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Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome
Written by students of The Hornets' Nest (Team 7-3) at Hedrick Middle School
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. The Seven Hills
II. The Etruscans III. Government IV. Worshipping the Gods V. Marriage and Home Life VI. Children and Education VII. Togas and Tunics VIII. Staying Healthy IX. Food and Feasts X. City Life XI. Country Life XII. Craft Skills XIII. Architecture and Engineering |
XIV. Writers and Thinkers
XV. Spectator Sports XVI. Traders at Home and Abroad XVII. On the March XVIII. Roads and Travel XIX. Discovering Ancient Rome XX. Tributes to the Emperors XXI. Growing Empire XXII. The Beginnings of Christianity XXIII. Empire in Decline XXIV. The End of the Western Empire XXV. Eastern Empire XXVI. Ancient Roman Influences on the United States |
I. Seven Hills of Rome
The Seven Hills of Rome are: Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Capitoline Hill, Esquiline Hill, Palatine Hill, Quirinal Hill, and Viminalis Hill. Rome was said to be founded in 753 B.C. by twin brothers Romulus and Remus. They were found and raised by a she-wolf. When the twins were old enough they went back to the city, and Romulus killed his brother Remus to be king. The original city of Rome was founded by Romulus on Palatine Hill.
The Aventine Hill is the southernmost hill of Rome. The Aventine Hill is quiet and largely residential with sites of historical interest, such as the ancient Basilicas. There are ancient churches of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. The marshes were drained and transformed into a port and cattle market. The riverside of the hill was dedicated to storage.
The Caelian hill is one of the most famous seven hills or Rome. This hill was, and still is, divided into two sections by and aqueduct called the Via Claudia. The lower eastern slopes have narrow streets leading uphill. The western part is very unusual and interesting, and has seemed to develop not a lot since the early middle ages.
The Capitoline Hill was the center of the political, social, and religious life of Rome; it was also the most sacred hill. One of the largest temples in the city was constructed by Rome’s last king, Lucius Tarquinius. The great Temple to Jupiter and Capitoline Triad was one of the most beautiful temples in the city. Political criminals were murdered by being thrown off of the edge of a steep crest down to the sharp Tarpeian Rocks.
The Esquiline Hill had a walled city on it since at least the 700’s BCE. Many very ancient churches which are found on the Esquiline hill stand on the remains of ancient Roman houses. Until Christianity was legalized in ancient Rome, the followers of Jesus and St. Paul would meet in secret at each other’s houses. Churches were later built over the more important meeting places.
The Palatine Hill is the most famous of the seven hills. It is located between attractions such as the Circus Maximus, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. This hill is the hill of Romulus. Walled villages and tombs were found there. The temple of Magna Mater is located on the Palatine hill.
The Quirinal Hill is the highest of the original seven hills of Rome the hill was abandoned after the fall or the empire in the 16th Century then powerful families began to build their palaces on it. The Quirinal Hill still today also has its fair share of imposing Roman remains, particularly Diocletian’s thermal bath.
The Viminalis Hill this hill is the smallest of all seven hills and was the last one added in earlier time the hill was flat topped, steep, and weathered spur Viminal was named for the predence of Jupiter and people that lived there resided in insulae. The Viminalis was the least important and had very few monuments.
Today in Rome all seven hills remain and people visit these amazing hills in Rome all the time. All seven hills over look the city of Rome and the amazing scenery and all of what Rome has to offer, its monuments and amazing land marks. The seven hills are a mark in our history still today.
Works Cited
"Mariamilani" March 29, 2011. http://www.mariamilani.com/rome_italy/rome_esquiline.htm
"Aviewoncities" March 29, 2011. http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/palatine/hill.htm
"Sacred-destinations" March 29, 2011. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-capitoline-museums
"Answers" March 29, 2011. http://www.answers.com/topic/seven-hills-of-rome
By Avery, Kari, Kelsey, Jordan, Savannah, Ursula, and Zoe
March 30, 2011
The Aventine Hill is the southernmost hill of Rome. The Aventine Hill is quiet and largely residential with sites of historical interest, such as the ancient Basilicas. There are ancient churches of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. The marshes were drained and transformed into a port and cattle market. The riverside of the hill was dedicated to storage.
The Caelian hill is one of the most famous seven hills or Rome. This hill was, and still is, divided into two sections by and aqueduct called the Via Claudia. The lower eastern slopes have narrow streets leading uphill. The western part is very unusual and interesting, and has seemed to develop not a lot since the early middle ages.
The Capitoline Hill was the center of the political, social, and religious life of Rome; it was also the most sacred hill. One of the largest temples in the city was constructed by Rome’s last king, Lucius Tarquinius. The great Temple to Jupiter and Capitoline Triad was one of the most beautiful temples in the city. Political criminals were murdered by being thrown off of the edge of a steep crest down to the sharp Tarpeian Rocks.
The Esquiline Hill had a walled city on it since at least the 700’s BCE. Many very ancient churches which are found on the Esquiline hill stand on the remains of ancient Roman houses. Until Christianity was legalized in ancient Rome, the followers of Jesus and St. Paul would meet in secret at each other’s houses. Churches were later built over the more important meeting places.
The Palatine Hill is the most famous of the seven hills. It is located between attractions such as the Circus Maximus, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. This hill is the hill of Romulus. Walled villages and tombs were found there. The temple of Magna Mater is located on the Palatine hill.
The Quirinal Hill is the highest of the original seven hills of Rome the hill was abandoned after the fall or the empire in the 16th Century then powerful families began to build their palaces on it. The Quirinal Hill still today also has its fair share of imposing Roman remains, particularly Diocletian’s thermal bath.
The Viminalis Hill this hill is the smallest of all seven hills and was the last one added in earlier time the hill was flat topped, steep, and weathered spur Viminal was named for the predence of Jupiter and people that lived there resided in insulae. The Viminalis was the least important and had very few monuments.
Today in Rome all seven hills remain and people visit these amazing hills in Rome all the time. All seven hills over look the city of Rome and the amazing scenery and all of what Rome has to offer, its monuments and amazing land marks. The seven hills are a mark in our history still today.
Works Cited
"Mariamilani" March 29, 2011. http://www.mariamilani.com/rome_italy/rome_esquiline.htm
"Aviewoncities" March 29, 2011. http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/palatine/hill.htm
"Sacred-destinations" March 29, 2011. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-capitoline-museums
"Answers" March 29, 2011. http://www.answers.com/topic/seven-hills-of-rome
By Avery, Kari, Kelsey, Jordan, Savannah, Ursula, and Zoe
March 30, 2011
II. The Etruscans
The Etruscans lived around 700 B.C. In the 7th century B.C. the Etruscans formed twelve states in their part of Italy. The Etruscans were the ancestors of the people who came to be the Romans.
The Etruscans were influenced by the Greeks and the Phoenicians. Etruscans built big stone temples and put big statues of their gods in the temples. One of the gods had two faces one face looking back in time one looking forward.
Etruscans had a monarchy, with one king. The Etruscans lived in independent fortified city-states; these city-states would form small confederacies. While Etruscans were busy building their power over Italy and engaging in active commerce with the East and with Africa, a city to their south began to grow quickly, a city imitating Etruscans in many ways – the Roman kingdom.
Somewhere between 900 and 800 B.C. the Italian peninsula was settled by a mysterious people, called the Etruscans.
Works Cited
“The Etruscans”. “Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History”. 2002. Print.
Article by: Kayleb, Gabe, Mason, Daniel, Brandon, and Joey
April 5, 2011
The Etruscans were influenced by the Greeks and the Phoenicians. Etruscans built big stone temples and put big statues of their gods in the temples. One of the gods had two faces one face looking back in time one looking forward.
Etruscans had a monarchy, with one king. The Etruscans lived in independent fortified city-states; these city-states would form small confederacies. While Etruscans were busy building their power over Italy and engaging in active commerce with the East and with Africa, a city to their south began to grow quickly, a city imitating Etruscans in many ways – the Roman kingdom.
Somewhere between 900 and 800 B.C. the Italian peninsula was settled by a mysterious people, called the Etruscans.
Works Cited
“The Etruscans”. “Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History”. 2002. Print.
Article by: Kayleb, Gabe, Mason, Daniel, Brandon, and Joey
April 5, 2011
III. Roman Government
The Roman Empire lasted from approximately 750 B.C. to 1500 A.D. For the first 250 years of that period, Rome was ruled by a series of kings. Around 500 B.C., Rome got rid of their kings when a group of citizens decided to form a government similar to what was found in Greece. The people felt that kings had too much power and wealth. Kings also had complete control over decisions that were made, therefore there were never any negotiations about important decisions that affected the lives of all Romans.
The new government was set up to allow for a fair and equal leadership. The Roman people agreed to have two people (called consuls) share the power. The consuls controlled the military, the making of laws and how much to tax the citizens. Laws were one of the biggest parts of the government, which had a massive effect on how Rome worked. The Roman government came up with the idea of “veto” which in Latin means “I forbid”. The veto was used to deny the passing of laws and is still in use today in our government.
Although the Roman Consuls had a lot of power, they did not have complete control of Rome. There was also a group called the Senate, which worked like a council. The senators did not have as much power as the consuls, but they helped make decisions for what the consuls were supposed to do. The Senate was originally made up of wealthy Romans, called Patricians. Women were not allowed to be consuls or senators. Later, the lower class Romans, called Plebeians, were allowed to be part of the Senate, although still separate from the Patricians. The tribunes, as they were called, gave the commoners a say in the government. Even though there were in the Senate, as they were Plebs, they did not have as much power as the Patricians.
Rome began conquering tribes and groups of people in and around what is now Italy. They became one of the strongest governments in southern Europe(and later, the world). As they conquered, they needed leaders to be in charge of those areas. They came up with a system of governors to do this.
Rome’s military was one of the biggest world powers of its time. Generals were in charge of armies going into battle. One general, Julius Caesar, was not satisfied with the normal powers given to generals. He wanted more. He eventually took control over Rome by getting control of the government. He wasn’t cautious enough about the feelings of the senators, so in the end he was murdered by the thirteen senators on the Ides of March (March 15th). After his death, Rome once again was ruled by a single person, up until the fall of the Roman Empire.
Works Cited
Carr, Dr. Karen. “Roman Government.” Kidipede. Web. 15 March 2011. http://historyforkids.org/learn/romans/government/index.htm
“Roman Government.” Roman Empire & Colosseum. Web. 21 March 2011.
http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-life/roman-government.htm
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Ph.D. and National Geographic Society. Journey Across Time: The Early Ages.
Columbus, OH: Glencoe/McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
Written by: Dylan, Aaron, Madden, Robert, Hegan, and Kylar
March 29, 2011
The new government was set up to allow for a fair and equal leadership. The Roman people agreed to have two people (called consuls) share the power. The consuls controlled the military, the making of laws and how much to tax the citizens. Laws were one of the biggest parts of the government, which had a massive effect on how Rome worked. The Roman government came up with the idea of “veto” which in Latin means “I forbid”. The veto was used to deny the passing of laws and is still in use today in our government.
Although the Roman Consuls had a lot of power, they did not have complete control of Rome. There was also a group called the Senate, which worked like a council. The senators did not have as much power as the consuls, but they helped make decisions for what the consuls were supposed to do. The Senate was originally made up of wealthy Romans, called Patricians. Women were not allowed to be consuls or senators. Later, the lower class Romans, called Plebeians, were allowed to be part of the Senate, although still separate from the Patricians. The tribunes, as they were called, gave the commoners a say in the government. Even though there were in the Senate, as they were Plebs, they did not have as much power as the Patricians.
Rome began conquering tribes and groups of people in and around what is now Italy. They became one of the strongest governments in southern Europe(and later, the world). As they conquered, they needed leaders to be in charge of those areas. They came up with a system of governors to do this.
Rome’s military was one of the biggest world powers of its time. Generals were in charge of armies going into battle. One general, Julius Caesar, was not satisfied with the normal powers given to generals. He wanted more. He eventually took control over Rome by getting control of the government. He wasn’t cautious enough about the feelings of the senators, so in the end he was murdered by the thirteen senators on the Ides of March (March 15th). After his death, Rome once again was ruled by a single person, up until the fall of the Roman Empire.
Works Cited
Carr, Dr. Karen. “Roman Government.” Kidipede. Web. 15 March 2011. http://historyforkids.org/learn/romans/government/index.htm
“Roman Government.” Roman Empire & Colosseum. Web. 21 March 2011.
http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-life/roman-government.htm
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Ph.D. and National Geographic Society. Journey Across Time: The Early Ages.
Columbus, OH: Glencoe/McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
Written by: Dylan, Aaron, Madden, Robert, Hegan, and Kylar
March 29, 2011
IV. Worshipping the Gods and Goddesses
The Romans were polytheistic and – later on – monotheistic. The Romans adopted the polytheistic idea from the Greeks, keeping most of their religion and their gods, but they changed a majority of the god’s names. Rome’s government accepted the monotheistic religion of Christianity in the A.D. 300’s.
