A G: Italy Day 4 - Rome Day 4 Part 1 by Gordon, Palatine Hill 帕拉蒂尼山 and Roman Forum 古罗马广场

Palatine Hill and Roman Forum

~ Gordon

Palatine Hill & Roman Forum

The Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum were very cool with a lot of interesting places, from temples to basilica to tombs to houses and then even royal houses! The forums is here for public meetings, politics, and the most common, trials. Palatine hill is in the center of the entire Roman city. The ancient Roman History started right here.

Temple of Caesar

Where Caesar is buried

During its prime, the Roman Forum was full of assassinations and executions of criminals, including the famous assassination of Julius Caesar. Here lies the tomb of a relative of Roman first emperor, Augustus or Octavian (both refer to the same person). Can you guess who he was? If you guessed Julius Caesar, you’re right! Augustus, or Octavian was the only one to claim the throne, even though Julius Caesar was his grand-uncle. You might not notice it at first, as it looks just like a small dirt pile. Sometimes, it might be good to ask if something is famous. You can also just look for the crowds. The dirt mound which buries Julius Caesar is crowded with people so you have to fight your way in.

Here, you could be a visitor paying respects to the people about to die, a criminal having a gruesome trial, about to be thrown in the Tiber River sewn into a sack with wild animals, or about to be sentenced to death in some other gruesome way.

Did you know that if you lost a trial, you could be drowned or beheaded or burned or sent to participate in the next Colosseum games or even crucified? During Roman trials, they always had execution devices ready. Remember there was no guillotine back then, only using a sword to hack your head off. For those who love bloodshed, the Forum was one of the best places you would want to visit.

Palatine hill is well known for the legend Romulus and Remus. The legend goes that there were 2 boys who were sent to be drowned. However, the Tiber River was too flooded to go close to, so the person who was supposed to drown them just put them in Tiber. Later, a hunting she-wolf called Lupa found them and carried them to her den. She raised them until they were grown men. They decided to build a city. They each built a separate city. Later, Romulus killed Remus for laughing at the border he made. Rome was named after Romulus, its first king and legendary founder. There is another story saying that when Hercules killed fire-breathing giant, Cacus, he struck Cacus so hard it created a dent where there are now stairs to go up to Palatine Hill. On Palatine Hill, there is the Augustus’s house, the first palace. It looks great.

The Roman Forum is great if you love ancient things to see and study. The Palatine Hill has a great view of of the city, the Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum arches. I like the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum.