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The success of the Roman empire
Successes and struggles of building the roman empire
The success of the Roman empire
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Pompeii was one of the Roman Empire’s richest and most popular locations. However, the picturesque landscape full of life eventually came to an end when a peaceful mountain awoke after two thousand years raining death, destruction, and eventually sealing Pompeii in an ash covered time capsule. This mountain once provided food for the population through its fertile soil is known today as Mount Vesuvius. Following the destruction of Pompeii, Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, and nephew of the prominent Roman Pliny the Elder killed in the eruption, made an account of what he witnessed. Furthermore, Pliny the Younger's account would be important for future geologists and historians. Following the eruption, Emperor Titus, sent troops …show more content…
Thousands of people all over Rome flocked to the city to watch gladiatorial events, purchase property, go to the markets, or just relax from the fast paced nature Rome. Pompeii had attracted wealthy people and influential politicians from Rome. Pompeii itself, was built in an oval like shape with several gates encompassing it. Ash was used from the volcano nearby to build streets and buildings. Moreover, the city provided a place called a forum where the citizens would gather to converse and hear speeches. In addition to a public forum, Pompeii provided an amphitheater, temples, public baths and a gladiator’s court. Public baths were common in Pompeii where people enjoyed running water that aqueducts provided. Some wealthy people having personal baths in their own homes. Due to the location Pompeii was located being seismically active, the citizens enjoyed hot baths from the heat generated. Along with hot rooms, steam rooms, warm rooms, cold rooms were common in the city both being separated by gender. Pompeii was a prime example of the wealth and power of the Roman Empire as it provided advanced technology for the time such as aqueducts, heated floors, and sewage systems. Although much of Pompeii was magnificent, the city also had a dark side which included slavery, prostitution, political corruption, bribery and murder. However, all that is Pompeii would come to an abrupt end from that of fire when the Mountain above the city woke up from a two thousand year
In this analysis, an examination will be provided on how sources from Pompeii and Herculaneum can be interpreted to make known the role and status that women of first century AD possessed. Specifically, reference will be made to the Fresco from the triclinium of the Villa of the Mysteries, Inscription of the Eumachia Building and the tablets of Poppaea Note. Nevertheless, prior to analysing the evidence that these sources reveal; it should be noted that the women of Pompeii are not to be placed in a homogenous grouping. This is a result of the diversified roles and status that women occupied in Pompeii and Herculaneum. To provide a comprehensive analysis of the roles and status women possessed, the report will be categorised into a domestic, professional and slave context; to ensure the dichotomy in the grouping of women is made explicit.
Politics in Pompeii and Herculaneum was an essential and important aspect of life. Politics enabled the towns to run successfully and smoothly. There were elections held for politicians, which included the election of two Duumviri and two pairs of Aediles. The comitum, which was made up of roman males who were over the age of 25, voted for who they believed should be the next Aediles and Duumviri. People who were running for the positions or people who wanted someone they liked to be elected would leave messages everywhere to promote and advocate them in hopes for them to be elected. There were over 2000 electoral notices found in Pompeii. This can be shown in source B which is the programmata from the House of Loreius Tiburtinus, Pompeii.
On the afternoon of 24th August 79 AD, a volcano called Mt. Vesuvius erupted, which resulted in destroyed lives of citizens, it was estimated that there were 10 to 12 thousand people who occupied the city .The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and a few others were severely affected by the eruption. The cities are well known for its beautiful landscapes and its temperate climate.Pompeii is based in the south, close to Naples in the region of Campania in Italy.The eruption started a series of events such as pumice,rocks and ashes falling down and caused hot volcanic gases to rise high in the sky, people from around 100 miles away could see the event unfolding.The remains of Pompeii and other cities was frozen in time due to the pyroclastic surges
A prominent feature that contributed heavily to the way of life in Pompeii was the cities geographical location. The city was situated on a bay and was surrounded by rivers. Seneca tells us that “the city is a pleasant bay ….. bounded by the shores of Surrantum and Stabiae.” This meant that a large amount of trade took place in Pompeii, not only from the sea but from inland as well. Pompeii was also close to Vesuvius, a volcanic mountain. Pliny the Elder writes of this in his Natural History, “Pompeii [with Vesuvius visible close at hand.” Previous volcanic activity in the region led to extremely fertile soil. This contributes heavily to Pompeii’s productive and successful agricultural lands. The geographical location of Pompeii was a prominent feature as it contributed heavily to the city’s economic, industrial, and social aspects.
