By: Hope London, BGSU Roma Aeterna Summer 2023 Student

HIST 3445: Ancient Rome, taught by Dr. Casey Stark, focused on the rise, and fall of the Roman Empire while studying abroad in Italy. For three weeks, we were centrally located in Rome and had the opportunity to learn more about Ancient Rome while seeing the history first-hand. During my time in Rome, I was able to learn more about the geography, important landmarks, and the layout of the city. Throughout this time, I saw how almost every large location was interconnected to something else or the role of religion and the God(s). Tiber Island was a location that we visited twice and passed several times while walking to other places in Rome. This island is near Trastevere and connected to the mainland of Rome through two bridges: Ponte Fabricio and Ponte Cestio.  As we explored in our class, we learned more about how the original avoidance of the island drastically shifted during the plague of 293 BCE when  Tiber Island became a center of medicine and religion, associations that the island continues to hold today.