During the Punic Wars, Romans took more than just Greece’s land and people, they also took their religion, and they adjusted their religion to Rome’s life and changed the god’s names. The roles of the gods and some of their stories also stayed. Zeus became Jupiter. Zeus and Jupiter’s role of being chief god and the stories of how when they got angry, they sent lightning bolts down from the sky stayed the same.
Like the Greeks, the Roman religion believed in numerous gods, goddesses, demigods, and spirits. Each god had their own powers of the world; some had powers that controlled parts of the world. Storms, earthquakes, and other natural disasters were believed to be the gods way of expressing their anger. Romans believed everything living and non-living had their own spirit.
There were over one hundred Roman gods and goddesses and each one had at least one temple dedicated to them throughout Rome. Priests took care of the temples, since they were the only ones allowed inside. Others were allowed in adjoining buildings to worship.
When people wanted to thank the gods, they would bring food, wine, perfumes, sacrificial animals, and other gifts to the temple. Priests would take sacrificial animals which had to have no physical problems or defects – because it had to be worthy – and would bleed out the animals for the god in the temple. Priests would pray to the god statues and cover them with perfumes. Romans believed that if the gods were happy then they would bring you good luck, so they often gave gifts.
The Romans were so superstitious that each home had an altar that was dedicated to that’s special to the family. The head of the household was in charge of the family’s rituals. The Romans had small wax statues that represented their god.
Religion was a huge part in Ancient Rome and affected the people of Rome. There are probably more gods and goddesses that we still don’t know of today. There are religions today that worship their own gods and spirits as they did. With all the gods, goddesses, and beliefs that came with them, the Roman religion is still a fascinating topic.
Works Cited
“Gods and Goddesses.” library.thinkquest.org. Web. 11 Mar. 2011.
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/gods.htm
Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History Journey Across Time The Early Ages. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
“Paganism; Past and Present”. Library.thinkquest.org. Web 24 Mar. 2011.
http://library.thinkquest.org/28111/newpage1.htm.
“Worshipping the Gods. “Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History”. 2002. Print.
Article by Kaleigh, Taylor, Leslie, Claralynn, Kira, and Kenzie
March 30, 2011
During the Punic Wars, Romans took more than just Greece’s land and people, they also took their religion, and they adjusted their religion to Rome’s life and changed the god’s names. The roles of the gods and some of their stories also stayed. Zeus became Jupiter. Zeus and Jupiter’s role of being chief god and the stories of how when they got angry, they sent lightning bolts down from the sky stayed the same.
Like the Greeks, the Roman religion believed in numerous gods, goddesses, demigods, and spirits. Each god had their own powers of the world; some had powers that controlled parts of the world. Storms, earthquakes, and other natural disasters were believed to be the gods way of expressing their anger. Romans believed everything living and non-living had their own spirit.
There were over one hundred Roman gods and goddesses and each one had at least one temple dedicated to them throughout Rome. Priests took care of the temples, since they were the only ones allowed inside. Others were allowed in adjoining buildings to worship.
When people wanted to thank the gods, they would bring food, wine, perfumes, sacrificial animals, and other gifts to the temple. Priests would take sacrificial animals which had to have no physical problems or defects – because it had to be worthy – and would bleed out the animals for the god in the temple. Priests would pray to the god statues and cover them with perfumes. Romans believed that if the gods were happy then they would bring you good luck, so they often gave gifts.
The Romans were so superstitious that each home had an altar that was dedicated to that’s special to the family. The head of the household was in charge of the family’s rituals. The Romans had small wax statues that represented their god.
Religion was a huge part in Ancient Rome and affected the people of Rome. There are probably more gods and goddesses that we still don’t know of today. There are religions today that worship their own gods and spirits as they did. With all the gods, goddesses, and beliefs that came with them, the Roman religion is still a fascinating topic.
Works Cited
“Gods and Goddesses.” library.thinkquest.org. Web. 11 Mar. 2011.
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/gods.htm
Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History Journey Across Time The Early Ages. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
“Paganism; Past and Present”. Library.thinkquest.org. Web 24 Mar. 2011.
http://library.thinkquest.org/28111/newpage1.htm.
“Worshipping the Gods. “Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History”. 2002. Print.
Article by Kaleigh, Taylor, Leslie, Claralynn, Kira, and Kenzie
March 30, 2011
V. Marriage and Home Life
Ancient Rome is known for its amazing accomplishments, architecture, and its modern day life, but this article is about how they married and how their homelife was a part of their everyday life. Marriage and home life played a very important role in ancient Rome society. We will be informing you about marriage laws, marriage ceremonies, life after marriage, slaves, families, and much more.
The oldest man in the household was considered as the pater familias. He had the power to arrange his children’s marriages, make all the decisions, and even execute his own family members and slaves. The wife of the pater familias could not leave her husband. Later on in the empire it became legal for the spouse to leave their partner.
Women of upper class married fairly young, around the age of at least twelve. Yet, girls of lower class, or plebians, married in their late teens and early twenties. Women rarely married after the age of thirty. Boys had to be at least fourteen. When women married they often wore a metal ring on the ring finger of their left hand. For the marriage ceremony, women wore a white tunic, a saffron veil, and a marjoram head wreath. Priests studied the inside of deceased animals looking for signs of good fortune for the couple. Many couples also wanted to be married in the second part of July because that was considered to be a lucky time. To make a marriage final a ceremony was not needed, but a marriage was not final until the wife lived with her husband for a full year. There were two different types of marriages, one for plebians and the other for patricians.
When a woman married, she left her childhood home and the authority of her father. She would also enter the home of her husband. Her new husband had most of the power and control in the marriage. Even though women never became full citizens, they had the power to hire slaves, shop, cook, clean, and raise the kids. Widows could own property and some became priestesses, shop keepers, hairdressers, and doctors. Widows could also arrange marriages. Rich women entertained themselves by sitting on a wooden stool playing music. Slaves also played music with the women to entertain the mistress.
Slaves played a very important role in ancient Roman households. They cared for the children and did most of the housework and chores. Women slaves were under the control of their predatory masters. Women very much disliked this, but the law sided with the men. The slaves sadly had to act as a mistress to their master. If a child was born from the slave, it was now a slave. If the father was her master, he could free the child from slavery. Although, he could not adopt or acknowledge that the child was his. Slaves could not legally marry, although many masters permitted slaves to pair up and have offspring to increase their number of slaves. Families of slaves could be split if the master wanted to sell part of the family.
Home life in Ancient Rome was considered to be unique. For entertainment, Romans would participate in feasts, public lectures, literary sets, circus games, and sports. The birth of a child was one of the most important events in a family’s life together. After the child was born, he or she was presented to its father. If the father picked up the baby, it meant that he thought the child was legitimate. When the child was ten days old, it would be named. The child was given two names. Children started their education at age seven.
Domestic abuse was not allowed by a husband to his wife. Even though there was a law against domestic abuse, people would still do it. Royal people were allowed to use domestic abuse. They went as far as killing people. Nero was the worst of all when it came to this. He had his first wife/stepsister murdered after torturing her. Soon after, he married his pregnant mistress Poppaea Sabina who he literally kicked to death because she criticized him while she was pregnant.
A woman or man could divorce their spouse. If a couple got a divorce, the wife could prove that the husband was worthless. If she couldn’t, then the husband could keep the children. The first man to divorce his wife was Spurius Carvilius. It was legal for divorced couples to remarry, or for a divorced woman or man to marry different people.
We hope that the information we have given has helped you learn a little bit more about marriage and home life in ancient Rome. Such as, what age the women got married, the upper and lower classes of women, slaves, divorce, and what they did for entertainment. If you would like to learn more about our topic, you can click on our hyperlinks, or refer to our works cited to find the books and websites we used.
Works Cited
Mirza, Sumair and Jason Tsang.“Rome Exposed-Marriage and, Customs and Roman Women.” Web 2011. http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel
Powers, Jennifer Goodall. “Roman Weddings.” Ancient Weddings. Web, 1997 http://www.ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/ancientweddings.html
Thompson, James C. “Woman and Slavery in Ancient Rome.” Women in the ancient World. Web, July 2010
http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/women%20and%20slavery%20in%20ancient%20rome.htm
“Daily Life in Ancient Rome.” Ancient Rome. Web, 2 Nov 2010
http://www.ancient-rome.biz/daily-life.html
“Marriage and Home Life.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print
“Marriage in Ancient Rome.” Wikipedia. Web, 24 Mar 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_in_ancient_Rome
Mirza, Sumair and Jason Tsang.“Rome Exposed-Marriage and, Customs and Roman Women.” Web 2011
http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel
“Women in Ancient Rome.” Wikipedia. Web. 24 Mar 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Ancient_Rome
Article written by: Abigail, Alyssa, Cassandra, Emily, Lindsey, and Sydney
March 27, 2011
The oldest man in the household was considered as the pater familias. He had the power to arrange his children’s marriages, make all the decisions, and even execute his own family members and slaves. The wife of the pater familias could not leave her husband. Later on in the empire it became legal for the spouse to leave their partner.
Women of upper class married fairly young, around the age of at least twelve. Yet, girls of lower class, or plebians, married in their late teens and early twenties. Women rarely married after the age of thirty. Boys had to be at least fourteen. When women married they often wore a metal ring on the ring finger of their left hand. For the marriage ceremony, women wore a white tunic, a saffron veil, and a marjoram head wreath. Priests studied the inside of deceased animals looking for signs of good fortune for the couple. Many couples also wanted to be married in the second part of July because that was considered to be a lucky time. To make a marriage final a ceremony was not needed, but a marriage was not final until the wife lived with her husband for a full year. There were two different types of marriages, one for plebians and the other for patricians.
When a woman married, she left her childhood home and the authority of her father. She would also enter the home of her husband. Her new husband had most of the power and control in the marriage. Even though women never became full citizens, they had the power to hire slaves, shop, cook, clean, and raise the kids. Widows could own property and some became priestesses, shop keepers, hairdressers, and doctors. Widows could also arrange marriages. Rich women entertained themselves by sitting on a wooden stool playing music. Slaves also played music with the women to entertain the mistress.
Slaves played a very important role in ancient Roman households. They cared for the children and did most of the housework and chores. Women slaves were under the control of their predatory masters. Women very much disliked this, but the law sided with the men. The slaves sadly had to act as a mistress to their master. If a child was born from the slave, it was now a slave. If the father was her master, he could free the child from slavery. Although, he could not adopt or acknowledge that the child was his. Slaves could not legally marry, although many masters permitted slaves to pair up and have offspring to increase their number of slaves. Families of slaves could be split if the master wanted to sell part of the family.
Home life in Ancient Rome was considered to be unique. For entertainment, Romans would participate in feasts, public lectures, literary sets, circus games, and sports. The birth of a child was one of the most important events in a family’s life together. After the child was born, he or she was presented to its father. If the father picked up the baby, it meant that he thought the child was legitimate. When the child was ten days old, it would be named. The child was given two names. Children started their education at age seven.
Domestic abuse was not allowed by a husband to his wife. Even though there was a law against domestic abuse, people would still do it. Royal people were allowed to use domestic abuse. They went as far as killing people. Nero was the worst of all when it came to this. He had his first wife/stepsister murdered after torturing her. Soon after, he married his pregnant mistress Poppaea Sabina who he literally kicked to death because she criticized him while she was pregnant.
A woman or man could divorce their spouse. If a couple got a divorce, the wife could prove that the husband was worthless. If she couldn’t, then the husband could keep the children. The first man to divorce his wife was Spurius Carvilius. It was legal for divorced couples to remarry, or for a divorced woman or man to marry different people.
We hope that the information we have given has helped you learn a little bit more about marriage and home life in ancient Rome. Such as, what age the women got married, the upper and lower classes of women, slaves, divorce, and what they did for entertainment. If you would like to learn more about our topic, you can click on our hyperlinks, or refer to our works cited to find the books and websites we used.
Works Cited
Mirza, Sumair and Jason Tsang.“Rome Exposed-Marriage and, Customs and Roman Women.” Web 2011. http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel
Powers, Jennifer Goodall. “Roman Weddings.” Ancient Weddings. Web, 1997 http://www.ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/ancientweddings.html
Thompson, James C. “Woman and Slavery in Ancient Rome.” Women in the ancient World. Web, July 2010
http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/women%20and%20slavery%20in%20ancient%20rome.htm
“Daily Life in Ancient Rome.” Ancient Rome. Web, 2 Nov 2010
http://www.ancient-rome.biz/daily-life.html
“Marriage and Home Life.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print
“Marriage in Ancient Rome.” Wikipedia. Web, 24 Mar 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_in_ancient_Rome
Mirza, Sumair and Jason Tsang.“Rome Exposed-Marriage and, Customs and Roman Women.” Web 2011
http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel
“Women in Ancient Rome.” Wikipedia. Web. 24 Mar 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Ancient_Rome
Article written by: Abigail, Alyssa, Cassandra, Emily, Lindsey, and Sydney
March 27, 2011
VI. Children and Education
Education was a very big deal in Ancient Rome. Only rich children went to school. Poor children had to work. Schools were not free in Ancient Rome. Poor families had to pay the tuition. A poor child in Ancient Rome was mostly taught by his or her parents.
