Rome (Roma) is an eternally beautiful and crazy city. Directory of Roman words, concepts, names

What would you be called in ancient Rome?

The naming system is needed to identify people in any society, and even in our free times it is subject to certain rules. it was easier for people to decide on the names of their children - the rules and traditions greatly narrowed the room for maneuver in this area.

If there was no male heir in the family, the Romans often adopted one of their relatives, who, entering into the inheritance, took on the personal name, family name and cognomen of the adopter, and kept his native surname as an agnomen with the suffix "-an". For example, the destroyer of Carthage was born as Publius Aemilius Paulus, but was adopted by his cousin, Publius Cornelius Scipio, whose son and heir died. Thus Publius Aemilius Paulus became Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus, and after he had destroyed Carthage he received the agnomen Africanus the Younger to distinguish himself from his grandfather Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. Then, after the war in modern Spain, he received another agnomen - Numantian. Gaius Octavius, being adopted by his grandmother's brother Gaius Julius Caesar and having entered into the inheritance, became Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian, and later received the agnomen Augustus.

Slave names

The unequal status of slaves was emphasized by the fact that they were addressed by their personal name. If formality was necessary, after the personal name of the slave, as a rule, the family name of his master was indicated in the genitive case and with the abbreviation ser or s (from the word serv, i.e. slave) and / or occupation. When selling a slave the nomen or cognomen of its former owner was retained by him with the suffix "-an".

If a slave was set free, then he received as a pronomen and a nomen - respectively, the names of the person who released him, and as a cognomen - his personal name or profession. For example, in the process against Roscius the Younger, his intercessor Mark Tullius Cicero, in fact, accused the freedman of Sulla - Lucius Cornelius Chrysogonus. Between the nomen and the cognomen of freedmen, the abbreviations l or lib from the word libertine (freedman, freed) were written.

The capital of Italy, the city of Rome, is a historical place, the ancient capital of the Roman Empire, as well as one of the oldest, oldest cities that exist on planet Earth.

Of course, this is a wonderful, wonderful city, which annually attracts millions of tourists and travelers who want to get closer to the beautiful, to get acquainted with its sights, which are literally on every corner in Rome. That is why this city deserves to be mentioned in the framework of our articles, answering some questions that relate to its name.

Why was the city of Rome named Rome?

The city of Rome, Rome or Roma today is known, perhaps, to any person on planet Earth. You can make a mistake and not answer the question of where Madagascar is located, or what is the name of the capital of Australia, but any child probably knows where Rome is located and the capital of which country it is.

But that's why Rome was called Rome, probably not everyone knows. However, now this is not a problem, because below we will deal with this issue.

Considering that the city existed in the times before our era, and to be more precise - in 753 BC, the history of its name is more like a legend. She claims that this city was formed by two brothers, whose names were Romulus and Remus. They were fed by a she-wolf. Despite blood ties, there was enmity between the brothers, which arose because of the unwillingness to share power in the city, which in the future was called Rome. As for the name itself, it was given to the city in honor of Romulus, who defeated his brother in battle.

As you know, in Latin the name of Rome sounds like Rome or Roma, which became a derivative of the name Romulus.

Why is Rome called the "Eternal City"

As St. Petersburg is called the cultural capital and Barcelona the capital of Catalonia, Rome also has its unofficial name, which sounds like the "Eternal City". It is noteworthy that the origin of such a name goes deep into history.

This name arose precisely because Rome, as we have already noted, is one of the oldest cities on the planet. And they began to call the capital of the Roman Empire that way back in the third century BC.

It is also noteworthy that Rome was also called the city on seven hills, since it is located in a very specific area. Initially, the settlement of the first inhabitants of the city was located only on one of the hills - on the Palatine, however, over time, the rest of the nearby hills began to be settled, which led to the fact that Rome spread over all 7 hills, located in relative proximity to each other.

