A Direct Reflection Of Roman Culture

Ancient Rome is one of the greatest and most influential societies in the history of the world. From the basic rules of how the Roman Empire is set up to the infrastructures in the city, the strict hierarchy of Roman social structure can be reflected clearly all over the whole ancient Rome. In fact that “public architecture presents people with the official view of a society and provides the background against which its individual markers live their lives.”1 With the great desire of Roman for entertainment and their special taste for blood, the amphitheatre is considered as the most popular and most representative type of the entertainment building in the ancient Roman culture. And

For as long as humans have existed, they have always found some way to entertain themselves. Even the earliest societies have left evidence of some sort of activity or hobby that they used as a form of entertainment. Perhaps the most famous building that was used as a form of entertainment is the Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian amphitheater. In ancient Rome, the most popular form of entertainment was the gladiator fights. These fights, usually among animals and trained public fighters, were staged in open arenas in a city's forum. There is evidence

The United States has adopted parts of Ancient Roman culture into modern day life. Over time Rome became the superpower of the Mediterranean controlling a vast amount of city-states. Power from trade, innovative minds, a powerful military, and influence from other cultures combined to make Rome one of the most powerful regions of the time period. The United States has taken some aspects of Rome’s culture and has incorporated it into society making both regions similar. Roman culture was like our own culture in the United States today because of the system of government, the use of sporting events to escape the affairs of daily life and the funeral inscriptions on grave markers.

The Roman Colosseum was built throughout 70-80 A.D. It was a large, circular stone arena and was a very popular attraction in Rome. The Colosseum was used as a place of entertainment for the Romans (Doc 5). The Colosseum was the entertainment center of Rome and it was used as an amphitheater, arena, held gladiatorial events and people socialized there. The Colosseum influenced the U.S because in the U.S we have entertainment centers including movie theaters, wrestling matches, and sports games where people socialize and are entertained.

Greece influenced roman societies and modern day societies politically as explained in documents 1, 2, 4, and 6. Greece was the first ancient civilization to have a democracy. The basic rule for roman society law system was displayed in the twelve tables. (Doc 2) Many western civilizations adapted this law system as well as other ideas from the roman 12 tables which influenced western societies immensely. The document explains a quote that we still use in modern society which is “every man is innocent until proven guilty.” Octavian Augustus states that after he dies “the foundations which I have laid for its future government will stand firm and stable” the Greeks invented an idea of a ruling senate which today is known as democracy. (Doc 4)

The cultural of the Roman Empire was a melting pot of the religious and cultural influences of the conquered societies that had been assimilated into the Empire. The various religions and cultural practice created a complex pantheon of “gods.” Ever larger temples and statues were erected to bring glory and honor to cities and give honor the Emperor. Additionally, cities would host gladiatorial games to bring honor to the Emperor. These events and building projects were facilitated by those who sought to bring greater glory and honor upon themselves with Roman society.

The history of their architecture runs virtually in step with the history of their empire to an extent. As the Empire expanded so did the architecture, and as Romans became more magnificent their architecture followed. Roman architecture began as a form of worship. The first Roman architects were the ancient priests and dwellers who made areas of sacrifice and worship for their gods. At first, their homes were simple huts but as they grew smarter and more aware of their surroundings, making the building more complex than ever. So, like many arts, Roman architecture’s roots are embedded in the worshiping paid in religion. The Romans were, of course, not the first to practice many of their building philosophies. However, they built like no other society before them. Their methods showed and proved, efficiency and sophistication to construct a whole new look. With the rise of the Romans and the everlasting hail of Caesar after Caesar and Emperor after Emperor, Roman architecture expanded and influenced building over the world. Unlike the Empire, though, Roman design did not die at the hands of the Germanic’s, or rather at the hands of self-destruction; it continued to expand and play a part in every major style throughout history. Even through its empire’s own defeat, architecture has stood as an everlasting symbol of what Rome once was, and what the rest of the world is today. , Roman architecture cannot be looked at as a small period or cultural event, for it lives on today through the

The Roman way of life is different and similar to modern day. Though one may not know much over the Roman’s the culture is fascinating and still remembered in history. The clothes, food, customs, and leisure are major in Roman lifestyle.

