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Note: You can click on each image below to view a larger version.
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| ABOVE AND RIGHT: The remains of the Roman Forum, the political and
commercial centre of ancient Rome. The main road through the middle (top right) is
known as the Via Sacra (Sacred Way), and would have been the route followed by religious and triumphal processions. |
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LEFT: Me in front of the Basilica Aemilia, a meeting hall for politicians,
moneylenders and tax-gatherers, burned down when the Visigoths sacked Rome in 410AD. The remains of
coins melted in the fire can still be seen embedded in the floor. |
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| RIGHT: The Temple of Romulus, built in the 4th century AD. |
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LEFT: The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, built in 141AD by
the Emperor Antoninus in memory of his late wife Faustina. In the 11th century it was converted into a church, which
was rebuilt in 1601 to create the odd building-within-a-building we see today. |
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| RIGHT: The triumphal arch erected in 203AD by Emperor Septimius Severus
to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his accession to the throne. The columns to the left of it are the remains of the
Temple of Saturn, built in 42BC. |
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| Saturn was a mythical god-king of Italy, believed to have
ruled over a golden age of peace and prosperity which was celebrated every year with a week of feasting and
sacrifices known as Saturnalia. This took place from 17th to 23rd December, and was therefore one of the pagan
midwinter festivals that the Christians sought to replace with Christmas. |
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LEFT: Looking back from the far end of the Forum. Note the
dome of the Temple of Romulus at left. The three columns in the middle distance on the right are the remains of the
Temple of Castor and Pollux, in front of which is the Basilica Julia. |
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| This originally housed law courts and is so named because
it was Julius Caesar who began its construction, in 54BC. The ruins behind the columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux are
from the House of the Vestal Virgins, where the priestesses of the goddess Vesta lived. |
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| ABOVE:Two more views in the same general
direction from slightly different vantage points. In the picture at left, the large column standing on its own at
the left of the frame is the Column of Phocas, erected in 608AD to commemorate a visit to Rome by the Byzantine Emperor
Phocas. The picture on the right looks out over the Basilica Julia, with the Temple of Saturn on the left. In both pictures
the top of the Colosseum can be seen in the distance, behind the prominent tower of the Church of Santa Francesca
Romana, who is apparently the patron saint of motorists. |
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| RIGHT AND BELOW: Trajan's markets, a complex of
150 offices and shops built by the Emperor Trajan in the second century AD. The resemblance to a modern shopping
centre is striking - presumably a case of form following function. |
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| RIGHT: Trajan also built a new Forum in front of the markets, which
has only been partially excavated. In the picture you can see the remains of the curved wall which separated
the markets from the Forum. |
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ABOVE LEFT: The facade of St. Peter's basilica in the Vatican.
ABOVE RIGHT: Looking out over Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square) from the top of the dome of the basilica.
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LEFT: The obelisk in front of the church of
Trinità dei Monti, at the top of the famous Spanish Steps. |
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ABOVE LEFT: Part of the Vatican Museums.
ABOVE RIGHT: The Vatican Gardens.
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| RIGHT: The Piazza del Popolo, with the twin churches of
Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto. The obelisk in the centre is over 3,000 years old and
was originally brought from Egypt by the Emperor Augustus to decorate the Circus Maximus. |
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ABOVE LEFT: Part of the Domus Flavia on the
Palatine hill, built in 81AD by the Emperor Domitian. The Domus Flavia was the wing of Domitian's palace used for official business.
ABOVE RIGHT: Looking towards the Palatine hill from the Colosseum. According to Roman legend the city was
originally founded on the Palatine hill, so it was an exclusive area in which only the richest and most prominent
citizens could afford to live. There is archaeological evidence of settlements on the hill in the 9th century BC,
so the legend may have some slim basis in fact.
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| ABOVE: The Stadium on the Palatine hill,
built at the same time as Domitian's palace. It is not clear whether it actually was a stadium, a track for exercising
horses, or even a garden. The oval enclosure visible in the picture on the left was added by the Ostrogoth king Theodoric in the
6th century AD, who held foot races in the Stadium. The structure shown in the image on the right would be just off the
left-hand edge of the picture on the left. It may have held a balcony from which the Emperor could view races. |
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LEFT: Part of the Domus Augustana, the wing of
Domitian's palace that was used as his private residence. The straight wall with curved shapes within it at the bottom
of the picture was originally a fountain. |
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| ABOVE: The Colosseum, the huge amphitheatre
commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian in 72AD. It could hold 55,000 spectators, and with 80 entrances in the arches
round the walls it must have been possible to fill and empty it surprisingly quickly. |
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LEFT: Looking down into the complex network of rooms underneath
the arena in which the animals were kept. What the noise and smell must have been like down there when the games
were going on is almost impossible to imagine. |
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| RIGHT: Another view of the inner walls. |
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| ABOVE: The walls of the Colosseum from outside. |
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