The age of the city of Rome is 2770 years. It belongs to the most ancient settlements in the world and has preserved the monuments of Antiquity. This is why it is valuable for archaeologists, historians and lovers of antiquity.

From the article it will become clear why Rome is called the Eternal City. To do this, you should learn more about its history, way of life and inhabitants.

Foundation of the city

The history of Rome is connected with the tribes of Ithaca, who lived on the left bank of the Tiber River. In the ninth century BC, they settled on the hills of Latium. Gradually, representatives of the Latins and Sabines united and built a fortification on Capitol Hill. This is how Rome was born. The city was named after the ruler Romulus. The legend about him says that he escaped with his brother Rem and was fed by a she-wolf. Later he founded his city.

Today, Roman historians call the exact date of the founding of Rome - 04/21/753 BC. The land belonged to the representatives of the founding tribes, who were called patricians. Gradually, the population of Rome increased to one hundred thousand people. Newly arrived people and their descendants were called plebeians. They were free, but did not have their own land and could not engage in state affairs.

Periods of Rome

The city has existed for more than two and a half thousand years. During this time, he went through many periods. Ancient times are usually divided into the following stages:

• royal - considered since the founding of the city, implies the rule of seven kings;
• republican - the city expanded, becoming the capital of a new state;
• imperial - began under Julius Caesar, the city expanded at the expense of the Field of Mars. It was continued by Augustus, who increased the space at the expense of the suburbs and divided the city into fourteen parts. After the fire, which is associated with the emperor Nero, the city was completely rebuilt by the Flavian dynasty.

The history of Rome, which is associated with antiquity, ended in the fifth century. It was captured by the Visigoths under the leadership of Alaric, and later plundered by the Vandals.

During the Middle Ages, the city became the center of the papacy. Gradually, the main place became the Vatican Hill. The most well-preserved are those buildings that were used by Christians. The rest of the buildings were destroyed by time and raids.

The new time began for Rome with an attack by the French, who created a republic and expelled the pope. The confrontation continued for several centuries. The city was seized in turn by the French, the Neapolitans, the popes.

Rome conquered Italy

Since the advent of Rome, there has been a struggle with other tribes that inhabited the Apennine Peninsula. First of all, the war was fought with the Etruscans.

By the third century BC, the state centered in Rome took possession of the entire peninsula. The Italian tribes were forced to submit, they gave away part of their lands, began to send their children to serve in the Roman army. The northern lands, on which the Greek colony of Tarentum was located, remained unconquered. Pyrrhus arrived to help the Greeks. At first he won, but with heavy losses. As a result, the Romans won a victory and staged a triumph in their city. Through Rome they led a thousand captive Greeks and four enemy elephants.

By 265 BC, Rome had subjugated all of Italy. Further, the city expanded its influence further and further.

Italy took over Rome

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, there was no single Italian state on the map. The lands were divided between independent kingdoms, the Habsburg Empire. In 1861, the struggle for unification began.

The Italian states fought the Austrians and the French for their lands. Finally, in 1870, they entered Rome. In the same year, the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

Ancient Rome - the Eternal City, which in 1922 was captured by the Nazis. This continued until 1943.

Description of the ancient city

At the time of the founding of Rome, people lived in huts made of reeds, which were covered with clay. Stone houses began to appear in the sixth century BC.

Closer to our era, Emperor Octavian August created the Forum - a new square in the city. There, the Black Stone marked the burial place of Romulus.

The description of the city of Rome should begin with the main shrine - the temple of Jupiter. It was located on the Capitol Hill, was completed in the sixth century BC. Two centuries later, the Romans built many temples, stone roads, bridges, water pipes, circuses.

In the third century BC, the first palaces appeared in the city. At this time, the Romans began to conquer other states, exporting their valuables. The streets of Rome began to be paved with stone in 174 BC. They were always filled with people who walked. Noble citizens moved through the streets on stretchers. But sometimes passage was forbidden due to too narrow streets.

