Roman Civilization (part 1)

Standard 6-2: The student will

demonstrate and

understanding of life in ancient

civilizations and their

contributions to the modern

world. Objective: 6-2.3-Describe the

development of Roman Civilization,

including language, government,

architecture, and engineering.

Latin- the Language of Romans

Is the basis of the “Romance Languages”: Italian,

Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian

Although English developed from Germanic

languages, much of our vocabulary was influenced

or comes directly from Latin:

Example: veto, curriculum

Latin terms are used extensively in the

fields of medicine, law, and science- every

species of plant and animal has a name in

Latin

The Center of an Empire

Rome was a city in central Italy, and it

ruled one of the word's greatest empire.

• 1000 BC- began as small

wooden huts

• Grew into a bustling city

• 200 BC Romans ruled

most of Italy

• Began invading

neighboring lands

• Empire stretched from

modern-day Scotland to

Turkey

The ForumCenter of Roman life

Location of the government and the marketplace

The rest of the city was filled with homes or flats

(like apartments), places of worship and leisure,

and sports areas

The ForumWas the government

district in the center of

Rome.

Capital City:

Rome

Over one million people

lived in Rome

By 300 BC- Rome was

the largest city in the

world

There was a distinct

division of labor among

the people

Classes of People

Citizens: could vote and serve in the army

Non-citizens: did not have these rights

Knights & Nobles: ran the government and were usually very rich

Patricians: wealthy citizens

Plebeians: ordinary people who were usually poor, but still citizens

Slaves: not citizens, had no rights, and were not allowed to leave their owners

Rome was a well protected

citySurrounded by a thick strong stone wall that kept

enemies out

Visitors had to enter the city through one of the 37

gates that were always well guarded by soldiers

and watchmen

City Life (Common

Person)

City Life (Wealthy)

Wealthy Romans had more than one home- one

in the city and one outside the city

a ‘villa urbana’- homes just outside the city (Urban)

a ‘Villa rustica’- big house surrounded by farmland

located in the countryside

Pools- but not for swimming

Most Roman homes had a pool- but they aren’t

for swimming

Built in the courtyards of large homes as

decorations

Surrounded by

plants and statues

Some had

fountains &

mosaics covering

the floor

Roman Mosaics

Ancient Heated Floors

Wealthy families built

under floor central

heating

Wood burning furnace

heated air that was

circulated through

channels built under

the floor of the house

Slaves chopped wood

and kept the fire

stoked

Under-floor

channels

Furnace

entrance

floor

Trajan’s MarketWorld’s first shopping mall

Contained over 150 shops

People haggled prices to get bargains

Most shops or market-stalls closed at noon

7 Facts about Roman

SchoolBoys had to learn how to speak well to grow up be great politicians & army leaders

Girls did not go to school- they stayed at home to learn how to take care of the home

Many of the best teachers were Greek slaves

Roman wrote a lot on thin slices of wood

Ink was made from soot, vinegar, & sticky tree gum

There were many libraries

Most read standing up- it was easier that way b/c of the long papyrus scrolls

Let’s Learn Latin!

Liber = book

Bibliotheca = library

Epistola = letter

Stylus =

writing

stick

Roman Factoid

The Romans invented a version of our Valentine’s

Day

On Lupercalia, boys would draw the name of a girl

from a hat. She was meant to be his girlfriend for that

year!

It is also known as the Wolf Festival, celebrated on

February 15th – to avert evil spirits and purify the city,

making it healthy and fertile again.

Roman Style- TogaRomans wore loose fitting robes that were not

sewn together.

They wee draped dover the body and pinned in

place with brooches, pins, or belts

Toga

colobium

Women’s

Advances in Architecture

New Building materials:

They discovered concrete

Made clay bricks baked at high temperatures

Created arches to make tall, strong walls and

doorways

Also made huge domes for buildings that were

too big for a traditional roof with wood beams

Amazing Aqueducts

How did they work: water was carried by pipes to

public fountains, bath houses, and wealthy

people’s homes

198 million gallons of fresh water went to Rome

each day through the aqueducts

It was so advanced that no one came up with a

better idea until the 1800s with the pump

The word plumber comes from the Latin word

“plumbum”- meaning to make water pipes

7 Wonders of the Ancient

World

Public Bath House

A large building was dedicated for bathing

a network of pipes brought clean water into the city and flushed

out the dirty- much like our modern sewer systems do

Romans would bath once each 9 days

Five stage to taking a bath:

1. Disrobe then to the steam room

2. Hot, dry room where a slave removed all of the sweat and dirt

from their skin using a metal scraper and some olive oil

3. They cooled off in a tepid pool

(lukewarm temperature)

4. Finally they finished by jumping into a freezing

cold pool of water… BRRRRrrrrrr!