In the early republic parents taught their children the skills that they needed to know in this time period. Most importantly there was moral and civil responsibilities that the citizens of the republic would be expected to know.
The first school house in Ancient Rome was built in the middle of the 4th century BC. Schools were called Ludi; the name was given from the Latin word “play”. Normally, both boys and girls were separately educated. Roman students were taught similar to Greek students, sometimes by Greeks who love to teach. Roman students wanted to pursue the highest levels of education went to Greece to study philosophy, as the Romans created law and gravitas. The educator Quintilian was known for the importance of staring education as early as possible, nothing that “memory not only exists even in small children, but is specially retentive at that age”.
The Romans began to bring Greek slaves to Rome to give their children more knowledge. It was common for Roman children from rich families to get their education from a private tutor. Roman students were expected to work on their own not with groups. About 200BC, Romans borrowed some of the ideas from the Greek education. Boys and some girls, with their father’s permission, had to go to school outside home at the ages of 6 or 7. Between the ages of 9 and 12 years of age, boys from affluent families would have to leave their litterator behind and take up study with a Grammaticus.
Girls from that same age rich or poor would be working on making themselves attractive brides, subsequently, and capable moms. They were taught by their mothers to spin, weave and sew cloths. The final stage of the Roman education was the rhetor. Only a couple of boys went to study rhetoric. This is where spokesman, the original translation of orator, comes from. Philosophical study was the last level of education. The study of philosophy is normally from Greece, but it was used mostly by Roman students.
Works Cited:
“Education in Ancient Rome” March 28th http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Ancient_Rome
"Ancient Roman Education" March 21st http://www.crystalinks.com/romeducation.html
"The Life of a Roman Child" March 18th http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/children.htm?tql-frame.
Article by Devyn, Cassidy, Aly, Juan, Vironica and Teia.
In the early republic parents taught their children the skills that they needed to know in this time period. Most importantly there was moral and civil responsibilities that the citizens of the republic would be expected to know.
The first school house in Ancient Rome was built in the middle of the 4th century BC. Schools were called Ludi; the name was given from the Latin word “play”. Normally, both boys and girls were separately educated. Roman students were taught similar to Greek students, sometimes by Greeks who love to teach. Roman students wanted to pursue the highest levels of education went to Greece to study philosophy, as the Romans created law and gravitas. The educator Quintilian was known for the importance of staring education as early as possible, nothing that “memory not only exists even in small children, but is specially retentive at that age”.
The Romans began to bring Greek slaves to Rome to give their children more knowledge. It was common for Roman children from rich families to get their education from a private tutor. Roman students were expected to work on their own not with groups. About 200BC, Romans borrowed some of the ideas from the Greek education. Boys and some girls, with their father’s permission, had to go to school outside home at the ages of 6 or 7. Between the ages of 9 and 12 years of age, boys from affluent families would have to leave their litterator behind and take up study with a Grammaticus.
Girls from that same age rich or poor would be working on making themselves attractive brides, subsequently, and capable moms. They were taught by their mothers to spin, weave and sew cloths. The final stage of the Roman education was the rhetor. Only a couple of boys went to study rhetoric. This is where spokesman, the original translation of orator, comes from. Philosophical study was the last level of education. The study of philosophy is normally from Greece, but it was used mostly by Roman students.
Works Cited:
“Education in Ancient Rome” March 28th http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Ancient_Rome
"Ancient Roman Education" March 21st http://www.crystalinks.com/romeducation.html
"The Life of a Roman Child" March 18th http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/children.htm?tql-frame.
Article by Devyn, Cassidy, Aly, Juan, Vironica and Teia.
VII. Togas and Tunics
In ancient Roman times fashion was very different than it is today. Not only were the clothes different, but also the make-up, hair, and accessories were nothing like you would see now. Just like brand names today, Romans would use their clothing to show their status in society.
Do you know the difference between a toga and a tunic? Well, they have many similarities, but also some important differences. The tunic is meant to be more comfortable and casual while the toga is more formal like a modern day suit. The tunic is made usually from white wool and linen. Also, you could tell how wealthy the Roman was by their toga. If you were a slave you would wear a cloak, but if you were a senator or consol you would wear a praetexta, which is a white toga edged with purple. Men who were in the military wore shorter tunics.
They also wore certain togas for specific occasions, for example a pulla was a dark colored toga, which would be worn at a funeral. Men who ran for political office would wear a white toga to show purity, but they would rub chalk onto it to make it brighter and make them stand out from the crowd. When Julius Ceasar was a general he wore a picta, which was a purple toga, lined with gold. Later, the emperors that ruled also wore pictas.
Roman women wore a dress called a stola. When they were outside they would wear a palla also known as a shawl, but when they were indoors they would wear a scarf. If you were a married woman you had to wear a sleeveless toga.
Boys under the age of sixteen had to wear a white toga with a crimson stripe around the edge of the toga, then when they turned seventeen they dressed in an all white toga. Girls wore a toga similar to the boys, but they also wore a belt.
Many Roman citizens wore jewelry. Rings were especially popular for men, but it was polite to only wear one ring. Although some men ignored the unspoken rule and wore up to sixteen rings. Women also loved jewelry and bought as much as they could afford. Women wore pearls to show that they were wealthy and powerful. Children would wear a locket that was given to them when they were born called a bulla. It was meant to ward off evil. Girls stopped wearing their bulla on the night of their wedding, it was then put aside as a keepsake.
Plautus (254-184 BC) was a roman philosopher who wrote, “ A woman without paint is like food without salt,” meaning a woman wasn’t complete without makeup. Roman men and women wore face paint to improve their looks, called fuccus, which was usually white, but they would dye it red for their lips and brown and black for coloring their eyebrows. The ingredients in fuccus usually made an unpleasant odor, so they would rub fragrant oils on their skin to overpower the smell. Hairstyles varied through the centuries. At the beginning of Roman times, men wore beards with long hair. The style then changed to clean-shaven and short hair. In 1 century A.D., they had started to grow out their hair and wear beards again. Just like today, the hairstyles changed over time. Women during the Republican period styled their hair in the nodys style. In the Julio-Claudian time they were designed to be a simple loose bun in the back. This was done to show how modest Roman women were against Cleopatra’s extravagancy. The flavian and Antonine hairstyles were the most complicated and well known. These styles had loose curls in the front, an intricate bun in the back, and an arching crown made from fillets of wool and toupets, which could be attached to the front or back.
In conclusion, ancient Romans ideas of what was fashionable was very different than it is today in America. However, people still embrace some of their influences in clothes, hair, and make-up. Lastly Roman fashion is one of the most memorable fashions eras of all times.
Written by: Shayla, Sam, Chloe’, McKenzie, McKenna, and Justice
March 29th, 2011
Works Cited
"Roman Hairstyles" March 28, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Hairstyles
"Clothing In Ancient Rome" March 11, 2011. http://www.crystalinks.com/romeclothing.html
"Roman Life" March 15, 2011. http://www.dl.Ket.org/latin1/things/romalife/ancientpl5.htm
"Roman Clothing" March 18, 2011.http://www.mariamilan:.com/ancient_rome/roman_clothing.htm
"Ancient Roman Culture" March 20, 2011.http://www.unrv.com/culture/ancient-roman-clothing.php
Do you know the difference between a toga and a tunic? Well, they have many similarities, but also some important differences. The tunic is meant to be more comfortable and casual while the toga is more formal like a modern day suit. The tunic is made usually from white wool and linen. Also, you could tell how wealthy the Roman was by their toga. If you were a slave you would wear a cloak, but if you were a senator or consol you would wear a praetexta, which is a white toga edged with purple. Men who were in the military wore shorter tunics.
They also wore certain togas for specific occasions, for example a pulla was a dark colored toga, which would be worn at a funeral. Men who ran for political office would wear a white toga to show purity, but they would rub chalk onto it to make it brighter and make them stand out from the crowd. When Julius Ceasar was a general he wore a picta, which was a purple toga, lined with gold. Later, the emperors that ruled also wore pictas.
Roman women wore a dress called a stola. When they were outside they would wear a palla also known as a shawl, but when they were indoors they would wear a scarf. If you were a married woman you had to wear a sleeveless toga.
Boys under the age of sixteen had to wear a white toga with a crimson stripe around the edge of the toga, then when they turned seventeen they dressed in an all white toga. Girls wore a toga similar to the boys, but they also wore a belt.
Many Roman citizens wore jewelry. Rings were especially popular for men, but it was polite to only wear one ring. Although some men ignored the unspoken rule and wore up to sixteen rings. Women also loved jewelry and bought as much as they could afford. Women wore pearls to show that they were wealthy and powerful. Children would wear a locket that was given to them when they were born called a bulla. It was meant to ward off evil. Girls stopped wearing their bulla on the night of their wedding, it was then put aside as a keepsake.
Plautus (254-184 BC) was a roman philosopher who wrote, “ A woman without paint is like food without salt,” meaning a woman wasn’t complete without makeup. Roman men and women wore face paint to improve their looks, called fuccus, which was usually white, but they would dye it red for their lips and brown and black for coloring their eyebrows. The ingredients in fuccus usually made an unpleasant odor, so they would rub fragrant oils on their skin to overpower the smell. Hairstyles varied through the centuries. At the beginning of Roman times, men wore beards with long hair. The style then changed to clean-shaven and short hair. In 1 century A.D., they had started to grow out their hair and wear beards again. Just like today, the hairstyles changed over time. Women during the Republican period styled their hair in the nodys style. In the Julio-Claudian time they were designed to be a simple loose bun in the back. This was done to show how modest Roman women were against Cleopatra’s extravagancy. The flavian and Antonine hairstyles were the most complicated and well known. These styles had loose curls in the front, an intricate bun in the back, and an arching crown made from fillets of wool and toupets, which could be attached to the front or back.
In conclusion, ancient Romans ideas of what was fashionable was very different than it is today in America. However, people still embrace some of their influences in clothes, hair, and make-up. Lastly Roman fashion is one of the most memorable fashions eras of all times.
Written by: Shayla, Sam, Chloe’, McKenzie, McKenna, and Justice
March 29th, 2011
Works Cited
"Roman Hairstyles" March 28, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Hairstyles
"Clothing In Ancient Rome" March 11, 2011. http://www.crystalinks.com/romeclothing.html
"Roman Life" March 15, 2011. http://www.dl.Ket.org/latin1/things/romalife/ancientpl5.htm
"Roman Clothing" March 18, 2011.http://www.mariamilan:.com/ancient_rome/roman_clothing.htm
"Ancient Roman Culture" March 20, 2011.http://www.unrv.com/culture/ancient-roman-clothing.php
VIII. Staying Healthy
The Romans used the same scientific methods that the Greeks and Asians used in their development of medicine. One of the people the Roman’s borrowed their medical techniques from was Shushruta, a Hindu surgeon. Shushruta came up with the technique, called the pedicle flap. The work of Galen, Rome’s most famous doctor, was also used to establish some of today’s medicine. Before a medical student could of Ancient Rome could graduate, they must have took a oath the Hippocratic Oath. The same oath is still taking place today when somebody graduates from medical school today.
Roman diets consist of many different foods and drinks. They mainly had bread, beans, spices, olives, a few vegetables, and meats. Fish was considered a luxury. Their primary source of meat came from pigs. Also they had fruit, which was not eaten very often. Some of the Roman drinks were plain water, watered-down wine, and hot water with herbs and honey, like tea. Food was usually transported into the city on wagons. Shelves consisted of bowls, containing fruits, live rabbits, geese, chicken, cuts of meat hanging from beams, baskets of alive snails, and clay jars filled with garum. Garum is a salty, unusual and smelly fish sauce, that the Romans would put on many of their entrees. Ancient Romans got their daytime snacks at places called thermopolia. These places consisted of foods both hot and cold. Wealthy Romans also bought meals at the thermopolia. Dinners in Rome were more elaborate, and was said to be the most important meal of the day.
Aqueducts carried thousands of gallons of fresh water into Rome each day (unfortunately a lot of the plumbing was of lead). Spending time at a bath was a integral part of a Roman’s day, with women using the baths in the morning and men in the afternoon. The people with illness preferred to visit the baths at midday or at night when the public did not frequently. It is likely that the Romans bath house were periodically emptied and cleaned. The Romans did not have disinfectants. They used reusable sponges to clean themselves, like we would use toilet paper today. Which was a breeding ground for a lot of bacteria.
The people of Rome are known to have suffered from plagues, which happened at various times, the real killers, were infectious diseases like malaria. The most deadly diseases to which Rome’s population routinely succumbed were affected by temperature; in particular, the most lethal form of malaria, which had long incubation period and very high temperature requirement, did not reach its peak until autumn. Since there was no street cleaning service in Rome, the congested neighborhoods were malodorous and plagued with files and dogs.
