powerful position. This caused Octavian and Mark Antony to go to war against each other. Then later on both Mark Antony and his wife Cleopatra comitted suicide and Octavian took control of Egypt and Alexandria. (Bookrags)

There are many reasons to why Rome fell. One reason was because of economics. The Western Roman Empire was much weaker than the Eastern Roman Empire. This meant that one part of the empire was holding the structure of Rome up but the other was vulnerable for attacks. From this the Western Roman Empire was attacked by nomadic peoples which caused the empire to become more weakened. Eventually the Western Empire fell completely to the outsiders. The trade between different areas was cut of by the new rulers of Western Rome. This then lead to all of Rome falling in 476 B.C.

Barnett, Mary. "Gods and Myths of the Romans". The Archaeology and Mythology of Ancient Peoples. Smithmark Publishers Inc. New York. 1996.
Online book: "http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Second_Triumvirate"
(Mr Lockwood the spell check wasnt working so I did my best)

Home's Odyssey and Virgil's Aneid

The Odyssey was written down by the Greek poet Homer around 700 BC. Although the story itself is probably older. It is the story of King Odysseus' who is trying to return from the Trojan War to his kingdom of Ithaca. It was a small island on the far side of Greece from Troy. Odysseus has trouble getting home because the gods are angry at him, because he did not respect them. Especially the god Poseidon was angry with him and he caused Odysseus time and made it take longer to get back to Ithaca.

The Odyssey starts out on Mount Olympus, where the gods are talking about the humans and their determination to blame things on the gods. Athena favored Odysseus and helped him when he was in time of need. Athena then goes to Telemachus disguised as Mentes, she advices him to call an assembly of the men of Ithaca, to complain of the behaviour of the suitors. Then Athena tells him to go on a quest to find his father in Pylos and Sparta. When suitors find out they taunt him but he prays to Athena for help. She helps Telemachus by putting the suitors in a deep sleep so that he could sail to find his father. (Homer 411 and 422)

In The Odyssey is about two separate but powerful men and how they come together to make an inspirational story about one man and how he tries to get home. Odysseus is a great and noble hero, he is an inspiration to us even though the story was just a myth. He is so inspiring because he represents strength and courage. He has the ability to be witty and powerful. He went to the underworld and returned in one piece. He makes the story of the Odyessy more interesting. It provides a picture of life in Ancient Greece and it shows us what it was like then. (bookrags)

The book the Aeneid was still being written by Virgil in 19 B.C before he died . The main character in this story is Aeneas. He is the leader of the Trojans and he is the only surviving person to escape the siege of Troy. Aeneas found the Roman race in Italy and the Golden Age of Rome. The story is basically about how Aeneas is destined to found Rome and how he will accomplish a powerful Roman country. The Aeneid was written in a meter based on a combination of long and short syllables. It was written to be read rather than recited or performed.

The book the Aeneid is Heroic epic and a mythological story. So is the book the Odyssey. Both were written in Latin and both are epic poems written by great authors of Ancient Greece. The theme of the Aeneid is about fate and the suffering of wanderers. but it is also about the glory of Rome and how they conquered. The Odyssey is more about love and sacrifice.

Homer. The Iliad and the Odyssey. 1942. Walter J. Black, Inc.
Online Books about the Aeneid
http://classics.mit.edu/Virgil/aeneid.html

Foundation Myths for Ancient Rome

The two main foundation myths for Ancient Rome were the stories of Romulus and Remus, who were the two boys who were raised by a female wolf and the story of Aeneas, son of the goddess Aphrodite. The story of Romulus and Remus starts out when their mother Rhea was either seduced or raped by the god Mars. She then became pregnant and gave birth to two sons. When Amulius found out he had Rhea imprisoned and he took Romulus and Remus and put them in a basket and threw them in the Tiber River. The Romans trace their ancestry all the way back to a Trojan hero named Aeneas. He was the son of Anchises, a handsome and daring man and the goddess Aphrodite.

