According to scientists, the Roman Empire was an agrarian, agricultural power. Only 10% lived in cities, and 30% of the population lived in the Apennine Peninsula. The largest cities of Ancient Rome of that period were Rome, Trier, Alexandria, Carthage. Their story is interesting and captivating.
Foundation of Ancient Rome
The most famous city-state of Ancient Rome was its capital, Rome. There is a beautiful ancient legend about the founding of the city by Romulus, who killed his brother Remus. In their honor, the name was given to the city of Ancient Rome - its capital.
The sculpture of a she-wolf who nursed her brothers, descendants of King Aeneas, is still kept in one of the city's museums. It was located on seven hills and lowlands between them in the valley of the Tiber River. The most famous of the hills are the Palatine, the Aventine and the Capitoline.
The history of the cities of Ancient Rome has more than 2 millennia. It was founded in 754 BC as a center for the unification of several tribes that lived in the surrounding area: the Etruscans, Sabines, Latins. But Rome experienced its greatest prosperity intimes of our era, at the time of the expansion of the empire. Majestic buildings of the nobility towered on the hills, the poor lived in the lowlands.
Structure
The city had a radial structure. The roads that went to Rome received a natural continuation in the city itself and were united by a forum - a large square in the city center, on which the Senate and markets were located. In Rome, on one side of the main forum was the Colosseum, built in 72 AD and accommodating 50,000 citizens. Gladiator fights or gladiator fights with wild animals were held here.
On the other hand, the Temple of Vesta, built in honor of the goddess of the hearth. Citizens were attracted by the Field of Mars, intended for recreation. There were parks and gardens. Mausoleums were nearby.
The street of the patricians was the most pretentious. Patricians are the most noble inhabitants of the city, they occupied high official places, could be elected to the Senate. Between themselves, the main highways were connected by numerous streets and alleys, which had a chaotic character.
What structures shaped the cities of Ancient Rome?
In the architecture of the city, houses of the nobility stood out, which became architectural monuments, temples, forums, palaces of emperors. They spoke about the power and greatness of the Roman Empire, praised their founders. Each emperor left behind powerful structures that surprised the townspeople with their scale, beauty and power of engineering.
Poor townspeople or plebeians lived in the lowlands, in houseswith few amenities. Most often, these were multi-storey insuls, similar to the current high-rise buildings. The upper floors of these houses were most often built of wood.
The pride of ancient Rome was aqueducts - canals or pipes through which clean water was delivered to the city. Thanks to them, numerous fountains and thermal baths, public toilets, green gardens worked.
Thermae or Roman baths were large. In them, in addition to bathing departments with cold and hot water, there were pools, libraries, treadmills. There were parks next to the baths. Baths were built in the imperial palaces.
The city was constantly being built, and for some time stood without city walls. Only under the reign of Aurelian in ancient Rome were erected new walls 19 km long. Their width was about 3.6 m, and the height reached 6 meters. There were 11 main gates in the walls, the approaches to which were covered by towers with loopholes.
Population of the ancient city of Rome
The population of the city during the period of the Roman Empire was constantly increasing. The number in its heyday reached 49 million people. What did the inhabitants of the ancient city of Rome do? The we althy led an idle life. They rested and had fun. Gladiator fights, hunting for wild animals, and chariot races were organized in the capital.
Most of the townspeople got up early. Someone worked in the fields, was engaged in crafts. Politicians and public figures developed strategies for the development of the city and the empire. Schools and libraries were open. We althy parents sent their children to school from the age of 6. They were trained there first.literacy, writing, then geometry, history, literature and oratory.
Children of the plebeians had to work. Slaves captured during the wars lived hard in Rome. They did the dirtiest and hardest work. Strong and hardy men were forced to perform at gladiator fights.
Trier
Trier was founded by Emperor Augustus in 17 AD. e. in the land of Gaul, near the river Moselle. Fertile land, in alliance with water, could become an excellent breadwinner for the Roman legions that fought on the territory of present-day Germany. The favorable geographical location also contributed to the prosperity of trade and winemaking.