The Romans believed that prevention of illness was more important than the cure of illness. Romans built temples to the gods near large swamps to reduce deaths, and also believed that the gods held the key to longevity. Some of the Roman medical herbs were; fennel-this had calming properties, Elecampane-it helped with digestion, Sage-this had hardly any medical value, but it had a big religious value, Garlic-helped your heart, Fenugreek-it was used in the treatment of pneumonia, and Willow-this was used as an antiseptic
Romans were very concerned about their health and took great care of themselves. Just like most of us do today!!
Works Cited
"Medicine in Ancient Rome" www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/medicine_in_ancient_rome March 20, 2010
Murrell, Deborah "The Best Book of Ancient Rome" Macmillan, Boston. 2004.
Article by: Stephanie, Emily, Leslye, Deidre, Morgan, and Ryan
March 4th, 2011
Roman diets consist of many different foods and drinks. They mainly had bread, beans, spices, olives, a few vegetables, and meats. Fish was considered a luxury. Their primary source of meat came from pigs. Also they had fruit, which was not eaten very often. Some of the Roman drinks were plain water, watered-down wine, and hot water with herbs and honey, like tea. Food was usually transported into the city on wagons. Shelves consisted of bowls, containing fruits, live rabbits, geese, chicken, cuts of meat hanging from beams, baskets of alive snails, and clay jars filled with garum. Garum is a salty, unusual and smelly fish sauce, that the Romans would put on many of their entrees. Ancient Romans got their daytime snacks at places called thermopolia. These places consisted of foods both hot and cold. Wealthy Romans also bought meals at the thermopolia. Dinners in Rome were more elaborate, and was said to be the most important meal of the day.
Aqueducts carried thousands of gallons of fresh water into Rome each day (unfortunately a lot of the plumbing was of lead). Spending time at a bath was a integral part of a Roman’s day, with women using the baths in the morning and men in the afternoon. The people with illness preferred to visit the baths at midday or at night when the public did not frequently. It is likely that the Romans bath house were periodically emptied and cleaned. The Romans did not have disinfectants. They used reusable sponges to clean themselves, like we would use toilet paper today. Which was a breeding ground for a lot of bacteria.
The people of Rome are known to have suffered from plagues, which happened at various times, the real killers, were infectious diseases like malaria. The most deadly diseases to which Rome’s population routinely succumbed were affected by temperature; in particular, the most lethal form of malaria, which had long incubation period and very high temperature requirement, did not reach its peak until autumn. Since there was no street cleaning service in Rome, the congested neighborhoods were malodorous and plagued with files and dogs.
The Romans believed that prevention of illness was more important than the cure of illness. Romans built temples to the gods near large swamps to reduce deaths, and also believed that the gods held the key to longevity. Some of the Roman medical herbs were; fennel-this had calming properties, Elecampane-it helped with digestion, Sage-this had hardly any medical value, but it had a big religious value, Garlic-helped your heart, Fenugreek-it was used in the treatment of pneumonia, and Willow-this was used as an antiseptic
Romans were very concerned about their health and took great care of themselves. Just like most of us do today!!
Works Cited
"Medicine in Ancient Rome" www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/medicine_in_ancient_rome March 20, 2010
Murrell, Deborah "The Best Book of Ancient Rome" Macmillan, Boston. 2004.
Article by: Stephanie, Emily, Leslye, Deidre, Morgan, and Ryan
March 4th, 2011
IX. Food and Feasts
My group’s topic was on foods and feasts in Ancient Rome. We can take a closer look at what the Ancient Romans ate depending on they wealth you had, some of the sauces that are put on the meals, when and what happened at feast, and what the Ancient Romans ate back and then compare to what types of food we eat today. These are all things that might be helpful if were to plan a trip to Italy.
What are you going to eat in Ancient Rome? You have three main courses a day. The type of food you eat would all depend on how rich or poor you were. If you were on the richer side you would probably be eating exotic dishes such as: stuffed dormice, flamingo, and maybe some ostriches. The poor couldn’t afford all the exotic foods. Some things on their diet might include: porridge, which was made out of grain, they would usually top it with some honey, eggs and fruit. Most of the unusual dishes were made by the eastern slaves. Also, the poor had always felt sick from always under eating and the rich would always felt sick from over eating every day.
Some major sauces and in ancient Rome could have been liquamen, garum, or just regular mild sauces. Liquamen was a mixture of salted fish guts that had been left out in the sun for three days. Garum was a fish pickle sauce. The most common drink was probably wine mixed with water. Wine was mixed with water then drunk because they thought it was better to drink straight. In the sixteenth century tomatoes were found. The tomatoes gave a big twist in most of the roman sauces.
When there was going to be a big party or “feast” the host would bring out there finest dishes. When the dishes were served they came in platters made of pottery, glass, and sometimes there was gold. The guest would eat while lying down on a couch. Lying on their left arm and eating with their right hand. Most of the meals had to be easy to eat with fingers. If there was any bones or shells the guests would throw them on the ground. Also, they would throw any other garbage for the slaves to clean up once the meal was over.
For dessert many Romans would have honey cakes, pastries, and different kinds of cakes. Instead if our way of saying dessert they would say secunda mensa. One of the main Ancient roman desserts would be the delicious Honey Cakes. It was against the law to have an oven in your house because of the fires.
Next some things that were eaten in Ancient Rome that we still eat today in America might include some of the basics: bread, eggs, wheat, stew, honey fruit, wine, and water. Some others may be olives, tomatoes, fish, and salad. There is many more but then our list would go on forever. Ancient Romans were not like most American’s by eating with their fingers. They had disgusting eating manners by throwing there scraps on the floor. They also have slaves that would cook there meals and clean up. That would be nice to have but it’s cruel to those who had to suffer for all the hard work. I think that Ancient Rome has great food and it will have a little extra taste. No matter what my group and I think you will fall in love with some of their food.
Article by Kaylee, Lindsay, Ariana, Alisha, Aundrea and Alex
March 27, 2011
Works Cited
Encyclopedia of Discovery, Science and History Food and Feast 2002 Print.
Ferris, Julie, ET AL., Eds Everyday Life in the Ancient World 2002 Print.
"Roman Food" Http://www.rome.info/food/>. 3/29/11
"Roman Cuisine" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_cuisine. 3/22/11
What are you going to eat in Ancient Rome? You have three main courses a day. The type of food you eat would all depend on how rich or poor you were. If you were on the richer side you would probably be eating exotic dishes such as: stuffed dormice, flamingo, and maybe some ostriches. The poor couldn’t afford all the exotic foods. Some things on their diet might include: porridge, which was made out of grain, they would usually top it with some honey, eggs and fruit. Most of the unusual dishes were made by the eastern slaves. Also, the poor had always felt sick from always under eating and the rich would always felt sick from over eating every day.
Some major sauces and in ancient Rome could have been liquamen, garum, or just regular mild sauces. Liquamen was a mixture of salted fish guts that had been left out in the sun for three days. Garum was a fish pickle sauce. The most common drink was probably wine mixed with water. Wine was mixed with water then drunk because they thought it was better to drink straight. In the sixteenth century tomatoes were found. The tomatoes gave a big twist in most of the roman sauces.
When there was going to be a big party or “feast” the host would bring out there finest dishes. When the dishes were served they came in platters made of pottery, glass, and sometimes there was gold. The guest would eat while lying down on a couch. Lying on their left arm and eating with their right hand. Most of the meals had to be easy to eat with fingers. If there was any bones or shells the guests would throw them on the ground. Also, they would throw any other garbage for the slaves to clean up once the meal was over.
For dessert many Romans would have honey cakes, pastries, and different kinds of cakes. Instead if our way of saying dessert they would say secunda mensa. One of the main Ancient roman desserts would be the delicious Honey Cakes. It was against the law to have an oven in your house because of the fires.
Next some things that were eaten in Ancient Rome that we still eat today in America might include some of the basics: bread, eggs, wheat, stew, honey fruit, wine, and water. Some others may be olives, tomatoes, fish, and salad. There is many more but then our list would go on forever. Ancient Romans were not like most American’s by eating with their fingers. They had disgusting eating manners by throwing there scraps on the floor. They also have slaves that would cook there meals and clean up. That would be nice to have but it’s cruel to those who had to suffer for all the hard work. I think that Ancient Rome has great food and it will have a little extra taste. No matter what my group and I think you will fall in love with some of their food.
Article by Kaylee, Lindsay, Ariana, Alisha, Aundrea and Alex
March 27, 2011
Works Cited
Encyclopedia of Discovery, Science and History Food and Feast 2002 Print.
Ferris, Julie, ET AL., Eds Everyday Life in the Ancient World 2002 Print.
"Roman Food" Http://www.rome.info/food/>. 3/29/11
"Roman Cuisine" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_cuisine. 3/22/11
X. City Life
Ancient Roman lifestyle was often very interesting in the city life. Poor people usually lived by the streets in small homes that were very small and dirty. The wealthy people usually lived in large houses, or even mansions that had bath houses, courtyards and other extravagances. They usually owned slaves and had them work at their markets.
The streets in the cities were very dirty, with broken wine bottles and half-eaten food scattered all over the ground. The people who lived in the city were very afraid of fires because when there was a fire, it was rarely put out and the buildings were destroyed.
There were strange laws like, you couldn’t move wheeled vehicles during the day because the city was too crowded. There was lots of noise during the night making it hard for people that lived by the streets hard to sleep because of this.
The city of Rome was very popular and also very populated, there were over one million people living there. Rome was famous for the seven hills, the Colosseum, Forum of Trajan, and the Pantheon.
Most cities had a forum, a place where the citizens gathered to debate, give speeches, and vote. Since the city had so many people they needed an enormous amount of food which required transporting, storing, and selling. They normally got their food from Italian farmers who grew crops and raised animals for food.
Rome has influenced us in so many ways. Without their ideas and inventions we might not be how we are today
Works Cited
"History Learning Site". March 24, 2011. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ancient_rome.htm
Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History Journey Across Time The Early Ages. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
"Ancient Rome" March 28, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient Rome
Article by: Baylee, Karly, Sophia, Genesis, Gracen, and Rachel
The streets in the cities were very dirty, with broken wine bottles and half-eaten food scattered all over the ground. The people who lived in the city were very afraid of fires because when there was a fire, it was rarely put out and the buildings were destroyed.
There were strange laws like, you couldn’t move wheeled vehicles during the day because the city was too crowded. There was lots of noise during the night making it hard for people that lived by the streets hard to sleep because of this.
The city of Rome was very popular and also very populated, there were over one million people living there. Rome was famous for the seven hills, the Colosseum, Forum of Trajan, and the Pantheon.
Most cities had a forum, a place where the citizens gathered to debate, give speeches, and vote. Since the city had so many people they needed an enormous amount of food which required transporting, storing, and selling. They normally got their food from Italian farmers who grew crops and raised animals for food.
Rome has influenced us in so many ways. Without their ideas and inventions we might not be how we are today
Works Cited
"History Learning Site". March 24, 2011. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ancient_rome.htm
Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History Journey Across Time The Early Ages. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
"Ancient Rome" March 28, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient Rome
Article by: Baylee, Karly, Sophia, Genesis, Gracen, and Rachel
XI. Country Life
Farm life in ancient Rome was not as easy as it is today. Romans did not use machinery although they did have plows pulled by ox and cattle. They also had a system called workforce which has large group of slaves. The workforce was made up of mostly prisoners captured and taken to a place where they all work together.
Romans also used a tool called a sickle. A sickle would be used to cut crops. By grabbing a handful of corn. Then cutting through the crop with the other hand using the sickle. Many other tools were also used.
A lot of the farms were not large estates. Although there were a few large estates called villas. The word villa was also used for a farm house, country house or beach house. The rich Romans usually owned many villas in Italy or Province. Most villas specialized in one crop. The rest of them were mixed. If the owner of the villa was not at the farm then there would be a farm manager. The manager would have his own house. He also had to share the tools equipment, crops and animals.
If you owned a small farm or villa some or the vegetables you grow would be radishes, cabbages, lettuce and carrots. More crops you would have grown would be oats, barley, dates, apples, pears, grapes and cherries. Also if you owned that farm all those crops would be harvested by one of your slaves. If you did not have a slave people would think that you were very poor. They also might look down on you.
10,000 slaves were sold a day in the first and second centuries B.C. This happened in the Aegean islands of Delos. Even the wonderful Caesar would dispose of slaves by rounding them up and selling them for gold and silver. Slaves were definitely mistreated in ancient Rome. But as many slaves were mistreated and beat, some were lucky to have nice owners who would set them free. The free slave would also build their own small farms and restart their life’s.
Works Cited
Ancient civilizations 1998 Written by: Simon James and Dorling Kindersley
"Daily Life in the time of the Emperor Hadrian" March 14, 2011 www.Hadrians.com
Life in the Ancient World published by: Random house INC. Written by Bart Winer
Rome.mrdonn.org
www.suite101.com Article by: Claudia J. Beraford
Article by: Lily, Cole, O’ Rion, Caleb, Allen
March 31, 2011
Romans also used a tool called a sickle. A sickle would be used to cut crops. By grabbing a handful of corn. Then cutting through the crop with the other hand using the sickle. Many other tools were also used.
