THE ROMANS
Who said "Rome wasn't built in a day" ?
Well, we built the Colosseum in a day!! And in our own living room, too!
Then we became gladiators and emperors, martrys and bards!
Yes, another week of hands-on history. This week we traveled back to the times of the Romans and learned a great deal, in particular, about the Colosseum, the fighting tactics the Romans used in war, the Roman baths, Roman numerals, the fantastic architects the Romans were, and so much more. We read about Sts. Perpetua and Felicity last week, when we learned about the Christian catacombs. We gained a much deeper appreciation for these martyrs and many others like them, who endured brutal deaths in the Colosseum out of love for Christ. Maia decided that Saints Perpetua and Felicity are now some of her new 'favorite saints' and most definitely some of her 'top heroes'. Incredible stories, to say the least.
Papa got involved in the gladiator fights, as he was the Emperor. At the end of any fight, if a contender was still alive, the Emperor held the power to either allow the prisoner to live (giving the signal of a thumb up) or declaring his execution (with a thumb down). The audience, very crude and rowdy and blood-thirsty, loved to voice their opinions at this time, and one common phrase they used was "Habet Hoc Habet", which was basically equivalent to shouting "Let him have it!" Or, if they felt someone had fought especially well and was 'worthy' in their minds of getting a second change, they might yell "Mitte" (meaning "Let him live"). Back in Roman times the Emperor himself sometimes even got into the arena and fought, too! So, Papa obliged, as our own Emperor, and got into the arena to fight the valiant Gladiator Maximus. There were wild beasts fought off by Maximus, too (had to find a role for T-Rex again, you know!)
We learned about the many types of gladiators, as well- did you know they got to choose their own weapons and armor? They then trained and prepared to fight with their weapons of choice. Many men saw being a gladiator as a high honor, while others began as slaves with no choice, and thus it became necessary for them to work hard to become good fighters, as their work literally meant life or death. In some cases, if these men were successful fighters, they could even 'earn' their freedom.
A fascinating time, though not the most pleasant, especially for Christians.
Here's a peak at some of our fun from the week...
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| Trying out some Roman architecture tricks of the trade! |
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| Aha!!! We did it! |
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Everybody come to Liam, the Architect, Best Builder in Rome
6 miles ahead! |
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Beautiful mosaics by Craftman Maia
7 miles ahead, Look for the Mosaic shop with this Design |
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| Rambunctious Roman!! |
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| One side of the Colosseum- looking into the wild beasts' den |
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| A better look at the outside of our Colosseum |
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| One entrance to the Colosseum |
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The Colosseum, Begun in 69 AD by order of the Emperor Vespasian
Completed in 96 AD by his sons
Let the games begin!
(Seating: 50,000) |
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Habet, Hoc Habet!
(He's had it! Let him have it!) |
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Mitte!!
(Let him go!) |
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| Maximus and the Emperor before the games begin |
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| They must be pals |
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| Chiara, the Rambunctious Roman! |
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| Just one of the Wild Beasts in the arena, ready to take on the Gladiators |
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| No problem for Gladiator Maximus! |
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| Maximus fights another opponent! It's Lydia the Lithe! |
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| Quite the fight! |
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| Habet, Hoc Habet!!! The Emperor declares, "Let him have it!" |
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| Watch out! Emperor Tiberius is enters the arena, ready for a fight! |
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| He fights his pal, Maximus! What a fight! |
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| Alas! Maximus remains undefeated! |
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| Maximus! Maximus! |
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| Mitte! (Let him live!) |
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| Habet, Hoc Habet! The Empress decides the fate of some unfortunate soul. |
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| Sound the horn to signal the end of today's fights. |
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