In the III century AD, Trier, as one of the main cities of Ancient Rome, became the western capital of the empire. Emperor Diocletian even called it "the second Rome". During this period, the population of the city began to grow.
At some point, at the behest of Emperor Constantine, Trier almost became the capital of the Roman Empire. He settled here, deciding to settle for a long time, even built huge baths. True, they were used for their intended purpose. Baths were too expensive for the city budget.
By order of Constantine and at the request of his mother Helena, a cathedral and the Church of Our Lady were built in Trier. But the family drama prevented this: the son from the first marriage and the second wife of the emperor were convicted of adultery and executed. The pious Constantine left for Byzantium, and Trier began to weaken. In the 5th century it was captured by the Franks, and in the 9th century the city was almost completely destroyed by the Vikings. But Trier was later rebuilt.
The city still lives. Many buildings of Roman times have been preserved in it: baths, a basilica, the remains of an ancient amphitheater, the Black Gate, the cathedral are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. They keep the townspeople from forgetting the rich history of their hometown.
Alexandria
The city of Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 334 BC. e. Unlike Rome, a regular street layout was adopted here. That is, the streets were divided into rectangular or square quarters. According to the project of the urban planner Hippodamus, the city was divided into a sacred, public and private area.
For a long time, Alexandria remained the capital of the Egyptian state. The largest city became a province of the Roman Empire after the capture of the country by Emperor Octavian in 30 AD. e. It became one of the main cities of ancient Rome, the largest trading center, seaport and agricultural fiefdom of the country.
Alexandria also became famous as a scientific center. The largest library worked here, where more than 500 scrolls were stored. But in the time of Caesar, the library burned down. On the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the 120-meter Faros Lighthouse, recognized as one of the 7 wonders of the world, towered. It stood for almost 10 centuries and collapsed during an earthquake in the 14th century. As early as the 3rd century BC, Museion appeared here, an analogue of our academies of sciences, in which the mathematician Euclid, the scientist Archimedes, the geographer Strabo worked at different times.
Carthage
Carthage was in North Africa. It was founded by the Phoenicians in 814 BC inas a trading port. Subsequently, Carthage became the capital of the Carthaginian state. The Carthaginians had a strong fleet, they were skilled sailors and dominated the sea.
One of the most skillful commanders was Hannibal, who swore to his father on the altar that he would fight against Rome all his life. He fulfilled his vow. But the Romans had a large army on land, and the ancient Phoenician capital fell under the empire after several Punic wars that lasted about a hundred years.
In 146 BC, Carthage fell. The inhabitants set themselves on fire by locking themselves in the temple. The incoming army destroyed the city. The remaining Carthaginians were taken into slavery. A hundred years after its capture, the city was rebuilt by order of the emperor in the likeness of Rome. Carthage became the third largest Roman city with a population of about 300,000. But the city no longer had any political influence.
From Carthage, the rich Romans ruled their lands in Africa. Art, culture and trade flourished here. The Romans built a circus, an amphitheater. As in the capital, a giant aqueduct delivered water to houses, palaces, baths. In the 4th century, the Roman Empire declined, which led to the end of many cities, including Carthage.
Timgad
The construction of cities in ancient Rome did not stop. In the first century AD, the Romans began to build settlements on the border of the empire to protect against the raids of wild tribes. One of them was Timgad, based in North Africa.
A small military base of 16 hectares was rebuilt into a city andsurrounded by a powerful wall at the expense of the Senate. Former soldiers lived here with their families. As in other Roman cities, Timgad was crossed by two streets: from west to east - decumanus, from north to south - cardo.
The streets were marked with triumphal arches. Quarters divided the city into squares and rectangles. In the center was a walled forum. Social life was in full swing here.
The largest building in Timgad was the Capitol, a temple in honor of the supreme deities of Jupiter, Minerva and Juno. The inhabitants of the city were mostly we althy people, so spacious houses were built for them with a pool (impluvium) inside, where rainwater was collected, with a courtyard (peristyle) and a garden.