12 Facts about Bath

HousesThere were hot, warm and cold baths

Water was heated by a boiler over a fire

The hot room was called the “caldarium”

The cold room was called the “frigidarium”

Men and women used separate bath houses

The floor might be covered with a mosaic

You had to pay to use the baths

You could buy refreshments at the baths

People did weight lifting at the baths

Public slaves could give you a massage

There was no soap so people used oil instead

Sticks called “strigils” were used to scrape dirt off the body

http://www.historyonthenet.com/romans/bath_house.htm

Time for fun

Much like the Greeks, the Romans enjoyed having fun

They like to dance and play music on pipes, flutes, cymbals,

castanets and horns

Wealthy Romans preferred the soft sound of the lyre with singers and

poets

Romans preferred comedies over the Greek tragedies

Plays began as parts of religious festivals that reenacted myths an

legends

The mimicked the large Greek theatres

Their actors also wore masks with huge

emotional expressions on them so the audience

could tell the mood the character was in

They also played skilled games of chance such

as: Draughts, dice & knucklebones

The Coliseum

The Coliseum

One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World

Known as the Flavian Amphitheatre

Huge oval arena in the center of Rome built of

stone, concrete and marble

Has 80 separate entrances & seats 50,000 people

Outside decorated with lavish statues of Roman

heroes

Used for chariot races, Gladiator fights and mock

sea-battles

Video: Drive Thru History: Rome (6:12)

Roman Roads

The Romans were the first people to build paved roads that

would be able to be used in all types of weather. They built

their roads so that they were higher in the middle than at the

edges. This meant that when it rained the rain would run off

the sides of the roads. They often put a drainage system

alongside the roads to catch the water as it ran off.

Traveling on Roman

RoadsWealthy Romans were carried by a litter of 6 to 8 men or pulled

by mules

Poorer travelers walked or rode in small groups for safety.

Messengers (who traveled alone) would ride in light carriages

similar to a chariot and go fast down the road.

Danger on Roads

Travel was dangerous, especially at night

Roadside inns offered a place to eat and rest,

but often times dangerous as well

Fights would break out and sometimes people

were robbed or murdered

Travelers preferred to stay with

family or trusted friends or friends

of friends for this reason

A story

written by

Virgil that

records

Rome’s

glorious

founding. 3:09 min

The Legend of

Romulus and Remus

3:06 min

Rome the Republic

There were 6 cruel kings after Romulus

After the overthrow of King Tarquin the Proud

in 509 BC, Rome became a Republic

Republic: a country without a king who is

governed by its people

Every year Rome elected two senior

lawyers called consuls to head the

government.

The Republic lasted for over 400 years

In the Time of the

RepublicPeople were divided into social classes:

Patricians, Plebeians, and slaves

Citizens of Rome (Patricians & Plebeians)

met in the Assembly and voted for consuls,

tribunes and magistrates

Women and slaves were not allowed in the

Assembly and could not vote

Roman Society

Patricians

• Wealthy powerful citizens

• Nobles

• Small minority of the population

• Once controlled all of government

• After 218 BC, not allowed to participate in trade or commerce

Plebeians

• Common people

• Peasants, craftsmen, traders, other workers

• Majority of population

• Gained right to participate in government

• Only Romans who could be traders, so many became wealthy

Consuls

Two consuls elected to

serve for one year

They governed Rome and

controlled the military

Both had to agree on all

decisions

They had to wait ten years

before being elected as

Consul again

Magistrates

Many magistrates were

elected

Their job to keep law and

order as well as manage

Rome’s financial affairs

When they retired they

became senators and

attended the Senate

Tribunes

Tribunes were elected

to represent the

common man, or

Plebeians

They made sure that

the people were being

treated fairly

Senate/ Senators

Senators went to the Senate to discuss

important government issues

They were retired magistrates who knew a lot

bout the government of Rome

Their job was to give advice to the two

Consuls

When Rome had an Emperor they gave

advice to him

Your Elected Officials

The Roman Government had three levels just like our

government. What are some of the titles of our officials

for each?

Federal State Local

President

Senator

Congressperson

Governor

State senator

State Representative

Mayor

City Council

Member

Sheriff

Checks & Balances

A method of balancing power

To offset checks & balances, the people could elect a dictator to

rule Rome for a short period of time during times of emergencies

Rome’s most famous dictator was Cincinnatus:

• Farmer who gained power in 458 BC was

chosen by the Roman citizens to led the army

against a large enemy army who had continued

to try and invade Rome. He quickly defeated

the enemy and was back working his farm 6

months before his term would end as dictator.

Challenges to the Republic

Challenges from the

Outside

Challenges from the Inside

Many wars

with other

peoples of

the region

Plebeians

calling for

change in the

government

and forming

their own

council Use textbook pages 298-299 to answer the above questions

Codification of Law

Similar to Hammurabi's Code

450 BC- Rome’s first written law codes were

carved into 12 bronze tablets

Displayed in the Forum for all to see and abide

by the laws

Called the “Law of the Twelve Tables”

These original written laws were seen as the

symbol of Roman law and the rights of Roman

citizens.

Primary Source:

• Read Law of the Twelve Tables on Textbook page 305

• With your partner, answer: “how are these laws similar to

and different from our laws today?”

Critical Thinking OrganizerAnalyzing your notes on roman government, use this

diagram to list information about the powers of the

parts of Rome’s government:

Magistrate

Senate Assemblies

& Tribunes