Homework 2 - Palentine Hill

She awakes as the sun streams through the window. There is clatter all around as the other slaves begin to rise and get to their chores. Today is different from other days because she has been assigned different task for the morning. She has been told to make the walk from the house on Palentine Hill to the market in the Forum. In her mind she laments the task. There are many other things that she should be doing to help her fellow slaves. Their master failed to tell them about the guests that were arriving that evening. Now they are under prepared and have to work very hard today to finish everything. She puts these thoughts out of her mind and focuses on the task at hand as she gets dressed and leaves the house. As she begins her walk she embraces the beauty that is the early morning. The clean crisp air and the bright yet still slightly amber light from the sun lights the white marble on the Basilicas in the distance. There is already a fair amount of activity in the Forum and the ambient noise level is rising as she gets closer to the center of activity. As she passes the Vesta and the Regia she finds herself feeling envious of the wealthy but realizes that nothing can change her circumstances so envy is a wasted emotion. Again she focuses the task at hand as she enters the Basilica Aemilia. She is met with a flourish of activity as her eyes adjust to the shaded area and she searches for the right merchants. She quickly locates and purchases the items she needs and walks back in to the sunlight on the Forum. As she begins her return trip to Palentine Hill she sees the Basilica Lulia and marvels at the height and scale of the building. For the rest of her walk she contemplates how people are capable of making such large beautiful buildings. She is awakened from her thoughts when she hears her fellow slave call to her, they then hurry back to the house together to begin their regularly scheduled chores.