Show 1 rome kome paying J J tribute ri bute to emperor who did things fame fanie of augustus celebrated in great exhibit washington D C naming the month of august for emperor au gustus was not enough for rome s first emperor the ruler rulers s fame now mow is being celebrated by a vast exhibit which is luring thousands of Ilta italians hans and tourists to a new 50 room building in rome s via na the exhibit contains a priceless collection of models and museum pieces recalling the golden age in which augustus reigned says the national geographic society two hundred scale models of dwellings amphitheaters triumphal arches baths bridges aqueducts and other structures like those of ancient rome are on display as well well as several thousand plaster er replicas of historic objects in bronze and marble now preserved in mu in europe and america the rome augustus ruled B C 27 A D 14 teemed with a million inhabitants its wealthy residents lived a social outdoor life strolling in white woolen togas through shad ed marble colonnades and gardens flecked with splashing fountains wealthy men were followed by crowds of friends and servants romans spent more time in public places than in their homes in the baths they met their friends at the circuses they watched chariot races and gladiatorial contests they made sacrifices to the gods in tem pies ples in the crowded forum they heard the orations of cicero and the latest news from the provinces and conducted the empire s business roman tenement houses one of the outstanding exhibits is a furnished replica of a wealthy roman s home such homes were usually one or two stories high built around a central hall like those in pompeii and many had private water supplies poorer classes lived herded to gether in tall tenement houses ally from four to seven stories high and obtained their water from pub lie lic fountains of flimsy con construe tion these buildings were the cause of frequent fires and often some of them collapsed dark unheated and uninviting they flanked narrow streets congested with donkeys horses and alanes rome was so noisy and crowded that wealthy cit eizens built country villas at pom pen and elsea elsewhere here augustus is said to have boasted that he found rome of brick and left it of marble he rebuilt nu berous temples and other buildings buildings still standing in modern rome are remains of the portico of octavia which he completed and nam named edJor for jus his sister nearby stands the ru med hied theater of marcellus finished by augustus and named for octa via s son rome has recently re constructed the altar of peace built by augustus to celebrate the re establishment of peace after his campaigns in gaul and spain in the year 2 B C he built an addi dional forum to commemorate the battle of philippi public works more important to his subjects than his memorials were the em derors s public works he drained the surrounding malarial country repaired the huge stone aqueducts that spanned it and built new ones he constructed good roads into the city wine wagons rolled over them as they do now into the capital poured corn from sicily and other commodities from sardinia africa and the east from egypt augus brought obelisks to adorn rome s public places and from at af rica wild beasts to be slaughtered hundreds at a time in the arena in an effort to reform rome the emperor organized a strong police system he also extended the boun danes daries of the roman empire in the forum he set up a golden mile stone from which distances were measured |