Page 55 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

THE HIST OR Y OF IT AL Y  53

Where to See Imperial Rome
Augustus The best places to discover how people lived are Pompeii
The adopted (pp498–9) and Herculaneum. Artifacts and works of art from
son of Julius Caesar these sites are held at the Museo Archeologico in Naples
became the first (pp494–5), while local
emperor, reducing museums all over Italy
the Roman Senate contain statues and
to impotence and other remains. Famous
ruling by decree. sights in Rome include
the Pantheon (p408)
The atrium had and the Colosseum
a skylight in the (p397). Hadrian’s Villa, at
roof with a pool Tivoli (p472), and Ostia
that collected (p471) are also fasci­
rainwater below. nating to visit, but the
whole country preserves
traces of Rome’s glory –
Front from the Arch of
entrance Augustus in Aosta (p219) The Forum (pp394–5), with its temples
to Villa Romana del and law courts, was the centre of daily
Casale (p541) in Sicily. life in ancient Rome.

Reception room Mosaic of a Banquet
The Romans ate reclining
on low couches. A popular
accompaniment for many
dishes was garum, a salty
sauce made of dried fish.

Peristyle or Household Shrine
colonnade Religious rites were practised
both in public and in private.
The internal This shrine from the House of
garden was a the Vettii was dedicated to the
feature borrowed lares, the household gods.
by the Romans
from the Greeks.

AD 97 Roman AD 193–211
Empire reaches AD 161–180 Reign Reign of
largest extent in of Marcus Aurelius Septimius AD 212 Roman citizenship
reign of Trajan Severus extended to include people
from all parts of the Empire
AD 100 AD 150 AD 200
Late 1st century AD AD 134 Hadrian’s Villa
Amphitheatre of Verona built at Tivoli completed AD 216 Baths of Caracalla
completed in Rome
AD 125 Pantheon Emperor Septimius
rebuilt by Hadrian Severus

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