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Friday, January 6, 2017

The Pride in Ancient Rome

Pride in Rome
and kinds of buildings were put up in Rome
Augustus felt that the city of Rome did not look grand enough for the center of a great empire. He built new government offices, libraries, temples, and public baths and rebuilt existing buildings. "I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble," he said.

Around the Palatine (PA»luh»tyn), the hill in the center of Rome, stood huge marble government buildings called basilicas (buh»SIL»ih»kuhz). New temples and other buildings rose beside them. In this area merchants sold fresh meats and vegetables, cloth, and pottery. The rich could buy fine things from faraway parts of the empire such as Egypt and Spain. For those who could read, there were papyrus scrolls filled with writing.

Ideas from Greek architecture could be seen in every building.
Roman builders admired the beauty of Greek architecture and used Greek columns and beams in their own buildings. They also used arches, an idea they borrowed from the Etruscans.

In addition, Roman architects added ideas of their own, such as domes.
The Romans enjoyed entertainment, so some of the new buildings were theaters and sports arenas. The largest arena, the Colosseum (kah»luh»SEE»uhm), was completed in A.D. 80, after Augustus's death. There as many as 50,000 Romans watched battles between gladiators. Gladiators were slaves and prisoners who were forced to fight, often to the death.

Rome's new look made leaders all over the empire want to rebuild their cities in the same way. As far away as Britain and Syria, people built forums in the centers of their cities. Around the forums they built temples, baths, libraries, and arenas.
Some of Rome's ancient buildings still stand. Acid rain has put the survival of these buildings in question, however.

Acid rain is rainwater mixed with gases from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. The gases and water form an acid that falls with rain and damages the stone of buildings and monuments. All across the empire, the Romans built aqueducts (A»kwuh»duhkts). An aqueduct is a system of bridges and canals used to carry water from place to place. The stone aqueducts of the Roman Empire carried water from faraway rivers to the cities.

What kinds of buildings were put up in Rome?

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