In the third century BC, apartment buildings (insulas) appeared in the city, which had several floors. In one apartment there was a kitchen and a couple of rooms. People with low income could rent one apartment. These houses did not have running water, so water had to be taken from fountains. The Romans bathed in public baths.

Wealthy Romans lived in luxurious houses (domuses). On the territory of the house there were many halls, baths, bedrooms. There was also a courtyard with a garden.

Daily life in the city during the empire

During the empire, the population reached one million people. The city was filled with many peoples who lived in separate quarters. The city consisted of 14 districts.

A Roman's day began at sunrise. He spent the first hours in prayer. Further, poor residents visited wealthy citizens to ask for alms. The latter worked in judicial institutions, in the city council.

Their working day began at three o'clock (in the modern world it is nine o'clock in the morning). At six o'clock, Roman time, there was a small dinner, and two hours later, a big dinner. After dinner, people went about their business, relaxing and having fun.

Every day, residents visited the baths, the so-called baths. There were not only pools of water, but also libraries, places for walking. The city had more than one thousand private baths and eleven public ones.

Roman society was quite militarized. The state had universal military service, which applied to men aged from seventeen to forty-six years. To get a government post, a man was required to take part in ten military companies.

A separate topic is worthy of the favorite entertainment of all the inhabitants of Rome - the gladiator fights that took place in the Colosseum.

Surviving sights

Before analyzing why Rome is called the Eternal City, it is worth remembering those cultural monuments that have survived to this day.

List of the main attractions of the Antiquity period:

• Colosseum - ancient Flavian amphitheater;
• Pantheon - a temple that was built for all the gods;
• Mausoleum of Hadrian - built as the burial place of the emperor, but later began to be used by the popes as a fortress, and today it has become a museum;
• Imperial forums - architectural monuments not associated with the Forum, were built over a hundred and fifty years;
• The forum is the center of the ancient city, where the most important political, religious and economic events took place.

The forum was a fairly large area, on which temples, arches, basilicas are located. During excavations, an ancient prison, the house of the Vestal Virgins, food warehouses and much more were discovered here.

Who told about Rome?

Every citizen of Rome knew the heroes of his native city. The ideal of the ancient Roman was the image of a stern warrior who was content with homespun clothes, ordinary food, modest housing without embellishment. Traditions about such people have come down to us through the ages.

Much is known about Rome thanks to Titus Livius and his work on the history of Rome. The writer told about the city from the moment of its appearance. Interesting information about the heroes of Rome is contained in Virgil's poem "Aeneid".

The heroes of these creations appear before modern people as very cruel, yet generous. They love freedom, stand for justice and are loyal to their city.

It remains to be seen why Rome is called the Eternal City.

Who said that Rome is Eternal?

For the first time, Rome was called the eternal city by the poet Tibull Albius. He lived in 50-20 years BC. In his work (The Book of Elegies), the author, through Apollo, conveys to the readers the idea that Rome will be a powerful city. The words about eternity began to be used in their writings and speeches by many Roman orators and writers. For example, Emperor Hadrian, traveling through other lands, saw the ruins there and realized that his city would exist forever.

To understand why Rome is called the Eternal City, it is worth knowing a little about the city of that time. Tibull lived during the time of Octavian Augustus. Under this emperor, urban structures that had been lost earlier were reconstructed and restored. The emperor proudly declared that he found the city made of brick, and left it marble.

History has confirmed the words about eternity. Despite the wars, all sorts of upheavals, rebellions, the city was recovering, strengthening its power.

1. In ancient Rome, if a patient died during an operation, the doctor's hands were cut off.

2. In Rome during the Republic, a brother had the legal right to punish his sister for disobedience by having sex with her.

3. In ancient Rome, a group of slaves belonging to one person was called ... a surname

4. Among the first fifteen Roman emperors, only Claudius did not have love affairs with men. This was considered unusual behavior and was ridiculed by poets and writers who said: loving only women, Claudius himself became effeminate.

