Rome via Brooklyn

327 words, 2 minutes read time

What stood out to me today was the temple of Divus Julius. It really put it in perspective how much Julius Caesar impacted people as “instead of proceeding in the traditional rite to the Campus Martius where the pyre had been prepared, the body was actually cremated at the other end of the Forum” (Claridge, pg. 100). Burying people in the city was very uncommon as most people were buried outside of the city. Caesar impacted so many that the place he was cremated even became a place for people to deliver speeches. Most speeches were given across where Caesar was cremated. I also found that interesting because most people who gave speeches gave it addressing to the elites who were standing closest to the platform where the speaker stood. However, Cicero was known to turn towards the common people, who were standing farther away from the speaker, and addressed the speech to them. Anyways, because of the context of Julius Caesar, speakers would choose where to address the city and now political implications were different depending on what background they were standing on. It was especially interesting to hear how people still leave flowers to the place he was cremated to this day.

Definitely from being present I can better envision myself as a Roman citizen living in the Roman Forum. I can feel the heat from the strong sun overhead, and also I can clearly see the divots from wheels. The divots from the wheels were much more prominent here compared to the ruins in Ostia. Also, while me and Rachel were doing our presentation for the Vestal Virgins it was hard for me to imagine some things. For example, I read how the house that the vestals lived in were nearby to the temple they upkept the fire in. However, I didn’t notice how close the distance was until I actually saw the places in front of me.