Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day: A Guide to Sightseeing, Shopping and Survival in the City of the Caesars

152 Pages·2007·7.56 MB·English

by  Philip Matyszak

ANCIENT ROME
on Five Denarii a Day
PHILIP
MATYSZAK
This entertaining guide provides all the infor¬
mation a tourist needs for a journey back in
time to ancient Rome in AD 200. You just have
to pack your imagination and a toothbrush!
Here is advice on arranging the sea journey to
Italy, how to negotiate the road to Rome and
what to see on each of the city’s famous seven
hills. You’ll learn what to take to a fancy dinner
party (dining robe, your own napkin and indoor
shoes) and where to find the best markets and
public baths.
A series of walks takes in all the sights of the
eternal city, from the opulence of the imperial
palace on the Palatine hill through the bustle
of the Forum to the grandeur of the Pantheon
and the Temple of Jupiter. The largest and most
populous city in the ancient world has over
a hundred spectacles to offer, including chariot
races and events at the Colosseum where
gladiators fight to the death.
This witty guide will appeal to history buffs and
travelers, and to anyone who has ever won¬
dered what it would have been like to visit the
greatest city of ancient times.
With 43 illustrations, 1 1 in color
On the jacket: This Jupiter’s eye view of Rome shows the
Colosseum on the right, with the Circus Maximus on the left
(on the back of the jacket). Below the Colosseum is the Aqua Claudia
bearing water to the Palatine. Above the aqueduct we can see the
Temple of Capitoline Jupiter, with the Forum to the right just
beyond it. © Altair4 Multimedia Roma (www.altair4.com)

ANCIENT ROME
ON FIVE DENARII A DAY
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The emperor Marcus Aurelius enters Rome in triumph
PHILIP MATYSZAK
ANCIENT ROME
ON FIVE DENARII A DAY
with 43 illustrations, ll in color
&
Thames & Hudson
CONTENTS
i
GETTING THERE 6
Puteoli » Hitting the Road
II
THE ENVIRONS OF ROME
15
Villas - Aqueducts r Tombs r The Pomerium » IFalls SiGates
III
SETTLING IN
25
^F/iere to Stay—the Seven Hills r Types of Accommodation
t Sanitary Facilities r Medical Emergencies » ItTiaf foltear » Food
IV
OUT AND ABOUT
42
Dining Out r Meeting People » Roman Names
The Social Order - Slaves * Family
V
SHOPPING
65
Where to Shop » Changing Money r What to Buy » Aediles
VI
LAW AND ORDER
71
Praetorians ” Urban Cohorts » Vigiles * Crime
Law Courts r Prison r Punishment
VII
ENTERTAINMENT 80
Colosseum - Circus Maximus - Theatre > Prostitution 8l Brothels
VIII
RELIGION 96
Temples to Visit * The Pantheon - Religious Testivals
i
IX
MUST-SEE SIGHTS ns
Forum oj the Romans r Arch of Titus ’ Imperial Torums
Triumphal Columns - Tomb of St Peter - Bat/is
X
ROMAN WALKS 727
77)e Palatine ' Along theTiber ’ The CampusMartius
Map 136
Useful Phrases 138
Author’s Note 140
Sources of Illustrations
m
Index 141 G
A
ll roads,they say, leadto rome. ity to a Roman visiting your city. The
But choose carefully which road to Romans are great travellers, and are as
.take, and just as importantly, when keen (or keener) to save a denarius as any¬
to take it. Go too early, and you will strug¬ one else. They also have a strong sense of
gle against winter storms. Go too late, and obligation amounting to a moral code, and
all the festivals and spectacles will have fin¬ once ties of guest-friendship (hospitium)
ished, and everyone who can will have fled have been forged with a Roman visitor, he
the summer heat to the seaside resort of will almost certainly leave behind an invi¬
Baiae, or the cool of theTuscan hills. Really tation to stay with him should you come to
late arrivals will be just in time for the first Rome. This is why any visiting Roman of
damp of autumn - the unhealthiest time of any importance has people almost falling
year in an eternally unhealthy city. over themselves to offer food and shelter.
In short, the journey must be carefully The relatively minor inconvenience of
putting up a guest for a
organized the traveller, while is one of the best
the fewer nasty surprises We were happy to get here, and ways of ensuring roughly
during the journey. Fes- happier yet to depart equivalent .accommoda¬
tina lente, ‘hurry slowly’, We want to see Rome again, and tion on a return visit to
the Romans say, and it is our own household gods the imperial city.
good advice. Where are GRAFFITO FROM POMPEII, Staying in Rome is not
you going to stay? How C1L 4.1227 cheap, and the journey
will you pay? What types itself is going to be
of transport are available? The answers expensive. While the central areas of the
may come as a surprise. The Roman world empire are well policed and the roads gen¬
is two thousand years away, but it is still erally safe from brigands, many petty thieves
surprisingly sophisticated. and riff-raff consider travellers easy prey.
Make a start as soon as possible by Most Roman travellers carry their
organizing somewhere to stay in Rome. money in a bag around their necks, or in a
Do this by offering lodgings and hospital¬ belt on their waists. It is a good idea to
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