5. In the Roman army, soldiers lived in tents of 10 people. At the head of each tent was an elder, who was called ... dean.

6. In the ancient world, as in the Middle Ages, there was no toilet paper. The Romans used a stick with a cloth on the end that was dipped in a bucket of water.

7. In Rome, rich citizens lived in houses - mansions. The guests knocked on the door of the house with a knocker, a door ring. A mosaic inscription “salve” (“welcome”) was laid out on the threshold of the house. Some houses, instead of dogs, were guarded by slaves tied to a ring in the wall.

8. In ancient Rome, noble gentlemen used curly-haired boys as napkins at feasts. Or rather, of course, only their hair was used, on which they wiped their hands. For boys, it was considered incredible luck to get into the service of a high-ranking Roman as such a "table boy."

9. Some women in Rome drank turpentine (despite the risk of fatal poisoning) because it gave their urine the smell of roses.

10. The tradition of the wedding kiss came to us from the Roman Empire, where the newlyweds kissed at the end of the marriage, only then the kiss had a different meaning - it meant a kind of seal under the oral marriage contract. So the marriage deal was valid

11. The popular expression “to return to the native Penates”, which means returning to one’s home, to the hearth, is more correct to pronounce in a different way: “to return to the native Penates”. The fact is that the Penates are the Roman gods-guardians of the hearth, and each family usually had images of two Penates next to the hearth.

12. The wife of the Roman emperor Claudius, Messalina, was so lustful and depraved that she amazed her contemporaries, who were accustomed to many things. According to the historians Tacitus and Suetonius, she not only maintained a brothel in Rome, but also worked there as a prostitute, personally serving clients. She even had a competition with another famous prostitute and won it by serving 50 clients against 25.

13. The month of August, formerly known as Sextillis (sixth), was renamed after the Roman Emperor Augustus. January was named after the Roman god Janus, who had two faces: one looking back - to the past year, and the second looking forward - to the future. The name of the month of April comes from the Latin word "aperire", which means to open, perhaps due to the fact that flower buds open during this month.

14. In ancient Rome, prostitution was not only not illegal, but was considered an ordinary profession. Priestesses of love were not covered with shame and contempt, so they did not need to hide their status. They freely walked around the city, offering their services, and to make it easier to distinguish them from the crowd, the prostitutes wore high-heeled shoes. No one else wore heels, so as not to mislead those who want to buy sex.

15. In ancient Rome, there were special bronze coins to pay for the services of prostitutes - spintriya. Erotic scenes were depicted on them.

As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. So my road finally led me to the capital of Italy. Unfortunately, this time only for one day.

Rome is one of the most visited cities in the world by tourists. The Eternal City has been beckoning everyone for 2767 years. The exact official date of the foundation of Rome is known - 753 BC. However, archeological research proves that a settlement has existed on this site since time immemorial.

So much has been said and written about Rome that it seems to be a familiar city even to those who have never been to it.

Many chapters of school textbooks in different languages ​​are devoted to the sights of Rome. Even an inveterate loser will definitely remember that in Rome there is at least the Colosseum and the Pantheon.

Probably not a single person knows all the sights of Rome. One lifetime is not enough to inspect all the monuments of the Eternal City. What can you really see in Rome in one day?

The very first impression of the capital of Italy is the shock of crowds of people from all over the world in the Vatican Museums. It was expected that there would also be many people everywhere in Rome. Fortunately, this turned out not to be the case.

I must say that for a city of three million people, Rome is not crowded enough. In addition to the Vatican, pandemonium was actually observed only at the Trevi Fountain and at the Spanish Steps. On a weekday I was surprised by the traffic - Moscow motorists can only dream of such free roads.