The integrity of the construction of the structure was imperative because the size of the audience attending the venue. Therefore, In order to construct and assure the integrity of the vaulted seating area around the entirety of the Colosseum, workers used mortar and small stones while simultaneously crafting the vaults to rest upon the walls in order to carry the vast majority of the weight of the stone structure. New found ingenuity led to many of the architectural capabilities developed through the construction of the Colosseum. In addition to being a project of showmanship of Roman architecture, the project served as learning experience and benchmark upon which to place future projects. Ultimately, this allowed the Colosseum to become an engineering feat and ultimately establish Rome as a locale for exciting blood filled entertainment.

Towards the city’s heavily trafficked center the Roman Forum was constructed for convenient easy access of all the citizens. The foreground of the forum was occupied by a paved square with monuments to famous citizens. The temple to the Divine Julius, dedicated in 29 BCE to the deified Caesar, built in a Hellenistic style, is located in the background on the left; to the right is the temple of Vesta and the house of the Vestal Virgins, guardians of the everlasting flame; further to the right is the temple of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux dedicated in 6 CE Here the office of weights and measures was situated. The podiums of the temples of Caesar and the Dioscuri were often used as orators' platforms and it is in this part of the Forum that the meetings of the comitia took place. On the far right is the Basilica Julia built by Caesar. Its long façade occupies the entire south side of the Forum. (Owens, 154) Semi-circular in plan and having consisted of a tall stage building, theaters were a semi-circular orchestra and tiered seating area. Unlike Greek theatres, which were built on natural slopes, they were supported by their own framework of piers and vaults and so could be built anywhere and not where nature dictated. Amphitheatres (literally, ‘double theatres’) were elliptical in plan; with a central areana. (Bowra, 38)

Historians have always used great structures from the ancient world to find out information about the kind of lives they used to live. The Colosseum in Ancient Rome, Italy was one of the most famous structures. The Colosseum in Rome gives historians a number of insights to the type of civilization that existed during the time of the ancient empire, through the gory battles and violent games that took place. This can be proven by the purpose of the Colosseum and the context surrounding its construction, the political and economic benefit of the Colosseum to the empire, the types of games which were held in the arena and the values which the structure suggests were important to the civilization at the

‘The Colosseum’ is regarded as one of the best work of the Rome architecture and engineering. It is situated in the centre of the city of Rome in Italy and is also known by the name of ‘Flavian Amphitheatre’ (Origins of the Colosseum, 2015). ‘The Colosseum’ is considered as one of the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire and also in the world. The building of ‘The Colosseum’ is highly impressive and is an important landmark for signifying the past history of Roman culture. The amphitheatre

    The Colosseum reflect in their society because this is who the Romans were. The seats were arrange where the wealthy would seat in the front, and the further back you got the lower class you were. This was also an opportunity for the gladiator to showcase what they were all about. The Romans liked to be entertained and what better way to do it than to watch a show in the Colosseum. The structure of it was amazing even today the Colosseum is a must see if you are touring Rome.  I personally like how it was built for an event. Just like today that people gather around the television, or some make there way to a stadium. The Roman capture what we like to consider today an event like Football or any sport. Just like today the structure matters just like it did back then. The Colosseum was massive a spectacle. I love the work because it it hard to imagine something like that can be created in the 80 CE. What I especially like and wish that I could of seen are the battles that took place inside the

The Romans are famous for many things. One thing is their adaptation and development of architecture from other civilization. From the Etruscans and early tribes the Romans got most of their basic architectural skills. From the Greeks some components of Roman architecture were adapted from the Greeks. The heart of Roman architecture was the Roman forum, which was being constructed under the rule of Octavian Caesar. Eventually the Roman architecture went into a stage in which all the buildings looked like the Greek buildings.

     The arches of the Coloseum allowed great ventilation, stability, and passageways to keep the crowd comfortable all day. The most amazing construction had nothing to do with the show. The Romans had actually constructed a roof for the Coloseum. The roof was like a retractable sail covering most of the audience during the current event.