time traveler journal entries
Entry 1: 15BCE October 9th: Today I depart to Rome. I leave from the area known as Turkey in present day. In my time here, I have found out that Turkey was conquered by Rome in 129 BC (A Timeline of Turkeys History). Roughly 114 years in the past. It was conquered when Turkey’s last king died without an heir to the throne. This left them open to attack.
I will be making this journey across the Mediterranean Sea by Roman warship in look for work. This ship that I will be traveling on was bought by a couple of local villagers. They use it for trade, and I am merely a passenger upon this vessel.
Entry 2: 15BCE October 11th: Today, I was examining the boat out of curiosity, and discovered a metal head piece at the head of the ship. After asking a person on board, I found out that it was ram. They are made out of bronze, and are used to crash into opposing ships, and destroy them. The attacking ship goes at full speed and is protected from the impact from the ram. I found this to be a very interesting piece of technology. (Raising the Ram)
Entry 3: 15BCE October 15th: At this moment, I am still aboard the ship. I am just outside of the port we will stop at. From this position, I am able to overlook Rome. Just from one glance at the city, I can tell that I will enjoy it greatly. From the port, I am able to see the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a temple dedicated to the worship of all Roman gods. It was built by Marcus Agrippa, one of Rome’s many emperors. (The Pantheon). I walk into the city and find lodging at an inn.
Entry 4: 15BCE October 16th: After five long days at sea, I arrive in Rome. I walk into the city and am amazed. The images on the structures are amazing. For example, on a statue of Augustus (the first emperor), I find several scenes depiction war, victory, and more (Craig, Graham and Kagan). I find a local inn and spend the night there. Tomorrow I plan to visit the Coliseum and watch a few chariot races.
Entry 5: 15BCE October 17th: I wake up in the morning feeling like a king. I gather my things and head off to the Coliseum. It is a mere 5 minute walk from the inn. When I get there, I am astonished by its size. It looks to be able to hold at least 50,000 people. At the northern section there are seats designated for the emperor and other high ranking people. I take a seat and watch the races. Each race takes approximately 15 minutes. (The Colesseum) I really think that Rome is a spectacular place to be living in!
Entry 6: 15BCE October 19th (Early morning): Today I awoke to the smell of smoke. I look outside my door to see flames crawling up it. I gather my belongings and crawl to the window. Luckily, I am only on the second floor of the inn. I jump onto a nearby building and make my way down. As I do so, the inn collapses, and I barely make it out without injury. A crowd gathers around the burning building, but I decide not to stick around. I decide to take my stuff over to another inn on the other side of town.
Entry 7: 15BCE October 19th (Evening): While walking to a new place to stay, I saw a couple of fires in the distance. After seeing many houses here and Rome, I think I know what may have caused the fires. I have seen that the people here cook over open flames. (Aldrete) With a hard gust of wind, sparks could travel all over the place. Another factor that might contribute to the fires here is the way people light places. They use oil lamps with a flame for lighting. (Aldrete)If knocked over, the flame could easily light the oil and start a fire.
Entry 8: 15BCE October 20th: As I was walking through the streets today, I noticed a vast amount of waste on the streets. I have seen some sewers, but I believe they were made more to provide drainage that to carry waste. (Aldrete) I have seen animal carcasses, bones, broken pots, garbage, and at times, human excrement. My opinion of this place has changed greatly. I no longer consider Rome a beautiful city. It is vile, and there are many hazards to the human population here.
Entry 9: 15BCE October 23th: Today, I decide to visit a public bath here in Rome. Despite their name, they are used for more than just bathing. I found that out today at my visit. At the baths, I was surprised to find a weight room. There, many men were lifting weights and doing exercises. I looked outside, and found men playing sports and doing other various activities. I noise was overwhelming. I could not tolerate the grunts and shouts of the people there. (Aldrete, Sports & Games in the Roman Empire)I went to relax, but could not with all the noise. I leave the place disappointed and a little angry. I am not like Rome at all.
Entry 10: 15BCE October 26th: After almost a month here in Rome, I find the place very displeasing. Not only was I almost killed in a fire, I was also forced to walk through waste in the streets. I could find no place to relax but my room. After experiencing this, I decide to leave the city for good. I did not enjoy this place as I thought I would. I leave today back to my hometown.
Works Cited
"A Timeline of Turkeys History." 29 March 2010. Country Facts. 12 March 2013.
Aldrete, Gregory S. "Sports & Games in the Roman Empire." 2013. ABC-CLIO. 23 March 2013.
—. "Urban & Rural Life in the Roman Empire." 2013. ABC-CLIO,. 25 March 2013.
Craig, et al. The Heritage of World Civilizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007.
"Raising the Ram." August 2011. History Today. 12 March 2013.