The Colosseum is considered the main attraction of Rome, the symbol of the city. It seems to me wrong that such a terrible, black place (its ingenious engineering idea is not so important for a woman) has become a symbol of a beautiful city, where, in addition to bloody spectacles, so many positive and beautiful things happened and are happening in the arena of the Colosseum!

Probably, these walls turned black from the horror that they happened to see. In my opinion, you should come to the Colosseum with flowers ... Or generally bypass this terrible place ...

The famous Roman forums seem to be falling more and more into ruins.

In addition to time, the remains of ancient Roman structures are ending up with modern ecology.

We ran through the Roman Forums just at a gallop - we wanted to have time to see as much as possible.

In general, in Rome, everyone is in a hurry, and at the same time, everywhere on the stairs, at the fountains, and sometimes just on the sidewalks you meet people who are not in a hurry, but just sit and relax.

II Vittoriano is a huge 135-meter building made of snow-white marble in the neoclassical style, located on the northern slope of the Capitoline Hill. The building is a national monument to the first king of united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II.

The building was built in 1885-1911, while several medieval churches and ancient Roman ruins were demolished.

The roof of the building is a magnificent observation deck. I'll definitely go there next time!

On a weekday, motorcycles are parked everywhere on the streets of Rome, this type of transport in the city is very popular.

Rome is a museum city. Here you can just walk the streets, looking into various courtyards, each time surprised by new discoveries.

Rome is called the city of fountains, in no other city in the world there are so many of them. The most famous and beautiful, as well as the largest Baroque fountain in Rome, is the Trevi Fountain.

Having hardly made their way through the crowd of people, they threw coins into the fountain. Although I do not like big cities, I threw a coin with a sincere desire to return to Rome.

The famous Spanish Steps (Scalinata Spagna), leading to the church of Trinita dei Monti, is another place in Rome where pandemonium is always present. This is the longest and widest staircase in Europe. The baroque staircase with 138 steps is in the shape of butterfly wings.

The square below is called Spanish, as the Spanish embassy is located nearby. In the square there is a baroque fountain called the Fontana della Barcaccia (Old Boat Fountain).

Climbing the stairs, we visited the church of Trinita dei Monti and walked along the street, from the height of which there are good views of Rome.

Looking at Rome from a height, we were once again convinced that we saw almost nothing in the city in one day ...

It should be noted that in addition to the abundance of monuments in Rome, there are many green squares and parks.

At the end of October, multi-colored bougainvilleas finished flowering.

Piazza Del Popolo (People's Square) is the last place we visited in Rome.

We barely got there, we didn’t have the strength to walk to the nearby Pantheon ...

On the square is the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, hence the name of the square. Piazza del Popolo has always been and to this day is a place through which travelers from the north must pass when entering and leaving Rome. So we returned from here to Emilia-Romagna.

One of the 9 Roman obelisks is located on the square. This obelisk once belonged to Pharaoh Ramesses II. Starting from 10 BC. the obelisk is on this spot.

In the church of Santa Maria del Popolo (Santa Maria del Popolo) I looked already completely with the last of my strength before my departure. A very beautiful and interesting church. According to rumors, one of the first Gospels translated into Slavonic is kept here.

According to the existing legend, the church of Santa Maria del Popolo appeared on the burial site of the Roman emperor Nero, in whose tomb the ghost of the deceased appeared. Pope Paschal II ordered a church to be built on this site, and the remains of Nero to be thrown into the river. Money for the construction of the church was collected throughout Rome, so the church was called "del Popolo" - "folk". The first church was built in 1099, in the 15th century the temple was completely reconstructed by the best masters of the Renaissance. The altar is now decorated with a painting by Raphael "Madonna del Popolo".

In Piazza del Popolo there are also two replica churches of Saint Mary of the Miracles and Saint Mary of Montesanto. We haven't gotten there yet...

They say that in Rome you need to pull the tail of a stone lion for good luck.
I don’t know whether I pulled the right one or not ... There are those lions in Rome, and not only lions ... I will definitely return to Rome!