The private and public leisure activities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were largely abundant. Many activities could be participated in and were used often. These include Drama performances, gladiatorial games, drinking, gambling, brothels, exercise, gardens, baths and food and dining. All these were an important part of Pompeian and Herculaneum life. They were seen as important to keep the body and mind healthy in most cases. Though some opposed some of the activities like brothels, gambling and drinking. But all give a important look into the life of those in Pompeii and Herculaneum before the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius which completely destroyed both towns and all its inhabitants.
Formally known as Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Pompey The Great was born on September 29,106 BC. His father, Pompeius Strabo, was a well-known general and consul. Pompey grew up in a wealthy family. His father, being an Italian provincial, gave him many opportunities. Strabo was a supporter of General Sulla and campaigned throughout Sicily and Northern Africa. He died at the hand of the plague in 87 BC in the time of the first Marian Sullan war, but not before the young Pompey would receive his fathers military knowledge.1 Pompey being left without much political guidance or experience had to start from the bottom of the political ladder. Although his fathers death brought a great deal of sadness, Pompey inherited his families land and as it seems his fathers legions.2
Mount Vesuvius is located in the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. Its Latitude and Longitude is 40.8224° N, 14.4289° E. It is a stratovolcano and has a height of 1277 meters (1490 feet) and base of 48 kilometers (30 miles). Mount Vesuvius has erupted over 30 times and has a repose time that can last for months or even years between eruptions. Its eruptions are explosive and is dominated by pyroclastic flows. The eruption materials are usually an ash cloud with lightening that spews out dense ash falls. The lava can shoot up to 4km into the air. The most famous eruptions of Mt. Vesuvius were in 79 A.D. which destroyed the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The cities were covered in 20 feet of volcanic debris. The estimated death toll was over 1000 people. The
In larger cities, as the bath of Constantine was located in, the baths tended to draw on the ornate, generally with colonnades, arches, and large domes . The primary materials used would have been of stone, most likely large quantities of marble would be used for decoration on the walls, floor, and columns. A hypothetical citizen would not be entering the baths during the evening, as the baths would generally close at dusk, a citizen would instead arrive earlier in the day. a would most likely find themselves within a changing room called the apodyterium where they would disrobe. After disrobing, the citizen then had a wide selection of destinations which he could select from. Roman Baths being a social gathering provided all manners of entertainment. Depending upon the bath in question, amenities such as libraries, gardens, or lecture halls to name a few. The key portion of the baths however is the baths themselves. Inside the baths there was three primary baths. the citizen would generally transition from the hot bath "Calidarium" to the warm bath "Tepidarium", both of which used a heating system of lighting fires and channeling the hot air through the hypocaust, the area underneath the floor. then finally the citizen would make it to the unheated pool, the frigidarium, which was generally located in the center of the baths. Beyond bathing the citizen would have the ability to work out in the
While the contributions of Romulus are often associated to violence and bloodshed, King Romulus is still reverently recalled by many of the citizens in Rome for forming the foundation of their city. Likewise, the achievements of Numa Pompilius are fondly recollected because they instil many of Rome’s domestic traditions and spiritual monuments in its early history. Without the contributions from King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius, who each giving the people of Rome something vital to refine and redevelop after their deaths, made it possible for Rome to become one of the most powerful and influential city in all of Italy.
