HUMANITY: Rome, and the death of a Man #5 [+Drawings]

We seek power, we build empires, we communicate, but the life of a man and his death will change the lives of millions, transform the destiny of an entire empire and change the lives of all of us ...

Jerusalem, year 33 AD.

A provincial city under Roman rule, with 100 years of occupation.

A man has been sentenced to death, today he will be executed. But his death will be the starting point of a world religion. Today a third of humanity venerates his name, Jesus of Nazareth.

Half a million people are in Jerusalem for Passover, the Jewish festival celebrating the exodus from Egypt. Among them are followers of Jesus, they believe that he is the messiah. But his teachings threaten peace and must therefore be crucified.

It is the special punishment of Rome to the pirates, slaves and enemies of the state.

In the crowd, a passerby, Simon of Cyrene. An ordinary man who was on the street and now is involved in this crucial moment of history.

Simon of Cyrene was only a man who was in Jerusalem and suddenly finds himself between this procession where a man carries a cross and is submitted by the Roman soldiers. Roman soldiers force him to carry the cross of Jesus.

It can take 3 days to die on a cross, blood loss, trauma, dehydration, suffocation. Crucifixions are so common that the Romans barely record the death of Jesus.

The followers of Jesus will tell their story and use the power of the Empire to spread their message.

Thousands of people died this way, but we only remember a man, we remember a single death as if it were the only one because that death changed every part, every place and every corner of the earth.

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A More than 2km from Jerusalem is the Imperial capital ...

Rome, AD 51.

It is the largest city on the planet, population of one million people. 18 years after the crucifixion a series of droughts create food shortages, Rome needs 200 thousand tons of grains a year or its people will starve. One in five people lives on public charity.

The ruler of Rome, the Emperor Claudius...

Physically weak and insecure, he is the most powerful man in the Western world.

As Emperor, Claudius is seen as a god, but still needs the support of his people to stay in power. For this he orders gifts for the poor but there is not enough bread for all, creating riots in the city.

The riots were part of life in Rome, it was a way for the people to send a message to the Emperor.

The former Emperor Caligula was killed, Claudius could be next. For the Emperor the best way to win over the people is to build.

To 13 km of the city develops one of the greatest projects of the Empire, a Monumental aqueduct. To bring water to the city, Roman engineers construct a road that crosses more than 70km of open field.

The aqueduct works with gravity, it must descend 30cm every 90m, if it is very steep the water overflows and if it is very flat the water does not circulate. The cost of the aqueduct is equivalent to 9 billion dollars, 10 times more than the Hoover dam.

The secret of Roman constructions, a new and revolutionary building material that is easy to mold and hardens like a rock, Concrete.

The secret ingredient of concrete is volcanic ash and Rome is surrounded by 50 volcanoes.

Everyone knows who built this beautiful Monument, the Emperor puts his name, Aqua Claudia "The Waters of Claudius".

It takes 14 years to build it, 400 thousand blocks of stones, 170 thousand m3 of concrete, the aqueduct carries almost one billion liters of water a day. Enough for 1300 fountains, 900 bathrooms and 144 public toilets.

Rome is the most modern city in the world, apartment buildings of 6 floors high, each for 380 residents. Under the streets, a wastewater system helps to carry 50,000 kilograms of waste per day. They have a police force, a fire brigade and a postal service, 30 libraries, 3 theaters and 80 temples. Rome is the first mega city in the world. The modern city of Rome was an Empire, it would spread throughout Europe and beyond, through conquest.

Year 61 d.C.

An amphibious force sails 1,300km from Rome, humanity extends its civilization by conquest. The Romans go to the northeastern border of Europe, in command, General Suetonio Paulino.

After ending a revolt in North Africa, his orders are to do the same but in Brittany.

For 20 years the Bretons have fought a war against the Roman occupation, the Bretons are expert horsemen, fierce warriors, they collect the heads of their enemies, the resistance is led by a mystical priestly class, the Druids.

They worship the sun, the moon and the forests. "Druid" means the one who knows the oak. Roman writers consider them barbarians and claim they are human sacrifice practitioners.

Rome has its eyes fixed on the precious materials of Brittany, in the depths of the subsoil is the primordial lead for the aqueducts. Iron, copper and tin for tools and weapons. And the money to finance the Roman armies.

More than 50% of Rome's expenditure is allocated to the military, the first full-time professional army of mankind. Each soldier is equipped with a "Gladius"...

A short sword made of steel, designed for melee combat.

A "Pilum"...

Una jabalina pesada de más de 2m y con una punta de metal mortal.

Un "Scutum"(Escudo)…

Constructed from strips of wood and lined with leather, for use in defense and attack.

And a strong iron armor...

The Roman soldier was well equipped for battle. While Paulino's men make contact with the Bretons the writer * Tacitus describes the scene:

"The druids raise their hands to the heavens, invoking the gods and casting horrible curses, our troops are astonished at such a spectacle."

But Paulino has been commander for 20 years, he knows he has the weapons to destroy the rebels. By the time Paulinus ends up in Britain, his men have killed some 80,000 people. The fortress of the rebels was destroyed and the Druids annihilated. Once the land is conquered the first priority is a network of roads.

The Roman soldier was a very versatile soldier, not only a combat machine, but also an engineer, an expert on track, a builder of bridges, so that a quick deployment of the Roman army could be made.

The Roman roads were 7m wide, all Roman roads connected Roman villages and the inhabitants of the conquered towns were citizens of the Empire. Paris, London, Barcelona, ​​built according to the same design, bathrooms, temples, squares and an amphitheater home to some of Rome's most popular sports, Gladiator Games.

There are 400 amphitheatres throughout the Empire, the largest with a capacity of 50 thousand spectators, the Roman Coliseum.

The entrance was free. According to their social class the spectators were in the stands that corresponded to them.

Many of the gladiators are slaves forced to fight, but others are free men seeking fame and glory.

The sweat of the gladiators is collected and sold as an aphrodisiac. A gladiator was like a rock star, could win the equivalent of 200 thousand dollars, but most die before the age of 33.

But the Romans did not know that on the other side of the world there was another empire just as big and powerful ...

To be continued…

Do not miss my next Post of this great series, where I will bring you more drawings and especially more history of humanity.

We are born to survive in a world full of dangers, we have impossible dreams that we realize.

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Greetings friends...

Source:
1 2 3[Book Prentice Hall Science]

I invite you to see the previous chapters of this great #serie-humanity, and let yourself be enveloped by this fantastic adventure.

HUMANITY
The Origin #1	The Origin #2	The Iron...#3	The Iron...#4