Day three cont.

Please note: I am using the Rick Steves pocket Rome book to share some of the stated facts.......

This is the Arch of Constantine (taken from the Coliseum). In A.D 312 Emperor Constantine defeated Maxentius and he became sole emperor and he legalized Christianity. Think about it....in A.D. 300, you could be killed for being a Christian; a century later you could be killed for not being one.

The Forum, was the birthplace of Rome and was the heart of Rome for nearly a thousand years.

This is the Arch of Titus commemorating the Roman victory over the province of Judea (Israel) in A.D. 70. After a short but bitter war, the Romans defeated the Christians, took Jerusalem, destroyed their temple (leaving only the foundation wall--today's revered "Wailing Wall"), and brought home 50,000 Jewish slaves who were forced to build the coliseum and this Arch.

The remains of  the Temple of Vesta

Caught my eye and made me think of that scripture (Out of the ashes.......)

 

 

 

Like skeletons they stand................


There was a certain spot that the guide pointed out (I didn't get a picture) he said that the Romans believed it was the very center of the earth....remember the saying all roads lead to Rome? Well, they did indeed believe it.

 

Time and time again you just walk by something without taking in the details...just look at all the people carved out is this one little section.

I love the lifeline description in Steves book about Rome...it states that "Rome lasted 1,000 years, 500 years of growth, 200 years of peak power and 300 years of decline"".....it goes on to explain that decline but ends with this....."In A.D. 410, barbarians even looted Rome itself, leveling many of the buildings in the Forum".  You see it wasn't only due to age that we see these ruins today but also because of the Dark Ages that ruled over Rome.......... but Rome survived because of the Catholic Church. Emperors became popes, senators became bishops, orators became priests, and basilicas became Churches.          "The glory of Rome remains eternal".