From Swamp to Center
The Roman Forum
A forum in contemporary English usage often means a formalized time and space set aside to share ideas around a common topic. We derive our word from the Roman term for the center of their political and communal activity. The forum was originally just a swampy valley between the hills with early settlements, but evolved into the central meeting place. Here we find shops, temples, law courts, monuments, speaking platforms, and the senate house. Below is a scene of records of debts being brought to be burned by the emperor in the center of the forum as an act of public generosity.
Readings
Claridge: Roman Forum and Upper Via Sacra sections; Alive! chapters 4 and 5.
Paired Presentation Topics
(a) What was the life of a Vestal really like?
(b) What board games did the ancient Romans play?
Logistics
We meet will meet at a landmark near our entry gate (TBD). There is little to no shade today. Consider bringing a wide brimmed hat or parasol, along with sunscreen and water.
Your ticket for today also lets you explore the Palatine hill and Imperial palaces on your own! A great place for a picnic lunch. Bring Claridge as your guide and get a great view of the Circus Maximus. If you decide to visit the Palatine, feel free to blog about it for extra credit.
THemes
Who decided what to preserve and reconstruct and what to tear down or dig up? Why were these decisions made? Is any space actually secular? How is power communicated? How have later generations borrow that power? Is this a space where ordinary people could express politic power? How and why?
Blog Prompt
Focus your writing on just one of the many landmarks we saw. Try to connect what you read to what you saw. What questions didn’t the books answer? Was there something you learned from being present that you couldn’t have learned from a book or a classroom lecture?
If you’re behind or want to get ahead, see the option to write about the Palatine under logistics.
Gallery
Rome via Brooklyn 