Romulus and Remus were born in a time when children were not wanted. They were unwanted because Amulius their uncle, feared that the boys would grow up and overthrow him.Because of this he had them placed in a trough or basket and thrown into the River Tiber. At that time the Tiber river was flooding, and when the waters fell, the basket, came to shore. Both of the twin brothers were found by a female wolf. Instead of killing them she raised them and looked after them. She fed Romulus and Remus with her milk,and the wolf was helped by a woodpecker who brought them food too. Interesting enough both these animals were sacred and valuable to Mars. In the myth it is told that the god Mars sent those animals to save them.

They grew up and later on were found by a shepherd named Faustulus, who took them home and looked after them until they were grown up. Romulus and Remus discovered who they really were and decided to go back and kill their uncle Amulius and put their grandfather back on the throne. They achieved what they had said and after this they decided to build a city of their own.They could not reach an agreement and so each began to build his own city enclosed within the walls.

Aeneas was the son of Anchises and Aphrodite. He was a hero at Troy and he was the bravest after his brother-in-law Hector. Aeneas took part in all the important battles during the ten years they were at war. When the Achaeans finally captured Troy they allowed Aeneas because of his bravery to choose from among his possessions one thing to take with him as he left. The Achaens were very impressed when they saw him choose a stature of his patron god. They told him that he could bring something else. He brought his father, he loaded him on his back. They were so impressed they allowed him to take the rest of his possessions. The myth goes on to say that Aeneastraveled far and wide and finally reached the Italian peninsula where he founded Rome and that the city of Rome was founded later by one of his descendants Romulus. It ends by saying that Aeneas was almost kille by Achilles but was rescued by Zeus. In the myth it was said that Achilles's behavior angered Aeneas so much that he went over to the Trojan side, and fought bravely for them.

The legend or myth starts out with the Greeks attacking Troy and them almost killing all of the people in the city of Troy. The myth doesnt really say why. A prince of Troy escaped the killing and sailed all the way to Italy in a boat, he was prince Aeneas. Aeneas landed in Italy in the city of Laurentum. The king of the Latins was Latinus. He had a beautiful daughter named Lavinia. He later married her and they had a son named Ascanius. Ascanius was the first of of many to come. He founded Rome later on. Then later on Romulus founds Rome and starts his kingdom. (Mark and Tingay 5 and 8)

Mark, Anthony, and Graham Tingay. "The Romans". Usborne, London, 1990.

The philosophy of Epicurus

Epicurus was born in 341 B.C. and died in 270 B.C. He founded one of the major philosophies of ancient Greece, helping to lay foundations for modern science and also for secular individualism. Many of his aspects are still relevant today. His philosophy was based on materialism and moderation of desires and cultivation of friendships. It was based on humanistic ideas and materialistic ideas based around rational thinking. Epicurus thought that both mind and matter were conglomerations of material elements.He believed that in a society that could punish impiety towards its gods with death that it did not deny their existence but simply points out that the qualities were given to them in an indifference to humanity. From Epicurus' ideas, he opened up a school to many people (including slaves) who couldn't gain access to the worldly philosophers. It was also for the wealthy, powerful, and educated, it was opened for all.

Epicurus’ teachings had a major effect on the Hellenistic world. At the age of 35, Epicurus settled in Athens and founded a Garden, which was a place at that time where his followers could gather and be taught. He taught that desires in life can be painful so you should only desire what you can get. Epicurus also taught that the gods should not be feared because they were not interested and not involved in human affairs,and that death should not be feared. These teaching were inconsistent with Christianity. The strength of his philosophy was that he told many people that weakness leads to an opportunity to desire strength and a person should eliminate all these desires. Epicurus' philosophy taught that pain was nothing compared to pleasure, and that actual moments of pain do not go by quickly.

