He woke up to the sunlight peering through his master’s two-story stone house on the Palatine Hill. He prepared his belongings in order to go to the market before the rest of his family awakens. As he left to join the other slaves heading down the slope of the hill, he looked out on the horizon of the Tiber River and the reflection of the sun glistening against it thinking about what was happening in the Forum Boarium.
As he entered the Forum Boarium, he decided to stop in front of the Temple of Vesta. He muttered a quick prayer in front of the simple yet majestic marble building with all its tall columns. After his prayer for a successful morning, he past the regia where the king lived fantasizing about what freedom and riches would be like. He ventured further into the Forum Boarium to the basilica where he was ready to make some deals so that he would not get scolded when he returned home. But it was no ordinary day in the Basilica Aemilia.
He saw many people flock toward the entrance of the basilica. He joined the crowed and saw a runaway slave facing a court of men — a site that was rare yet exciting to see. He looked in horror as a sentence of death was passed on him. Afterward, he pressed on to the clamoring merchants for goods he needed for his master’s house. -Jordanne Pascual
