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 Roman Gladiator Journal Journal Excerpt Day 1 I arrived in Rome yesterday from Washington DC to conduct research for my PhD in Roman History from Georgetown University. Through interviews with local historians and by visiting many colosseums, my plan is to get a real sense of the way Roman gladiators lived and the way they died. Today, on this first day, a sunny day, I checked into my hotel, the Grand Hotel de la Minerve. This is a luxury hotel that looks out over the Pantheon, but I was able to afford it due to the scholarship I received for academic excellence. After taking a bath, I went out to explore Rome and get my bearings and my sense of direction. Now I know that the River Tiber is south of my hotel, Vatican City is northwest, the Pantheon is north, and the Colosseum is southeast. Whenever I travel, it’s always important to me to have landmarks; this way, it’s unlikely that I’ll get lost. After long walks throughout the day, I found a perfect restaurant for dinner, La Taberna, where I ate a big meal consisting of Fettuccine, Ossobuco, and finally a coffee Gelato. I sat for a while in the quant restaurant sipping a Gamla Chardonnay and planned my next day’s research. I knew my goal was to visit the Amphitheatre and see the places within its huge structure where tourists didn’t usually go. My goal was to find something remarkable about Roman gladiators htat I could share with the world. Day 2 While searching the beautiful Amphitheatre, I came across a doorway that led me to another secret path that led me to another deeper and darker path that then led me to a small room tucked away in the rubble and debris. In this room lay many rocks and chipped pottery. Between two rocks, I noticed pieces of papyrus sticking out. After clearing away the rocks, I discovered an old and worn down journal. I could tell it was very, very old. Barely seeing in the darkness of the room, I read the date: 53 B.C.E. Article posted March 8, 2012 at 07:38 AM • comment • Reads 492 • Return to Blog List Add a CommentPosted Comments |
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