Epicurus followed the materialist philosopher Democritus, in believing that the world was composed of atoms and that those making up each person dissolved when that person died. All that could be known must be based on observation and experience of this world. He taught that the only purpose of this life was to ensure survival in the world through pleasure of things. By this he did not mean a search for enjoyment but instead a peace of mind and freedom from pain. To achieve this it was important to not fear death and to concentrate on the pleasures of life from which he considered friendship and rational thinking. Epicureanism was never fully respectable but it proved to be popular in the last few years of republican Rome and it still today has not lost its impact. ( Freeman 351 book 1 )

Epicureans had an important influence on Christianity, though some of it was inconsistent with it. The Christian idea that holy people should separate themselves from the world, and not to think about themselves or about the things they own or on their friends and family but to focus on Heaven and its gifts. From this we owe something to Epicureanism. But Christians hated Epicureanism because it denied the existence of heaven and hell, and for their reliance on pleasure as a way of life. So Epicureanism became less popular partly because of the rise of Christianity. If Epicurus had fully eradicated faith in his time, today we would most likely be living in a completely secular culture today. But faith lived on. Within Epicurus’ influence the atheistic moral philosophy freely developed. His moral emphasis “focused upon the individual and his immediate desires for pleasures instead of upon abstract principles of what God wants. He thought of that pleasure and pain had no distinguished difference.

When the Hellenistic Age started the Greeks concentrated on achievement. Epicurus believed that random nature of the collisions ensured that life would be predictable. Except life is not always predictable only in some ways. He also believed that there was need to fear the gods but he did believe in them and their powers. The Garden was a place where people could celebrate birthdays, the writing of elaborate poems on relationships, and sharing of life. ( Freeman 362 and 363 book 2 )

Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 1999 ( book 1 )
Freeman, Charles. Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2004 ( book 2 )

Biography of Plato

Plato was born in Athens in 427 B.C. He was a Greek philosopher who believed in war service and political ambitions. Plato was never really sympathetic to the Athenian democracy and he never fully agreed with the government either. Plato original name was Aristocles, but in his school days he received a nickname. His nickname was Platon which means broad, he got it because he had broad shoulders. Plato left Athens for a long while to explore the world. He returned to Athens in his later years.

Plato is considered one of the greatest influences on modern Western thought and one of the greatest minds in world history. Not much is known about Plato in his younger years. He was from the higher class and he was from a noble family which meant that he could have access to the best libraries and teachers in his day. Though he perfred to stay in Athens he knew a lot about the outside world from his studies. Even when he was a young boy, he wrote poetry and plays.

Plato was a student and follower of Socrates. He founded the Academy school in Athens. His works consisted mainly of dialogues. Plato was very interested in moral philosophy. Plato firmly believed that knowledge was "forgotten" at birth but later on in life it could be remembered and he saw the search for understanding as an attempt to gain knowledge. Plato believed that all substances are composed of air, earth, fire, and water. He invented a theory of vision involving three streams of light. he wanted to find or discover the truth behind things, but he believed that absolute truth could not be derived.

Plato was in his thirties when Socrates was executed. Socrates thoughts were written down by Plato since he himself wrote nothing. He was deeply troubled by the threat offered by the Sophists' thinking to the concept of authority. The Academy he had started, never became an institution that simply worked and reworked his own views. Instead independence of thoughts was encouraged. A large part of Plato's writing have survived all these years, and there not only impressive in range and scope but also for the lucidity of his writing. Plato believed that virtue was not simply a concept in which something was tangled together from characteristics of many instances of virtue in everyday life, but that it existed as a higher level than the actual material world. Plato who was one of Socrates students was there when he died. Plato wrote down the last thoughts of Socrates. He is known for displaying Socrates life since Socrates never wrote anything down. ( Freeman 268 and 269 ) ( Bauer 574 )

As Plato grew up he wanted to be politician. But after seeing the death of his dear friend Socrates, he changed his mind about what he wanted to do. He set up an Academy, which many scholars consider to be the first University of his time. The subjects taught in the University were astronomy, biological sciences, mathematics, and political science. This is where we began to use the term academy when referring to schools today. He stayed there and headed the school for the remainder of his life. Plato was a person of the relativism and scepticism of the Sophists but he focused on values rather than on physical science.Then later on in his life about when he was eighty years old he died in 347 B.C.

Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 1999
Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007