Antioch
Antioch is a city on the Mediterranean coast (now it is the coast of Turkey). It was laid by one of the commanders of Alexander the Great, Seleucus, not far from the laurel grove. According to legend, it was here that Zeus turned the nymph Daphne at her request into a tree. The nymph, who had taken a vow of celibacy, could not endure the shame after Apollo, who loved Daphne to the point of madness, raped her.
Seleucus built a city similar in layout to the city of Alexandria. It was divided into the same square quarters. First, the city towers were erected, then on top of the hill - the Acropolis. There is a beautiful fountain in the center. Then there were temples in honor of the gods, palaces, theater.
Gradually the city grew. Favored by this and advantageous geographical position. Heresea ships came in, bringing goods for trade with Asia. Thus, the city became for the Romans the gateway to the Asian lands.
Antioch prospered, the population grew. The Syrians who lived here loved magnificent holidays, festivities. Maybe that's why they were punished. Earthquakes became God's punishment. For seven centuries, the city experienced 6 major earthquakes, but each time it recovered. In 450-525 the city was twice wiped off the face of the earth. But the inhabitants stubbornly raised it from the ruins. Unfortunately, now on the site of the once great city - a wasteland. After the conquest of Antioch by the Turks, it gradually fell into disrepair.
History of other cities of Rome
After the formation of the Roman Empire, all of Italy fell under its rule. It was necessary to build defensive fortresses to protect it, shopping centers. The population of the Roman Empire grew, and the migration of Roman families to the territory of nearby lands began. The cities of Alba Fuchens, Koza, Palestrina became such colonies.
Alba Futures
The name of this city comes from the words alba, which has two meanings: "hill" and "white", and fucens, associated with the nearby lake Fucino. The city was located near Mount Velino and had a very important strategic location. He defended Rome from the attacks of Hannibal during the Second Punic War, guarded the approaches to the capital during the Allied War.
The distance between the cities was only 68 Roman miles, which is about 126 kilometers. In 303 BC. e. Alba Fucens was conquered by the Romans and rebuilt on the model of other cities: two streets intersecting incenter, where the square (forum) was located, its own amphitheater, built at the expense of the manager Macron.
The area of the settlement was 34 hectares. Alba Fuchens grew and grew rich, until the emperor Caligula ordered the arrest of the prefect. Too he loved to weave court intrigues. The governor and his wife, fearing the wrath of Caligula, committed suicide.
Goat
The city is located on a hilltop in Tuscany. It was originally built as a military base to protect Roman cities. Here was the main road of the empire. After the threat of attack from outside enemies weakened, Koza became an agricultural province. The heyday of the Goat was short-lived. One of the reasons for the decline is the problem of getting water to the top of the hill.
Palestrina
This is one of the oldest cities in Rome. It was founded, according to the legends, by Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. According to archaeologists, it existed already in the 7th century BC. Palestrina is located on a high hill, 37 kilometers from Rome. During the period of the empire's power, noble and we althy residents of the capital rested here. The huge temple - a monument to Fortuna, the goddess of fate and good luck, attracted the imperial nobility.
People from all over the vast country came here to bow to her and find out their future from the oracles. But during the Civil Wars of 83-82 BC. e. the entire male population of the city was killed. Subsequently, the Romans built baths, markets, temples and forums in Palistrina. The warm climate allowed the city to turn into a resort area for we althy Romans.
List of ancient cities of Rome could beproceed. In the 2nd century AD, new cities appeared on the territory of the lands occupied by the Romans, the settlements of barbarian tribes were rebuilt in the Roman likeness. Some arose at the place where the troops were stationed, for example, Budapest, Bonn, Vienna, Paris, London. Some of them have become wineries or shopping centers.
Cities competed with each other in the beauty of architectural structures, we alth, fame. Schools, aqueducts, temples, houses, workshops were built. A whole millennium has passed since the formation of the Roman Empire. But until now, the history of the cities of Ancient Rome attracts us with its secrets.