A lot of the farms were not large estates. Although there were a few large estates called villas. The word villa was also used for a farm house, country house or beach house. The rich Romans usually owned many villas in Italy or Province. Most villas specialized in one crop. The rest of them were mixed. If the owner of the villa was not at the farm then there would be a farm manager. The manager would have his own house. He also had to share the tools equipment, crops and animals.
If you owned a small farm or villa some or the vegetables you grow would be radishes, cabbages, lettuce and carrots. More crops you would have grown would be oats, barley, dates, apples, pears, grapes and cherries. Also if you owned that farm all those crops would be harvested by one of your slaves. If you did not have a slave people would think that you were very poor. They also might look down on you.
10,000 slaves were sold a day in the first and second centuries B.C. This happened in the Aegean islands of Delos. Even the wonderful Caesar would dispose of slaves by rounding them up and selling them for gold and silver. Slaves were definitely mistreated in ancient Rome. But as many slaves were mistreated and beat, some were lucky to have nice owners who would set them free. The free slave would also build their own small farms and restart their life’s.
Works Cited
Ancient civilizations 1998 Written by: Simon James and Dorling Kindersley
"Daily Life in the time of the Emperor Hadrian" March 14, 2011 www.Hadrians.com
Life in the Ancient World published by: Random house INC. Written by Bart Winer
Rome.mrdonn.org
www.suite101.com Article by: Claudia J. Beraford
Article by: Lily, Cole, O’ Rion, Caleb, Allen
March 31, 2011
XII. Craft Skills
The ancient Romans had very colorful and decorative art work. That
mainly meant how wealthy the owners were. Most of the work was
copied from the Greeks. The times 750 B.C. through 410B.C. were
good times for the Romans' crafts.
There were many different types of art work like statues,
paintings, mosaics, cameo, glassblowing. But the most famous
styles are wall paintings, mosaics, ceiling and floor paintings, and
statues. Historians believe that the reason that wooden and panel
paintings weren't used as much is because of religious reasons,
at that time Christianity was being noticed.
Craft makers were able to make useful objects of these things
metal, clay stone, glass, animal bones, ivory, cloth, leather, and many
other materials. Many of the art forms and methods used by the
Romans are high and low relief, freestanding sculptor, perspective
drawing, bronze casting, vase art, mosaics, cameo, coin art, fine
jewelry and metal work, funerary sculptor, caricature, genre and
portrait painting, landscape painting, architectural and Trompe L'oeil
painting were all developed or refined by ancient Greek priests. Then,
was used by Romans.
The portrait sculptures were made with youthful and classical
proportions, later evolving into a mixture of realism and idealism. During
the Antony and Sever an periods the hair and bearding on the statues
were more lavish and were carved with deeper cutting and drilling. By
the imperial age, the Romans thought they were realistic depictions of
the human anatomy portrait sculptures.
Art historians divided Roman paintings into four styles. The first
was practiced in the early2nd century B.C. to the early or mid 1st
century B.C. It was mostly about imitations of marble and masonry.
The second was during the 1st century B.C. attempted to depict realistic
three dimensional architecture features and landscape. The third
occurred during 27B.C.- 14A.D. It is about small architecture scenes,
landscape or abstract designs placed with a monochrome background.
The fourth style began in 1st century A.D.it depicted scenes from
mythology, while retaining architectural details and abstract patterns.
Works Cited
"Ancient Roman Crafts" April 1, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&redirs=1&search=ancient+roman+crafts+&fulltext=Search&ns0=1
Encyclopedia of Discovery, Science and History. Craft Skills. 2002. Print.
"Roman Brick" April 1, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_brick
"Roman Technology" April 1, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_technology
Article by: Jinna, Alan, Ryan, Asia, David.
April 5, 2011.
XIII. Architecture and Engineering
Do you know what makes Rome so iconic? Their architecture. They paid so much attention to every little inch of each building, it’s amazing. The Romans built many buildings such as aqueducts, stadiums, bath houses, and common homes. Many of those buildings were full of art and most were made of marble. A quote by Augustus, I found Rome in brick and left it in marble.
The Romans made aqueducts some very simple and others rather complex. Aqueducts were made of brick, stone, and later concrete. Many were constructed on sides of mountains, some on the Roman soil, and others towering as high as 93.5 ft. One of the best known aqueducts is in Spain in a town called Segovia it resembles a bridge and is an iconic example of Roman architecture. This aqueduct and others were constructed using many arches. The mountain side aqueducts were just carved ways for the water to flow through.
Rome had some pretty amazing discoveries such as concrete, but arches are a great invention. These arches were a way for the Romans to support there buildings. These arches showed up everywhere from government buildings to common homes. Arches were not the only support used, they built columns. Even though they “borrowed” the columns from Greece it’s still a great strong support.
The citizens of Rome were very picky they only built what they thought was worth looking at. All you have to do is walk down a road in Rome and you can tell. They constructed ceilings in the shape of a dome. They used this dome design in one of the greatest architectural buildings of all time the Pantheon. The Pantheon was created to worship all the gods and goddesses. The Pantheon was built by Publius Aelius Hadriaus, better know as Hadrian. Hadrian is also know for the Hadrian wall which was created for just one propose to separate. He also created the temple of Venus and Roma.
The great Colosseum is a inspiring work of art. This building was built as an amphitheatre for plays, comedies, and even death. Constructed for laughter and to watch gladiators fight to the death. The Colosseum was constructed throughout the Flavion dynasty and held up to 50,000 people. This structure uses a repeating series of arches not simply for support, but for decoration. Throughout history the Roman empire and its architecture stands strong linking are past to are future.
Works Cited
“Ancient Rome” http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome.htm March 28, 2011
“Hadrian Wall" http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/hadrian_gallery_01.shtml
March 26, 2011
Keith Hopkins “The Colosseum” http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dBSCMu9juPcC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Colosseum+started&ots=ewzzj5a0k0&sig=ZQ2Z7bErkwWfgMwvIsAzb1QXV3A#v=onepage&q&f=false
March 25, 2011
Article by: Legend, Jacob, Tucker, August the Ninja, and Will
The Romans made aqueducts some very simple and others rather complex. Aqueducts were made of brick, stone, and later concrete. Many were constructed on sides of mountains, some on the Roman soil, and others towering as high as 93.5 ft. One of the best known aqueducts is in Spain in a town called Segovia it resembles a bridge and is an iconic example of Roman architecture. This aqueduct and others were constructed using many arches. The mountain side aqueducts were just carved ways for the water to flow through.
Rome had some pretty amazing discoveries such as concrete, but arches are a great invention. These arches were a way for the Romans to support there buildings. These arches showed up everywhere from government buildings to common homes. Arches were not the only support used, they built columns. Even though they “borrowed” the columns from Greece it’s still a great strong support.
The citizens of Rome were very picky they only built what they thought was worth looking at. All you have to do is walk down a road in Rome and you can tell. They constructed ceilings in the shape of a dome. They used this dome design in one of the greatest architectural buildings of all time the Pantheon. The Pantheon was created to worship all the gods and goddesses. The Pantheon was built by Publius Aelius Hadriaus, better know as Hadrian. Hadrian is also know for the Hadrian wall which was created for just one propose to separate. He also created the temple of Venus and Roma.
The great Colosseum is a inspiring work of art. This building was built as an amphitheatre for plays, comedies, and even death. Constructed for laughter and to watch gladiators fight to the death. The Colosseum was constructed throughout the Flavion dynasty and held up to 50,000 people. This structure uses a repeating series of arches not simply for support, but for decoration. Throughout history the Roman empire and its architecture stands strong linking are past to are future.
Works Cited
“Ancient Rome” http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome.htm March 28, 2011
“Hadrian Wall" http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/hadrian_gallery_01.shtml
March 26, 2011
Keith Hopkins “The Colosseum” http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dBSCMu9juPcC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Colosseum+started&ots=ewzzj5a0k0&sig=ZQ2Z7bErkwWfgMwvIsAzb1QXV3A#v=onepage&q&f=false
March 25, 2011
Article by: Legend, Jacob, Tucker, August the Ninja, and Will
XIV. Ancient Roman Writers and Thinkers
There were many ancient roman writers and thinkers, there was Sappho Fresco, Donatus and the great Julius Caesar, ancient writers wrote many plays, poetry, and books. Ancient thinkers did a wide array of things, they were mathematicians, scientists, battle strategists, philosophers, and etc. This article will tell you about ancient roman writers and thinkers, enjoy!
There were many roman writers during ancient times, such as Ammianus Marcellinus, who wrote a continuation of tactius’ histories and Marcus Valerius Martialis, who wrote fifteen books of epigrams on roman society, being referred to as the father of modern epigrams. The writers of ancient Rome were either revered or hated, two very opposite things. Ancient roman writers had to write by hand, making and selling copies of books without any help but thier own.
There was a vast amount of ancient roman thinkers also, such as Plotinus, Proclus Diadochus, and Marcus Aurelius Ancient roman thinkers were many things, like scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, poets, battle strategists, politicians, architects, etc.
Now we come to the paragraph were I tell you what these famous people did, and they did a lot of incredible stuff, like build roman buildings, such as the Arch of Titus, they invented roman numerals, epigrams, poems and many other things. They also wrote many things, like the epigram, tactius’ histories and the Anabasis, the main extant on Alexander the great.
We hope this information helped you in whatever you are looking for, that being a school project, a research sheet, or just wanting to learn more. Some other roman writers and thinkers you might need to know about are Zeno of elea, Anaximander, Thales, Xenophanes of Colophon, Parmenides of Elea, Anaxagoras of Clazomerae, Empedocles of Acragas. If you are looking for more, please go to the sites below.
Works Sited:
"pbs.org" March 11, 2011 http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/writers.html
"mapsof.net" March 11, 2011 http://mapsof.net/rome/static-maps/jpg/historical-ancient-rome-map
"ancienthistory.about.com" March 14, 2011 http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/events/ig/5th-Century-Greece-and-Rome/Picture-of-Ancient-Thinkers.--p4.htmsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:45&tx=35&ty=40
"www.unrv.com" March 14, 2011 http://www.unrv.com/culture/ammianus-marcellinus.php
"www.urnv.com" March 14, 2011 http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-writers.php
"ancienthistory.about.com" March 14, 2011 http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekphilosophy/a/TimeLPhilosophr.htm
"ancienthistory.about.com" March 14, 2011 http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/literat3/a/102110-Classical-Writers-Directory.htm
And for epigrams: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigrams
Article by: Logan, Lillee G., Bella, Dede, Kaytlynn, and Angelica.
March 31, 2011
There were many roman writers during ancient times, such as Ammianus Marcellinus, who wrote a continuation of tactius’ histories and Marcus Valerius Martialis, who wrote fifteen books of epigrams on roman society, being referred to as the father of modern epigrams. The writers of ancient Rome were either revered or hated, two very opposite things. Ancient roman writers had to write by hand, making and selling copies of books without any help but thier own.
There was a vast amount of ancient roman thinkers also, such as Plotinus, Proclus Diadochus, and Marcus Aurelius Ancient roman thinkers were many things, like scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, poets, battle strategists, politicians, architects, etc.
Now we come to the paragraph were I tell you what these famous people did, and they did a lot of incredible stuff, like build roman buildings, such as the Arch of Titus, they invented roman numerals, epigrams, poems and many other things. They also wrote many things, like the epigram, tactius’ histories and the Anabasis, the main extant on Alexander the great.
We hope this information helped you in whatever you are looking for, that being a school project, a research sheet, or just wanting to learn more. Some other roman writers and thinkers you might need to know about are Zeno of elea, Anaximander, Thales, Xenophanes of Colophon, Parmenides of Elea, Anaxagoras of Clazomerae, Empedocles of Acragas. If you are looking for more, please go to the sites below.
Works Sited:
"pbs.org" March 11, 2011 http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/writers.html
"mapsof.net" March 11, 2011 http://mapsof.net/rome/static-maps/jpg/historical-ancient-rome-map
"ancienthistory.about.com" March 14, 2011 http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/events/ig/5th-Century-Greece-and-Rome/Picture-of-Ancient-Thinkers.--p4.htmsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:45&tx=35&ty=40
"www.unrv.com" March 14, 2011 http://www.unrv.com/culture/ammianus-marcellinus.php
"www.urnv.com" March 14, 2011 http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-writers.php
"ancienthistory.about.com" March 14, 2011 http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekphilosophy/a/TimeLPhilosophr.htm
"ancienthistory.about.com" March 14, 2011 http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/literat3/a/102110-Classical-Writers-Directory.htm
And for epigrams: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigrams
Article by: Logan, Lillee G., Bella, Dede, Kaytlynn, and Angelica.
March 31, 2011
XV. Spectator Sports of Ancient Rome
Sports were a huge part of everyday life in ancient Rome. The sports they played many, many years ago were nothing like they are today. Gladiator games, wild animal fights, human vs. beast fights, and chariot racing were all played for public entertainment. These brutal sports were cruel and dangerous. In some the fate of one’s life rested in the hands of the public.
