A guide to my Roman town

The city of Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus who legend has it were raised by a
wolf. The original sight was marked out on the Palatine by Romulus who traced a furrow
with a plough to mark the original confines of the town.

Rome stands on the banks of the Tiber River and has become known as the Eternal city. By
following this guide you will be able to experience the best of Rome.

The town is surrounded by a great arched wall but can be accessed through any one of the
four gates that are known as Chariot gate, Gladiator gate, Theatre gate and Tiber gate.

Places of interest
The main centre of the town is the Forum which is a great place to meet as it is the heart of
the town; here you can exchange goods for Sesterces or listen to local governors and visit the
many local businesses. The quickest way to the forum is via Tiber gate; on the way you will
pass the Arch of Septimius Severus which was erected in 203AD to mark the victory against
the Parthians. The arch has exquisite carvings including a chariot drawn by six horses.

Upon leaving the forum you may wish to visit the Arch of Titus which was erected by the
Senate in memory of the emperor Titus and its carvings celebrate his triumph over the Jews
in 71AD. A carved panel on the south side includes silver trumpets and seven branched
candelabrums.

To the east of the Colosso you will find the Palatine hill on which stands the Emperors
magnificent palace and from where you can see the sun rise and set over the town.

Just in front of the Chariot Gate you will see the Arco di Constantino. This arch has
immense carvings that depict the reigns of a number of famous emperors including Trajan,
Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius and Constantine. The writing on the front of the Arch reads “ To
the Emperor Caesar Flavius Constantinus Maximus, pius felix Augustus, the senate and
people of Rome dedicated an Arch decorated with scenes of triumph since by divine
inspiration and great wisdom with his army and righteous weapons he liberated the state from
tyranny and all factions”
Entertainment and Leisure

One of the main places of entertainment is the Colosseo, the fastest way to the Colosseo is
via Gladiator gate. The Colosseo can be accessed via sixty six numbered entrances and there
are three tiers of seating. The Colosseo was started by the Emperor Vespasian and completed
by his son Titus in 80AD. The first public games lasted a hundred days and five thousand
wild animals were slain. Here you can see fights between professional gladiators, or
sometimes two convicted murderers will fight each other to the death and then the winner
will be slain as clemency will never be shown.

Look out for the different Gladiators who are named after their weapons, for example:
Retiarius are armed with a net and Trident and fight against the Mirmillo who are named after
the fish called Murma. There are also Samnites who are armed with a heavy sword and
rectangular shield.

Another great place of entertainment is the Circo Massimo where you can see exiting chariot
races and on special occasions you can see fights between charioteers. The arena is six
hundred meters long and nearly two hundred wide; this makes it the biggest building for
public spectacles of all time. In the centre of the arena there is a central spine which has
seven eggs to mark the number of circuits of the course. The chariots and horses are divided
into teams that are distinguished by different colours. You may be lucky enough to see the
famous Diocles who races for the reds and has won 3000 times with his two horse chariot.

The Baths of Diocletian are a great place to relax and be pampered. Here there are the
following facilities and routines:

Marble changing rooms

A Gymnasium were you can oil yourself and exercise

A Laconicum (sweat bath)

A Calidarium (hot pool)

Several Tepidarium (luke warm water pools)

A richly decorated Frigidarium (unheated chamber)

Finally there is a huge Natatio (outdoor swimming pool)

These baths are the biggest ever built in Rome and were built between 298 and 306 AD. They
cover 140,000 square meters. The central building itself measures 250m X 180m.

For those who appreciate the stage, the Theatre of Marcellus is a must. The building was
dedicated to Marcellus by Augustus, his uncle in 11/13 BC. The theatre is 32 meters high
and its savea (seating area) has a diameter of 130 meters and holds over 15,000 people. Here
you can see plays of comedy and violence. Actors are sometimes swapped for condemmed
prisoners just before a death scene and the prisoner will actually be killed on stage.

Places of worship
The most famous place of worship is the Temple of Venus and Rome which was built in
121 AD and designed by Hadrian. The temple is surrounded by a colonnaded porico, and has
two cells facing opposite directions; the cells house the cult statues of Rome on one side and
Venus in the other.

The Pantheon is a temple to all gods that was built between 25 and 27 BC by Marcus
Vipsanius Agrippa and was rebuilt by Hadrian between 118 and 125 AD. It has a marvellous
domed roof that lets light in from a central hole in the roof. The floor and surrounds are
coloured in a beautiful Pinkish/Blue marbling.

Places to eat and Drink

Located in the Forum, there are ample places to eat and many snack bars can be found both
here and at the other places of interest mentioned in this guide. Prices are fairly reasonable
and you can eat for only a few Sesterces.