Creating an Experiece and Shaping an Identity

The roads that led and converged in the heart of the city on the Tiber did not merely serve the obvious purely functional purposes. Yes they brought trade into the city and connected Rome with her empire, but they also performed tasks that were unseen. The roads worked to maintain ancient traditions and to preserve cultural constructs that Romans considered vital to their city. The roads of Rome were where the mob teamed everyday scurrying from one place to another and where debaucheries looked down upon by the upper class occurred. Although roads were often dangerous places where the worst crimes occurred, they were also places where Roman customs were upheld and preserved. An example of upholding of tradition is the Triumphal parade in which the ancient tradition was reenacted for the city to see. Roman roads molded and shaped the experience of traveler's and locals and defined Rome. At its height the city of Rome was occupied by an unprecedented 1 million people. The roads, streets and alleys in the city carried these people from their homes and on their daily activities. Although it is hard for us to reconstruct the experience that these roads were, satyrical authors like Juvenal and Martial, give us glimpses into what they were like.

*Reconstruction of a street in Rome. Drawing: Richard H. Abramson (p.47 Favro)*

The Triumphal Parade

Cultural Landscape

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