Rome is Italy’s biggest and most populated city. It sits on the shores of the Tiber River, in the western side of the nation, about half way down the Italian Peninsula. There has been evidence of human inhabitation in the region of modern day day Rome for more than 14,000 years, but the city as we know it was, according to mythology, founded in 753 BC by the brothers Romulus and Remus. Around 500 BC the city of Rome rebelled against the Etruscans and formed the Roman Republic, which was, and nonetheless is, a seat of European energy. Student tours to study the history of Rome will not be hard-pressed to discover subjects, but two of the most intriguing testaments to the history of the city and the empire are the Coliseum and the Arch of Constantine.
The Coliseum – Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (named just after the emperors of the Flavian dynasty who constructed it), this imposing structure now sits beside a busy motorway called the Piazza del Colosseo and is Rome’s most recognisable symbol. Young historians on student tours can wander around the enormous 188 metre by 156 metre oval structure and revel in the palpable history of the Coliseum. Construction was began by the Emperor Vespasian in 70-72 AD and was completed by his son Titus in 80 AD. There are four stories and it had seats for more than 50,000 spectators, with unique areas for the Emperor and the vestal virgins. Tours will lead students about the lowest level above the arena floor, which would have initially been covered with wood and sand (to soak up the blood!), but which no longer exists. However, the hypogeum’s intricate, subterranean, two-level structures of passages, holding areas, and tunnels can still be clearly noticed whilst moving about the Coliseum. In addition to the parts of the hypogeum you can see, those on student tours can now take a journey down into the network of passageways to get an thought of what it should have been like to be waiting to go into the arena to fight for your life.
Arch of Constantine – Situated involving the Coliseum (and quickly visible from some of the outer levels inside the Coliseum) and the Palatine Hill, the Arch of Constantine rises up in commemoration of Constantine the First’s victory more than Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, in October of 312 AD. Student tours to Rome can include things like a check out to the Arch and spot it into its essential historical context for young students. Searching by carpediemrome.com/50-facts-about-rome/ of its 3 archways, astute students may well note how it is modelled immediately after the Arch of Septimius Severus on the Roman Forum just a quick stroll away. The Arch rises up 21 meters high, is 25.9 meters wide and spans the By way of Triumphalis – the road the emperors marched when they returned to Rome in triumph. The arch itself is decorated with adornments from older monuments, and it is stated that the base of the Arch may well have been taken from an older structure as nicely. The major inscription is identical on each sides of the key archway and is written in Latin, commemorating Constantine’s glorious victory. Inside the archway are phrases committed to the emperor and his location in Rome’s history, which study: (translated) ‘Liberator of the City’ and ‘Founder of Peace’.