Ancient Rome

The Coliseum

By the time my family and I arrived in Rome, we were starved from the plane ride. The first thing we did was walk to the Forum and eat some delicious food. The Forum was really big! Ancient Romans used it as a marketplace and business center. After we finished eating, we walked to the Arch of Titus. It was surrounded by a garden and looked really pleasant. After the Arch we walked to the Coliseum.  The Arch of Titus is nothing compared to the Coliseum!  It was used for entertainment purposes.  Citizens would watch

The Arch of Titus

fights to the death. Some fights were man vs. man, but others were man vs. lion! There is a network of tunnels under the Coliseum that were used to house animals and gladiators. The last places we visited were the Senate house, or the Curia and the Courthouse, or the Basilica Julia.  Both were large and made of stone with red roofs. In the Basilica Julia there were balconies that citizens could watch trials from. Present day the Courthouse is nothing more than the stumps of past columns.  The Curia is still mostly intact and hasn't deteriorated much over the years. It used to have rows of benches on either side of the room for the Senate members to sit in and debate over important issues.  I loved visiting Rome. It was so amazing to have the opportunity to see all of the old buildings, especially the Coliseum and the Parthenon.

Ancient Rome's Contributions to Modern Democracy:

• Written laws
• Separation of powers
• Freedom of speech
• Justinian Code
• Elected officials
• Reason
• Equality/ natural law
• Republic
• Ability to veto
• One Senate