"The Colesseum." 14 December 2012. ABC CLIO. 12 March 2013.
"The Pantheon." 9 December 2012. Italy Guides. 12 March 2013.
I will be making this journey across the Mediterranean Sea by Roman warship in look for work. This ship that I will be traveling on was bought by a couple of local villagers. They use it for trade, and I am merely a passenger upon this vessel.
Entry 2: 15BCE October 11th: Today, I was examining the boat out of curiosity, and discovered a metal head piece at the head of the ship. After asking a person on board, I found out that it was ram. They are made out of bronze, and are used to crash into opposing ships, and destroy them. The attacking ship goes at full speed and is protected from the impact from the ram. I found this to be a very interesting piece of technology. (Raising the Ram)
Entry 3: 15BCE October 15th: At this moment, I am still aboard the ship. I am just outside of the port we will stop at. From this position, I am able to overlook Rome. Just from one glance at the city, I can tell that I will enjoy it greatly. From the port, I am able to see the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a temple dedicated to the worship of all Roman gods. It was built by Marcus Agrippa, one of Rome’s many emperors. (The Pantheon). I walk into the city and find lodging at an inn.
Entry 4: 15BCE October 16th: After five long days at sea, I arrive in Rome. I walk into the city and am amazed. The images on the structures are amazing. For example, on a statue of Augustus (the first emperor), I find several scenes depiction war, victory, and more (Craig, Graham and Kagan). I find a local inn and spend the night there. Tomorrow I plan to visit the Coliseum and watch a few chariot races.
Entry 5: 15BCE October 17th: I wake up in the morning feeling like a king. I gather my things and head off to the Coliseum. It is a mere 5 minute walk from the inn. When I get there, I am astonished by its size. It looks to be able to hold at least 50,000 people. At the northern section there are seats designated for the emperor and other high ranking people. I take a seat and watch the races. Each race takes approximately 15 minutes. (The Colesseum) I really think that Rome is a spectacular place to be living in!
Entry 6: 15BCE October 19th (Early morning): Today I awoke to the smell of smoke. I look outside my door to see flames crawling up it. I gather my belongings and crawl to the window. Luckily, I am only on the second floor of the inn. I jump onto a nearby building and make my way down. As I do so, the inn collapses, and I barely make it out without injury. A crowd gathers around the burning building, but I decide not to stick around. I decide to take my stuff over to another inn on the other side of town.
Entry 7: 15BCE October 19th (Evening): While walking to a new place to stay, I saw a couple of fires in the distance. After seeing many houses here and Rome, I think I know what may have caused the fires. I have seen that the people here cook over open flames. (Aldrete) With a hard gust of wind, sparks could travel all over the place. Another factor that might contribute to the fires here is the way people light places. They use oil lamps with a flame for lighting. (Aldrete)If knocked over, the flame could easily light the oil and start a fire.
Entry 8: 15BCE October 20th: As I was walking through the streets today, I noticed a vast amount of waste on the streets. I have seen some sewers, but I believe they were made more to provide drainage that to carry waste. (Aldrete) I have seen animal carcasses, bones, broken pots, garbage, and at times, human excrement. My opinion of this place has changed greatly. I no longer consider Rome a beautiful city. It is vile, and there are many hazards to the human population here.
Entry 9: 15BCE October 23th: Today, I decide to visit a public bath here in Rome. Despite their name, they are used for more than just bathing. I found that out today at my visit. At the baths, I was surprised to find a weight room. There, many men were lifting weights and doing exercises. I looked outside, and found men playing sports and doing other various activities. I noise was overwhelming. I could not tolerate the grunts and shouts of the people there. (Aldrete, Sports & Games in the Roman Empire)I went to relax, but could not with all the noise. I leave the place disappointed and a little angry. I am not like Rome at all.
Entry 10: 15BCE October 26th: After almost a month here in Rome, I find the place very displeasing. Not only was I almost killed in a fire, I was also forced to walk through waste in the streets. I could find no place to relax but my room. After experiencing this, I decide to leave the city for good. I did not enjoy this place as I thought I would. I leave today back to my hometown.
Works Cited
"A Timeline of Turkeys History." 29 March 2010. Country Facts. 12 March 2013.
Aldrete, Gregory S. "Sports & Games in the Roman Empire." 2013. ABC-CLIO. 23 March 2013.
—. "Urban & Rural Life in the Roman Empire." 2013. ABC-CLIO,. 25 March 2013.
Craig, et al. The Heritage of World Civilizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007.
"Raising the Ram." August 2011. History Today. 12 March 2013.
"The Colesseum." 14 December 2012. ABC CLIO. 12 March 2013.
"The Pantheon." 9 December 2012. Italy Guides. 12 March 2013.