The gladiatorial games were held in the Colosseum. Also known as the Flavian Ampitheater, this building was finished and first used in 80 A.D. It consisted of three floors and could hold 50,000 people. The Colosseum was round and measured 1,729 sq feet as its perimeter and stood 187 feet tall. This theater had 80 entrances and as the years went by it was stocked with the latest technology which would allow for the central area to be flooded or for cages holding wild animals to rise up into the arena from the many rooms below. This building also had canvas awnings to supply shade for the crowds. It was made from a white stone called travertine.
Gladiator games were one of the most popular sports in the history of ancient Rome. Originally developed by the Etruscans until they were later adopted by Rome, gladiatorial games were played to commemorate important people after their death and give them offerings of blood. In 264 B.C., the first gladiatorial combat was recorded. When this sport was eventually adopted by Rome, it because a form of entertainment rather than a form of sacrifice. Toward the end of the second century A.D. Tertullian could indeed criticize in his writing of De Spectaculis that “this class of public entertainment has passed from being a compliment to the dead to being a compliment to the living.”
Gladiators consisted of slaves, ex-prisoners, and sometimes volunteers. The victims they would kill would be criminals and prisoners-of-war. There were 4 special schools that trained gladiators. The largest, called the Ludus Magnus, was connected to the Colosseum by an underground tunnel. Volunteer gladiators often were social outcasts, discharged soldiers, freed slaves or former gladiators who had been liberated on retirement but chose to return for a period of service. Often gladiators were retrained privately by politicians and wealthy citizens as body guards. Almost anyone could become a gladiator except for a woman.
Before the construction of the Colosseum, gladiatorial games were held in the Forum, where temporary stands were erected. In A.D. 57, Nero built the first ampitheater followed by many others. Occasionally they collapsed, killing hundreds, even thousands of people.
Typically, gladiators would fight no more than 3 times a year. Fights between gladiators were not always to the death. Wounded gladiators could appeal for mercy. To do so they would lay down their shield and raise their index finger, usually of the left hand. The crowd would signal their approval by turning their thumbs, but if the gladiator received a thumbs down from the emperor or the ref, they were sentenced to death. The winning gladiators were awarded crowns or a palm branch and the prize money stipulated in their contracts as well as any money awarded by the crowd. If a gladiator lived long enough to retire, a symbolic wooden sword was awarded to them as a token of discharge from service. Some slave gladiators, if they were good and became famous, were offered their freedom.
Gladiators were broken up into 5 types. The type they were decided how they would be armed. The Samnite were heavily armed with a sword, a shield, and a helmet with a visor. The Thoracian had a curved dagger and a small, round, bronze shield. The Murmillon who were also heavily armed wore a helmet crowned with a fish. The Secutor, also known as the “pursuer”, fought the Retarius with a sword, a helmet, a shield, leg guards and protection on their sword arm. Lastly, we have the Retarius, also known as the “net fighter”, who fought with a net and trident and has one arm protected.
Gladiators were not the only people to fight in the Colosseum. Animals did too. There were fights between wild animals, with lions encouraged to attack giraffes or camels. People slaughtered animals in staged “hunts”. Sometimes, prisoners would be thrown to the beasts, and the crowd would laugh as they watched them being devoured by tigers or crocodiles.
Bestiarii (beast fighters) received very little respect from the spectators. Unlike the gladiators, they wore no protective equipment and received no training. Once they stepped in to the arena, they fought the wild beasts with their bare hands. All this slaughter was for entertainment for spectators. They wildly cheered for their favorite bestiarii.
Chariot racing was one of the most popular sports of ancient Rome. This sport generated a ton of spectator enthusiasm, but it was very dangerous for the drivers and the horses as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death. No public gambling was allowed but private betting indeed enhanced the appeal of this sport. Chariot racing took place at the Circus Maximus. Approximately 150,000 spectators could be seated in this race track.
Most charioteers started out as slaves. When they became successful, they soon earned enough money to buy their freedom. The four racing companies were Red, White, Blue, and Green. A chariot race consisted of completing seven laps in all. Women could attend these races and sit with men. Something of this sort was very uncommon in ancient roman times.
As you can see, sports were very important in ancient times. People were beaten and killed all for entertainment from spectators. I don’t know about you but I am glad to have only the sports we have today.
Works Cited
“Chariot Racing.” Wikipedia. Web. March 26, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot_racing
Chrisp, Peter. The Colosseum. Italy & U.S.: Steck-Vaughn, 1997. Print.
“Encyclopedia Romana.” University of Chicago. Web. March 24, 2011
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/gladiators.html^The Gladiator and the Thumb.
Gabucci, Ada. Ancient Rome: Art, architecture and history. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum. Print.
Gard, Carolyn. “Not Just Man to Man.” Calliope July/Aug 2009:12-14. Print.
“Gladiators.” Ancient Roman Recreation & Sports. March 25, 2011. Web. http://www.crystalinks.com/romerecreation.html
“Roman Games.” Welcome to Hadrians! Web. March 26, 2011. http://www.hadrians.com/rome/romans/fun/roman_games.html
Simon, James, Anne Pearson, and Jonathan N. Tubb. Ancient Civilizations. Florida: Family Learning, 1998. Print.
Sims, Lesley. A Visitors Guide to Ancient Rome. Safron Hill, London: Usborne Publishing,1999. Print.
Steele, Philip. Wonders of the World: Colosseum in Rome. Boston, Massachusetts: Kingfisher Publications, 2007. Print.
“The Circus Maximus.” Ancient Rome for Kids. Web. March 25, 2011. http://rome.mrdonn.org/circus.html
“The Circus: Roman Chariot Racing.” Web. March 26, 2011. http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/circus.html
Article by: Casey, Sarah, Taylor, Cole, and Cody
March 29, 2011
The gladiatorial games were held in the Colosseum. Also known as the Flavian Ampitheater, this building was finished and first used in 80 A.D. It consisted of three floors and could hold 50,000 people. The Colosseum was round and measured 1,729 sq feet as its perimeter and stood 187 feet tall. This theater had 80 entrances and as the years went by it was stocked with the latest technology which would allow for the central area to be flooded or for cages holding wild animals to rise up into the arena from the many rooms below. This building also had canvas awnings to supply shade for the crowds. It was made from a white stone called travertine.
Gladiator games were one of the most popular sports in the history of ancient Rome. Originally developed by the Etruscans until they were later adopted by Rome, gladiatorial games were played to commemorate important people after their death and give them offerings of blood. In 264 B.C., the first gladiatorial combat was recorded. When this sport was eventually adopted by Rome, it because a form of entertainment rather than a form of sacrifice. Toward the end of the second century A.D. Tertullian could indeed criticize in his writing of De Spectaculis that “this class of public entertainment has passed from being a compliment to the dead to being a compliment to the living.”
Gladiators consisted of slaves, ex-prisoners, and sometimes volunteers. The victims they would kill would be criminals and prisoners-of-war. There were 4 special schools that trained gladiators. The largest, called the Ludus Magnus, was connected to the Colosseum by an underground tunnel. Volunteer gladiators often were social outcasts, discharged soldiers, freed slaves or former gladiators who had been liberated on retirement but chose to return for a period of service. Often gladiators were retrained privately by politicians and wealthy citizens as body guards. Almost anyone could become a gladiator except for a woman.
Before the construction of the Colosseum, gladiatorial games were held in the Forum, where temporary stands were erected. In A.D. 57, Nero built the first ampitheater followed by many others. Occasionally they collapsed, killing hundreds, even thousands of people.
Typically, gladiators would fight no more than 3 times a year. Fights between gladiators were not always to the death. Wounded gladiators could appeal for mercy. To do so they would lay down their shield and raise their index finger, usually of the left hand. The crowd would signal their approval by turning their thumbs, but if the gladiator received a thumbs down from the emperor or the ref, they were sentenced to death. The winning gladiators were awarded crowns or a palm branch and the prize money stipulated in their contracts as well as any money awarded by the crowd. If a gladiator lived long enough to retire, a symbolic wooden sword was awarded to them as a token of discharge from service. Some slave gladiators, if they were good and became famous, were offered their freedom.
Gladiators were broken up into 5 types. The type they were decided how they would be armed. The Samnite were heavily armed with a sword, a shield, and a helmet with a visor. The Thoracian had a curved dagger and a small, round, bronze shield. The Murmillon who were also heavily armed wore a helmet crowned with a fish. The Secutor, also known as the “pursuer”, fought the Retarius with a sword, a helmet, a shield, leg guards and protection on their sword arm. Lastly, we have the Retarius, also known as the “net fighter”, who fought with a net and trident and has one arm protected.
Gladiators were not the only people to fight in the Colosseum. Animals did too. There were fights between wild animals, with lions encouraged to attack giraffes or camels. People slaughtered animals in staged “hunts”. Sometimes, prisoners would be thrown to the beasts, and the crowd would laugh as they watched them being devoured by tigers or crocodiles.
Bestiarii (beast fighters) received very little respect from the spectators. Unlike the gladiators, they wore no protective equipment and received no training. Once they stepped in to the arena, they fought the wild beasts with their bare hands. All this slaughter was for entertainment for spectators. They wildly cheered for their favorite bestiarii.
Chariot racing was one of the most popular sports of ancient Rome. This sport generated a ton of spectator enthusiasm, but it was very dangerous for the drivers and the horses as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death. No public gambling was allowed but private betting indeed enhanced the appeal of this sport. Chariot racing took place at the Circus Maximus. Approximately 150,000 spectators could be seated in this race track.
Most charioteers started out as slaves. When they became successful, they soon earned enough money to buy their freedom. The four racing companies were Red, White, Blue, and Green. A chariot race consisted of completing seven laps in all. Women could attend these races and sit with men. Something of this sort was very uncommon in ancient roman times.
As you can see, sports were very important in ancient times. People were beaten and killed all for entertainment from spectators. I don’t know about you but I am glad to have only the sports we have today.
Works Cited
“Chariot Racing.” Wikipedia. Web. March 26, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot_racing
Chrisp, Peter. The Colosseum. Italy & U.S.: Steck-Vaughn, 1997. Print.
“Encyclopedia Romana.” University of Chicago. Web. March 24, 2011
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/gladiators.html^The Gladiator and the Thumb.
Gabucci, Ada. Ancient Rome: Art, architecture and history. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum. Print.
Gard, Carolyn. “Not Just Man to Man.” Calliope July/Aug 2009:12-14. Print.
“Gladiators.” Ancient Roman Recreation & Sports. March 25, 2011. Web. http://www.crystalinks.com/romerecreation.html
“Roman Games.” Welcome to Hadrians! Web. March 26, 2011. http://www.hadrians.com/rome/romans/fun/roman_games.html
Simon, James, Anne Pearson, and Jonathan N. Tubb. Ancient Civilizations. Florida: Family Learning, 1998. Print.
Sims, Lesley. A Visitors Guide to Ancient Rome. Safron Hill, London: Usborne Publishing,1999. Print.
Steele, Philip. Wonders of the World: Colosseum in Rome. Boston, Massachusetts: Kingfisher Publications, 2007. Print.
“The Circus Maximus.” Ancient Rome for Kids. Web. March 25, 2011. http://rome.mrdonn.org/circus.html
“The Circus: Roman Chariot Racing.” Web. March 26, 2011. http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/circus.html
Article by: Casey, Sarah, Taylor, Cole, and Cody
March 29, 2011
XVI. Traders at Home and Abroad
One of the reasons the Roman Empire was strong because, they traded with other empires for items they didn’t have before. Their main trading partners were Spain, France, the Middle East, and North Africa. Farmers would load local produce onto bullock wagons, mule cark, donkeys, and camels and took it to towns. Road travel was very expensive and only luxury goods were taken long distances.
The Romans traded goods throughout their empire. By importing goods from other countries they raised their standard of living and were able to have many luxuries. Spices, perfumes, silk, and cotton came from the mysterious East. Amber, which is fossilized resin, was made into jewelry. Tall pottery jars, called amphorae, were filled with wine, fish sauce, and olive oil for lamps. Trading for these items, it made their empire more fierce and strong.
The Romans traded for a variety of items. They traded with Britain for silver, which they used to make jewelry and coins, and wool, which they used to make clothes. They imported dyes to color their clothes from the southeastern part of their empire and also spices to flavor their food. From the Far East, what is now China, they imported silk to make fine clothing. Cotton and papyrus came from Egypt and exotic and wild animals for gladiator fights came from Africa by sea.
The Romans also imported animals. They imported tigers from Asia, rhinoceroses from North Africa, wolves from Ireland, and bears from Scotland. Roman sailors, who had no navigational instruments, steered across the Mediterranean Sea by looking at the sun, moon, and stars. The Roman sailors’ wide-hulled, wooden ships were often plundered by pirates. This makes it dangerous to sail across the Mediterranean Sea. Pottery was also produced everywhere.
The Romans traded for all different kinds of materials like, beef, corn, glassware, iron, lead, leather, marble, olive oil, perfumes, purple dyes, silk, silver, spices, timbers, tin, wine, and much more. There is evidence of trade from all parts of the empire. This proved trading made the Roman Empire strong and made it last a very long time.