Pompeii is possibly the best-documented catastrophe in Antiquity. Because of it, we know now how the Pompeians lived because they left behind an extensive legacy of art, including monuments, sculptures and paintings. Pompeii lay on a plateau of ancient lava near the Bay of Naples in western Italy in a region called Campania, less than 1.6 kilometers from the foot of Mount Vesuvius. With the coast to the west and the Apennine Mountains to the East, Campania is a fertile plain, traversed by two major rivers and rich soil. However, in the early days, it was not a remarkable city. Scholars have not been able to identify Pompeii’s original inhabitants. The first people to settle in this region were probably prehistoric hunters and fishers. By at least the eight century B.C., a group of Italic people known as the Oscans occupied the region; they most likely established Pompeii, although the exact date of its origin is unknown. “The root of the word Pompeii would appear to be the Oscan word for the number five, pompe, which suggests that either the community consisted of five hamlets or, perhaps, was settled by a family group (gens Pompeia)”(Kraus 7). In the course of the eight century B.C., Greek and Etruscan colonization stimulated the development of Pompeii as a city around the area of the Forum. A point for important trade routes, it became a place for trading towards the inland. Up until the middle of the 5th century B.C., the city was dominated politically by the Etruscans.
With the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D and the ending of the construction process, Titus formally dedicated the Colosseum in honor of his father and hosted a splendid show including 100 days of games. The Roman citizens were soon addicted to the gladiatorial shows, and the new age of entertainment began at that moment; the Colosseum was the center of all public entertainments and events. Unlike many preceding amphitheaters, Colosseum was the first free-standing architecture constructed purely out of concrete and stone. Supported by 80 arches on each story, the infrastructure was both innovative and seemingly indestructible. Despite its massive size, the building itself was meticulously build and designed; the amount of details and decorations was overwhelming. There were 4 floors and each decorated with different styles: Doric, Ionic, and finally, the Corinthian style. The Col...
Overcrowded living conditions were not a good idea. Disease spread fast this way. People who live in apartments are living right next to each other, which could make the sickness engulf the city. Lead poisoning was also not good. This is because the pipes that carried water would contaminate what they citizens drank and bathed with. Along with lead getting into water for bathing, disease spread in bathing waters. For the temperature that baths were at, the sickness loved to grow. Warm water is perfect conditions for bacteria to live in. Along with these aspects, malaria and the bubonic plague spread throughout Rome. These illnesses came over Rome and fast, especially because of how crowded Rome was. Attila the Hun even avoided Rome because of how bad the malaria was. Furthermore, these economic issues definately took part in the fall of the Western Roman
The Colosseum was built around 2,000 years ago in the heart of Rome. It hosted the gruesome murderous games of gladiator fighting. The people who fought could get glory, fame and riches but if they lost they most likely wouldn’t just lose the game but also their life. Many famous battles were fought. Many animals also lost their lives, over 1,000,000 animals died fighting for their lives as well as the large amount of warriors. When the spectators came to the Colosseum the nobles always sat in the front rows while the rest are full of the common man. Sometimes the judges would add water to the arena to make the fights more sea like. The Colosseum was named by a monk who was reading a prophecy. It sad; ‘When the Colosseum falls so will Rome’ and ‘When Rome falls so will the world’.
Pliny the Elder or Gaius Plinius Secundus in Latin, is best known for his extensive work Natural History or Naturalis Historia (Purcell: 2005). Pliny's only surviving work spans over 37 books covering the of topics, astronomy, geography, animals including humans, plants and agriculture, medicine, and metals and minerals (Stannard: 2013). In 23AD, Pliny was born at Novum Comum, in Gallia Cisalpine, Italy, to a prosperous equestrian family (Purcell: 2005). He was a military man serving in Germany eventually rising the the position of cavalry commander, he studied law practices, and was a naturalist and an author. Pliny met his demise on August 24th, 79AD when he was asphyxiated by the volcanic fumes from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius near Pompeii.
Mount Vesuvius is a strato-volcano consisting of a volcanic cone (Gran Cono) that was built within a summit caldera (Mount Somma). The Somma-Vesuvius complex has formed over the last 25,000 years by means of a sequence of eruptions of variable explosiveness, ranging from the quiet lava outpourings that characterized much of the latest activity (for example from 1881 to 1899 and from 1926 to 1930) to the explosive Plinian eruptions, including the one that destroyed Pompeii and killed thousands of people in 79 A.D. At least seven Plinian eruptions have been identified in