Categories
History Politics

Senate of Rome

illustration by Albert Uderzo

I know that it may be just a detail but whenever I see depictions of the Roman Senate in session (in movies, paintings etc) senators are seated in a semicircular fashion around an open space where the speaker stands and addresses the Senate. Uhm… Sorry. That’s actually wrong.

The spot in the Forum of the building that housed the Senate of Rome
The spot in the Forum of the building that housed the Senate of Rome

Senators’ seats -at least since J.Caesar’s time- were arranged in straight and parallel lines on either side of the interior of the Curia Julia (i.e the Senate House).

roman-senate-2

By George Kokkos

Born in Athens, I've studied Ancient History and Archaeology in Britain and in Greece. I've worked in excavations, as a translator, as a private tutor, and since 2010 I'm working with schools and universities from the US and Europe as an Educational Tourism Expert.
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An aspiring science popularizer and indefatigable lecturer in academic or tourism settings, my mastery is to make accessible complex and profound subject matter that can then be appreciated by an extremely broad audience.

I'm passionate about history, philosophy, and education for all. My main focus is the history of the ancient Athenian Democracy and her impact on modern-day republics. I've lectured extensively in schools, universities, and the European Commission Learning Center.

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