Works Cited
The Romans- Trade Web. March 16, 2011. http://www.historyonthenet.com/Romans/trade.htm
Ancient Rome and Trade Web. March 16, 2011 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ancient_rome_and_trade.htm
Roman Trade Web. March 16, 2011. http://www.hadrians.com/rome/romans/sources/roman trade.html
By Alison, Maclayne, Maddie, Aaron, Alexis, and Aylee
The Romans traded goods throughout their empire. By importing goods from other countries they raised their standard of living and were able to have many luxuries. Spices, perfumes, silk, and cotton came from the mysterious East. Amber, which is fossilized resin, was made into jewelry. Tall pottery jars, called amphorae, were filled with wine, fish sauce, and olive oil for lamps. Trading for these items, it made their empire more fierce and strong.
The Romans traded for a variety of items. They traded with Britain for silver, which they used to make jewelry and coins, and wool, which they used to make clothes. They imported dyes to color their clothes from the southeastern part of their empire and also spices to flavor their food. From the Far East, what is now China, they imported silk to make fine clothing. Cotton and papyrus came from Egypt and exotic and wild animals for gladiator fights came from Africa by sea.
The Romans also imported animals. They imported tigers from Asia, rhinoceroses from North Africa, wolves from Ireland, and bears from Scotland. Roman sailors, who had no navigational instruments, steered across the Mediterranean Sea by looking at the sun, moon, and stars. The Roman sailors’ wide-hulled, wooden ships were often plundered by pirates. This makes it dangerous to sail across the Mediterranean Sea. Pottery was also produced everywhere.
The Romans traded for all different kinds of materials like, beef, corn, glassware, iron, lead, leather, marble, olive oil, perfumes, purple dyes, silk, silver, spices, timbers, tin, wine, and much more. There is evidence of trade from all parts of the empire. This proved trading made the Roman Empire strong and made it last a very long time.
Works Cited
The Romans- Trade Web. March 16, 2011. http://www.historyonthenet.com/Romans/trade.htm
Ancient Rome and Trade Web. March 16, 2011 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ancient_rome_and_trade.htm
Roman Trade Web. March 16, 2011. http://www.hadrians.com/rome/romans/sources/roman trade.html
By Alison, Maclayne, Maddie, Aaron, Alexis, and Aylee
XVII. On the March
The Roman Army shaped the way for future military branches. The Roman Army was broken into units, and ranks were assigned based on performance. The equipment used was considered low tech and they had to use basic materials to make weapons. De Re Militari, written in the 4th century by Flavius Vegetius Renatus, includes a description of the qualifications of the Roman soldier (from the Stout article): "Let, therefore, the youth who is to be chosen for martial tasks have observant eyes, hold his head up, have a broad chest, muscular shoulders, strong arms, long fingers, not too extended a wait measure, lean hams, and calves and feet not distended with superfluous flesh but hard and knotted with muscles. Whenever you find these marks in the recruit, do not be troubled about his height [Marius had set up 5'10 in Roman measurement as the minimum height]. It is more useful for soldiers to be strong and brave than big."
Roman soldiers were hard workers. They had to march 20 Roman miles in 5 summer hours and a fast pace of 24 Roman miles in 5 summer hours carrying a 70 pound backpack. The soldier had to swear to an oath of loyalty and obedience to his commander. In war, a soldier who broke the rules or didn’t carry out the general’s order could be punished by death, even if the action was good for the army. As a Roman soldier, rules were very important.
The Roman army did not begin as the top fighting machine that came to dominate Europe, Asia and Africa. It started like a part time Greek army where farmers would return to their fields after the summer. It changed into a professional organization with long period of service far from home. The Roman general and 7-time consul Marius is thought to be responsible to the change of the Roman army into its professional group. He gave the poorest classes of Romans the opportunity to be career military, gave land to veterans, and changed the composition of the legion. Members of the military were treated with respect and given many opportunities. The Roman army changed over time. The consuls had the power to recruit troops, but in the last years of the Republic, provincial governors were replacing troops without the approval of consuls. This led to legionaries loyal to their generals rather than Rom. Before Marius, recruitment was limited to citizens enrolled in the top 5 Roman classes, but by the end of the Social War (87 BC) most of the free men in Italy were entitled to enlist and by the reign of Caracalla or Marcus Aurelius, it was offered to the entire Roman world. From Marius on, there were between 500-6200 in the legions.
The late Roman armies were supplied with weapons from a system of arsenals made for various cities throughout the empire. The list of imperial officials known as the Notitia dignitatum (ND) (dating from the late 4th to early 5th century) gives the locations of these arsenals (which were under the control of the magister officiorum) and the types of weapons and equipment manufactured at each one. The listings for Italy and Gaul are as follows:
Arsenals In Italy
Arrows at Concordia
Shields and weapons at Verona
Cuirasses (loricae) at Mantua
Shields at Cremona
Bows at Ticinum
Swords (spathae) at Luca
Arsenals in the Gauls
All weapons at Argenton
Arrows at Macon
Cuirasses, ballistae and suits of armor for the heavy cavalry known as clibanarii at Autun
Shields at Autun
[text corrupt] at Soissons
Swords at Rheims
Shields at Trier
Ballistae at Trier
Swords and shields at Amiens
In the early centuries of the empire, archers were usually recruited as auxiliaries from Syria, North Africa and other places in the Middle East which had lots of experience with archery. By the late empire, archers were being trained all over the place. By the 5th century, there were also numerous Roman cavalry regiments trained to use the bow either as their primary weapon or as an addition to their swords and lances.
In order to protect the soldier, every soldier was equipped with basic defensive and offensive equipment. All clothing was military standard, so everyone would look uniform. There were three basic defensive tools used to prevent attack. The Lorica, also known as the breastplate, was built to withstand frontal attack. The Galea, Latin for helmet, was made to prevent crushing blows to the head and face. The most important of the three however was the Scutum. This shield was used to ward off attack in close battle, and utilized for many other protection schemes.
The Roman army not only set the ground work for future military branches across the world, it also gave the Roman people an opportunity for a career with a certain amount of respect. Being involved in the Roman army was hard work and could be very dangerous. The army survived because they had lots of rules that needed to be followed. Although the equipment and weapons they used back then seem pretty low tech, the equipment served to protects the soldiers and the weapons had the ability to kill the enemy. The Roman army was always looking for a few strong and brave men!
Works Cited
From An Article:
“On the March.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
From A Book with an Author:
"Roman Strategy and Tactics from 509 to 202 B. C.", by K. W. Meiklejohn. Greece & Rome, Vol. 7, No. 21. (May, 1938), pp. 170-178.
From A Book with an Author:
"Training Soldiers for the Roman Legion," by S. E. Stout. The Classical Journal, Vol. 16, No. 7. (Apr., 1921), pp. 423-431.
From A Website:
"Roman Army." Wikipedia. Web. 27 March 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_army
Written by: Alberto, Brock, Elias, Max, Alec, and Daniel
March 30, 2011
Roman soldiers were hard workers. They had to march 20 Roman miles in 5 summer hours and a fast pace of 24 Roman miles in 5 summer hours carrying a 70 pound backpack. The soldier had to swear to an oath of loyalty and obedience to his commander. In war, a soldier who broke the rules or didn’t carry out the general’s order could be punished by death, even if the action was good for the army. As a Roman soldier, rules were very important.
The Roman army did not begin as the top fighting machine that came to dominate Europe, Asia and Africa. It started like a part time Greek army where farmers would return to their fields after the summer. It changed into a professional organization with long period of service far from home. The Roman general and 7-time consul Marius is thought to be responsible to the change of the Roman army into its professional group. He gave the poorest classes of Romans the opportunity to be career military, gave land to veterans, and changed the composition of the legion. Members of the military were treated with respect and given many opportunities. The Roman army changed over time. The consuls had the power to recruit troops, but in the last years of the Republic, provincial governors were replacing troops without the approval of consuls. This led to legionaries loyal to their generals rather than Rom. Before Marius, recruitment was limited to citizens enrolled in the top 5 Roman classes, but by the end of the Social War (87 BC) most of the free men in Italy were entitled to enlist and by the reign of Caracalla or Marcus Aurelius, it was offered to the entire Roman world. From Marius on, there were between 500-6200 in the legions.
The late Roman armies were supplied with weapons from a system of arsenals made for various cities throughout the empire. The list of imperial officials known as the Notitia dignitatum (ND) (dating from the late 4th to early 5th century) gives the locations of these arsenals (which were under the control of the magister officiorum) and the types of weapons and equipment manufactured at each one. The listings for Italy and Gaul are as follows:
Arsenals In Italy
Arrows at Concordia
Shields and weapons at Verona
Cuirasses (loricae) at Mantua
Shields at Cremona
Bows at Ticinum
Swords (spathae) at Luca
Arsenals in the Gauls
All weapons at Argenton
Arrows at Macon
Cuirasses, ballistae and suits of armor for the heavy cavalry known as clibanarii at Autun
Shields at Autun
[text corrupt] at Soissons
Swords at Rheims
Shields at Trier
Ballistae at Trier
Swords and shields at Amiens
In the early centuries of the empire, archers were usually recruited as auxiliaries from Syria, North Africa and other places in the Middle East which had lots of experience with archery. By the late empire, archers were being trained all over the place. By the 5th century, there were also numerous Roman cavalry regiments trained to use the bow either as their primary weapon or as an addition to their swords and lances.
In order to protect the soldier, every soldier was equipped with basic defensive and offensive equipment. All clothing was military standard, so everyone would look uniform. There were three basic defensive tools used to prevent attack. The Lorica, also known as the breastplate, was built to withstand frontal attack. The Galea, Latin for helmet, was made to prevent crushing blows to the head and face. The most important of the three however was the Scutum. This shield was used to ward off attack in close battle, and utilized for many other protection schemes.
The Roman army not only set the ground work for future military branches across the world, it also gave the Roman people an opportunity for a career with a certain amount of respect. Being involved in the Roman army was hard work and could be very dangerous. The army survived because they had lots of rules that needed to be followed. Although the equipment and weapons they used back then seem pretty low tech, the equipment served to protects the soldiers and the weapons had the ability to kill the enemy. The Roman army was always looking for a few strong and brave men!
Works Cited
From An Article:
“On the March.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
From A Book with an Author:
"Roman Strategy and Tactics from 509 to 202 B. C.", by K. W. Meiklejohn. Greece & Rome, Vol. 7, No. 21. (May, 1938), pp. 170-178.
From A Book with an Author:
"Training Soldiers for the Roman Legion," by S. E. Stout. The Classical Journal, Vol. 16, No. 7. (Apr., 1921), pp. 423-431.
From A Website:
"Roman Army." Wikipedia. Web. 27 March 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_army
Written by: Alberto, Brock, Elias, Max, Alec, and Daniel
March 30, 2011
XVIII. Roads and Travel
An ancient system of highways linking Rome with its most distant provinces. The roads often ran in a straight line, regardless of obstacles and were efficiently constructed, generally in four layers of materials, the up most layers was a pavement of flat hard stones, concrete, or pebbles set in mortar. Roads were built or rebuilt by the Romans throughout the empire in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Many modern roads are laid out on their routes, and some of the old bridges are still in use.
Their primary purpose was military, as were the waterways surrounding and connecting parts of the Roman Empire to itself and the rest of the known world. The Romans had exceptional nautical technology for their time; however their network of roads, even with the perils of land travel, was unparalleled in convenience and was often the only choice for travel or shipping goods. The Romans were the first civilization to build paved roads, which did not prevent travel during or after inclement weather. Mud or gravel would hinder, if not completely halt many vehicles pulled by animals or other people, not to mention discourage travels on foot.
Roman engineers did not stop with just paving roads. Roads were crowned, they were higher in the middle than on the sides to allow water to run off and they often had gutters for drainage along the shoulders. Their road-building methods were unsurpassed until the invention of the macadam in the 19th century. These technology advantages made travel and the shipment of goods across land much easier.
Works Cited
"Ancient Roman Roads" WWW.AncientRomanRoads.com March 15, 2011
"Roman roads and travel "Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
"United Nations of Roma Vitrix" March 31, 2011. www.unrv.com/culture/roman-roads.php
Written by: Jason, Henry, Justin, Brock, Berry, Taylor, and Owen
March 29, 2011
Their primary purpose was military, as were the waterways surrounding and connecting parts of the Roman Empire to itself and the rest of the known world. The Romans had exceptional nautical technology for their time; however their network of roads, even with the perils of land travel, was unparalleled in convenience and was often the only choice for travel or shipping goods. The Romans were the first civilization to build paved roads, which did not prevent travel during or after inclement weather. Mud or gravel would hinder, if not completely halt many vehicles pulled by animals or other people, not to mention discourage travels on foot.
Roman engineers did not stop with just paving roads. Roads were crowned, they were higher in the middle than on the sides to allow water to run off and they often had gutters for drainage along the shoulders. Their road-building methods were unsurpassed until the invention of the macadam in the 19th century. These technology advantages made travel and the shipment of goods across land much easier.
