Empires: Rome -Winners and Losers Part One

Anyone stopping by might want to read the post below-I did that post in the early evening yesterday and it did not update on MFMs page and the posting time is wrong-just wanted to let anyone reading this blog that it is there. The divisions of class and status in Rome had roots in the myths of the city's beginning. The Aventine Hill, on the far side of Rome's southernmost valley was where the immigrants to the city lived. Facing the Aventine was a second hill called the Palatine. The differences between the two hills were like night and day. The Palatine, was by far the most exclusive of Rome's seven hills. In the midst of this most expensive of the world's real estate of the time, stood a humble shepherd's hut. This little hut was said to be the childhood home of Romulus, Rome's first king, and Remus, his twin. The ancient legend of the brothers said that both of them had decided to found a city. Romulus had decided to stand on the Palatine Hill, Remus on the Aventine. Remus had seen six vultures flying overhead, but Romulus had seen twelve. Romulus took this as a sign that the gods approved of his spot, and fortified the Palatine and name the new city after himself. Remus was overcome with jealousy and rage, and had ended up being murdered by his brother in a fight. From this time on the two hill's destinies were unalterable. The Palatine Hill was for winners, the Aventine for losers.

The polar opposites of success and failure were made manifest in the very geography of the city. These were also the poles around which Roman life revolved. There was nothing remotely like a modern middle class in ancient Rome. There were not the socioeconomic divisions that we see in many countries in the modern world in the ancient Republic. However, despite the vast chasm that divided the rich and the poor; the patrician and the plebian, there was a unique quality that Rome had. This ideal or quality could be symbolized by the Circus Maximus. The Circus Maximus ran the length of the entire valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills. The site had been used for chariot races since the time of the kings. Two hundred thousand citizens might fill this enormous place, its capacity is not equalled by any arena to this day. The spectacles viewed in this immense arena gave a sense of shared community to the citizens of Rome. Because of the nature of the two hills surrounding it, a senator might look down at the Circus from his sumptious villa and a shopkeeper from his humble shack and be reminded that whatever their differences in wealth and status, they were still citizens of the same republic.
I hope to have the next post here very soon, the information is actually ready to go-so it is more a question of computer connection-I also have a post at my other blog I would like to start today also, so I will see how time goes. Peace and be well to anyone stopping by!