Works Cited
"Ancient Roman Roads" WWW.AncientRomanRoads.com March 15, 2011
"Roman roads and travel "Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
"United Nations of Roma Vitrix" March 31, 2011. www.unrv.com/culture/roman-roads.php
Written by: Jason, Henry, Justin, Brock, Berry, Taylor, and Owen
March 29, 2011
XIX. Discovering Ancient Rome
Rome was one of the strongest civilizations in human history. When you have an ancient civilization that stretches from North Africa to Scotland and from Portugal to Iraq you will influence many civilizations for thousands of years. But how do we know about the roman civilization? We know because archaeologists find and study all of the things the romans left behind after their mighty empire fell to its knees.
A lot of what we know about Rome is due to the discovery of Pompeii and its sister city Herculaneum. When the largely active volcano Mt. Vesuvius erupted it buried these two cities in burning volcanic ash killing hundreds of people but freezing them in time. It may sound like a horrible form of torture and it was but this rare phenomenon has given us a deep insight to an average day in the life of a roman citizen during the height of the empire. The first unearthing of Pompeii was in 1599 by Domenico Fontana and there have been many more since then.
The lack of moisture, light, oxygen, and human interference has slowed the deterioration rate of the bodies, structures, and artifacts almost complete stop. The petrified food that was cooking at the time of the eruption, or pets that were frozen with their masters, or the art hanging on or part of the walls of the homes. They all teach us about what was popular and what was unique in ancient roman times. Even the positions of where they died can tell us about the last few hours before Vesuvius erupted. Like the story of the Herculaneum boathouses. People thought they could beat the volcano by standing in the water but instead of beating the heat it boiled them alive! This story has been proven by the dozens of skeletons found in several boathouses in the area.
Legend has it that Rome was founded in one of two ways, either by two brothers Romulus and Remus who were raised by a wolf or the hero of the Trojan War Aeneas. Rome the home of the great colosseum, the pantheon, a pyramid (?), and Julius Caesar (the person not the hotel) is an amazing sight with its historic roots and classic Mediterranean style. The coliseum is a very historic place once filled with thousands of people to watch gladiator fights, chariot races, and other forms of entertainment like Christian torture!!! But has also been neglected and used as a city dump for hundreds of years. The pantheon was a public place of worship before Christianity when Rome was polytheistic; it is famous for its marble work, circular skylight, and resemblance to the U.S. capitol building. A quick overhead view would also show an awkward structure rising from the city, a pyramid. When Rome and Egypt were in close contact the citizens of Rome were in a period of “Egyptomania” where they were obsessed with Egyptian style.
Archaeologists from all over the world have worked on ancient roman sites and have been honored to do so. They looked at the things Rome worked on and then were left behind when Rome fell and learned from them.
Works Cited
“Egypt under Rome and Byzantium” Country studies web. March 28, 2011 http://countrystudies.us/egypt/14.htm
“Pompeii” Wikipedia. March 28, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii
Platner, Samuel B. “The Pantheon”
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Pantheon.html
A lot of what we know about Rome is due to the discovery of Pompeii and its sister city Herculaneum. When the largely active volcano Mt. Vesuvius erupted it buried these two cities in burning volcanic ash killing hundreds of people but freezing them in time. It may sound like a horrible form of torture and it was but this rare phenomenon has given us a deep insight to an average day in the life of a roman citizen during the height of the empire. The first unearthing of Pompeii was in 1599 by Domenico Fontana and there have been many more since then.
The lack of moisture, light, oxygen, and human interference has slowed the deterioration rate of the bodies, structures, and artifacts almost complete stop. The petrified food that was cooking at the time of the eruption, or pets that were frozen with their masters, or the art hanging on or part of the walls of the homes. They all teach us about what was popular and what was unique in ancient roman times. Even the positions of where they died can tell us about the last few hours before Vesuvius erupted. Like the story of the Herculaneum boathouses. People thought they could beat the volcano by standing in the water but instead of beating the heat it boiled them alive! This story has been proven by the dozens of skeletons found in several boathouses in the area.
Legend has it that Rome was founded in one of two ways, either by two brothers Romulus and Remus who were raised by a wolf or the hero of the Trojan War Aeneas. Rome the home of the great colosseum, the pantheon, a pyramid (?), and Julius Caesar (the person not the hotel) is an amazing sight with its historic roots and classic Mediterranean style. The coliseum is a very historic place once filled with thousands of people to watch gladiator fights, chariot races, and other forms of entertainment like Christian torture!!! But has also been neglected and used as a city dump for hundreds of years. The pantheon was a public place of worship before Christianity when Rome was polytheistic; it is famous for its marble work, circular skylight, and resemblance to the U.S. capitol building. A quick overhead view would also show an awkward structure rising from the city, a pyramid. When Rome and Egypt were in close contact the citizens of Rome were in a period of “Egyptomania” where they were obsessed with Egyptian style.
Archaeologists from all over the world have worked on ancient roman sites and have been honored to do so. They looked at the things Rome worked on and then were left behind when Rome fell and learned from them.
Works Cited
“Egypt under Rome and Byzantium” Country studies web. March 28, 2011 http://countrystudies.us/egypt/14.htm
“Pompeii” Wikipedia. March 28, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii
Platner, Samuel B. “The Pantheon”
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Pantheon.html
XX. Tributes to Ancient Roman Emperors
Any civilization needs a ruler, an emperor, or some kind of leader. This is how these large groups of people prosper in this world. Even ancient peoples knew this. One ancient civilization that gave birth to many important rulers was ancient Rome. Julius Caesar was one of the first in a long line of distinguished leaders that would rule over Rome.
Before 27 B.C., Rome was a republic. Julius Caesar was a military leader and a dictator who had the senators worried. They were afraid Caesar would become too powerful and change the republic. As a result, they assassinated him. After Caesar’s death, the republic fell apart and his grandnephew, Augustus, took charge. He became the first of many Roman emperors.
After his death, Caesar was deified as Divus Iulius, and Augustus was called “Son of God”. After that, all Roman emperors were treated like gods. In addition, Caesar’s name itself became a title. Not only did succeeding emperors use the title, but the German “Kaiser” and Slavic “Tsar/Czar” are derived from the word Caesar. For 2,000 years after his assassination, there was at least one leader bearing Caesar’s name.
The people of Rome did many things to honor and give tribute to their beloved emperors. Monuments and temples were built and dedicated to the Roman rulers. They created many busts and magnificent sculptures of emperors. The Romans also showed tribute in their daily life by putting the faces of their emperors on coins, much like what we do today.
The Romans actually had quite a few lasting tributes to their rulers, things you probably recognize in your own life. For example, some of the calendar names we use come from ancient Rome. The month “August” was named after Augustus, “July” after Julius Caesar. Famous plays (such as Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar) were written about Roman emperors.
All these tributes and artifacts left behind tell us just how important Emperors were to Ancient Rome.
Works Cited
“Julius Caesar.” Wikipedia Web. 25 March 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar
Personal communication: Mr. Johnson 3/11/11
“Tributes to Emperors”. Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and history. 2002. Print.
Article by: Maya, Hannah, Abby, Sydney, Kane, and Bleau
March 29, 2011
Before 27 B.C., Rome was a republic. Julius Caesar was a military leader and a dictator who had the senators worried. They were afraid Caesar would become too powerful and change the republic. As a result, they assassinated him. After Caesar’s death, the republic fell apart and his grandnephew, Augustus, took charge. He became the first of many Roman emperors.
After his death, Caesar was deified as Divus Iulius, and Augustus was called “Son of God”. After that, all Roman emperors were treated like gods. In addition, Caesar’s name itself became a title. Not only did succeeding emperors use the title, but the German “Kaiser” and Slavic “Tsar/Czar” are derived from the word Caesar. For 2,000 years after his assassination, there was at least one leader bearing Caesar’s name.
The people of Rome did many things to honor and give tribute to their beloved emperors. Monuments and temples were built and dedicated to the Roman rulers. They created many busts and magnificent sculptures of emperors. The Romans also showed tribute in their daily life by putting the faces of their emperors on coins, much like what we do today.
The Romans actually had quite a few lasting tributes to their rulers, things you probably recognize in your own life. For example, some of the calendar names we use come from ancient Rome. The month “August” was named after Augustus, “July” after Julius Caesar. Famous plays (such as Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar) were written about Roman emperors.
All these tributes and artifacts left behind tell us just how important Emperors were to Ancient Rome.
Works Cited
“Julius Caesar.” Wikipedia Web. 25 March 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar
Personal communication: Mr. Johnson 3/11/11
“Tributes to Emperors”. Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and history. 2002. Print.
Article by: Maya, Hannah, Abby, Sydney, Kane, and Bleau
March 29, 2011
XXI. Growing Empire
There were lots of growing empires, and one of them was The Byzantine Empire. In The Byzantine Empire you would think that the largest groups would be of romans. Well they weren’t. Greeks made up the largest group of peoples.
In the Early Empire Augustus began a long era of peace that lasted about 200 years. Many things were built. Like the Colosseum, were they would watch people either die to death or get eaten by lions or bears. Emperor Vespasian began construction of the Colosseum.
From 300-200 B.C the Romans started conquering other places like Greece, and Rome’s Empire started growing. Somewhere 118 A.D it started to get smaller, then it started even growing more! At 390 B.C. what Rome conquered had split apart. That had happened at around 300 B.C-290 A.D.
Under Emperor Trajan, the Roman Empire’s European boundaries were set at The Rhine and Danube Rivers. Those were the two rivers, but the most important element in Rome’s booming economy was agriculture.
Back to paragraph two, one of the reasons that Rome had a booming Empire was because of Julius Caesar. He conquered a lot of places with his army. Until the main people, like Brutus, from Rome started thinking that Julius was so powerful that he was going to try to be a king. Well they didn’t like THAT idea. They didn’t want to go through that all over again. So what they said so Caesar is that to come in Rome WITHOUT his army. Well he came in with his army. Then about 5 guys took him to a river and each one stabbed him to death with a knife. Now since these were politicians who stabbed him they had no experience what so ever. Only one of the many stabs Caesar received was potentially fatal. The theory of his death is that he bled to death.
More on the Growing Empire. In the Roman history, when they had an Empire, they wanted to have a democracy. So they had Emperors instead of kings. They believed having an Emperor was better, When an Emperor died, or was done being Emperor, the EMPEROR had to choose who would be the next Emperor. So if you got stuck with a man that’s kind of insane then you would have to stick with it.
If you had a KING, well this is as simple as it gets. After the father dies, then the son becomes king. When the son dies, then there is thenext king. It just keeps on going on and on and on.
Works Cited:
Dowling, Mike, "Mr. Dowling's Ancient Rome page," http://www.mrdowling.com/702rome.html; October 30, 2004.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History Journey Across Time The Early Ages. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw Hill, 2008 Print
Wikipedia. March, 31st 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome
Article written by: Ruben, Tyler, Garret, Tommy, Frank, Noah, and Matthew.
March 30, 2011
In the Early Empire Augustus began a long era of peace that lasted about 200 years. Many things were built. Like the Colosseum, were they would watch people either die to death or get eaten by lions or bears. Emperor Vespasian began construction of the Colosseum.
From 300-200 B.C the Romans started conquering other places like Greece, and Rome’s Empire started growing. Somewhere 118 A.D it started to get smaller, then it started even growing more! At 390 B.C. what Rome conquered had split apart. That had happened at around 300 B.C-290 A.D.
Under Emperor Trajan, the Roman Empire’s European boundaries were set at The Rhine and Danube Rivers. Those were the two rivers, but the most important element in Rome’s booming economy was agriculture.
Back to paragraph two, one of the reasons that Rome had a booming Empire was because of Julius Caesar. He conquered a lot of places with his army. Until the main people, like Brutus, from Rome started thinking that Julius was so powerful that he was going to try to be a king. Well they didn’t like THAT idea. They didn’t want to go through that all over again. So what they said so Caesar is that to come in Rome WITHOUT his army. Well he came in with his army. Then about 5 guys took him to a river and each one stabbed him to death with a knife. Now since these were politicians who stabbed him they had no experience what so ever. Only one of the many stabs Caesar received was potentially fatal. The theory of his death is that he bled to death.
More on the Growing Empire. In the Roman history, when they had an Empire, they wanted to have a democracy. So they had Emperors instead of kings. They believed having an Emperor was better, When an Emperor died, or was done being Emperor, the EMPEROR had to choose who would be the next Emperor. So if you got stuck with a man that’s kind of insane then you would have to stick with it.
If you had a KING, well this is as simple as it gets. After the father dies, then the son becomes king. When the son dies, then there is thenext king. It just keeps on going on and on and on.
Works Cited:
Dowling, Mike, "Mr. Dowling's Ancient Rome page," http://www.mrdowling.com/702rome.html; October 30, 2004.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History Journey Across Time The Early Ages. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw Hill, 2008 Print
Wikipedia. March, 31st 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome
Article written by: Ruben, Tyler, Garret, Tommy, Frank, Noah, and Matthew.
March 30, 2011
XXII. The Beginnings of Christianity
Christianity began near the beginning of the Roman Empire. This religion was started by the Jews in Israel. These Jews were slaves or poor, but most of the time they were both. So they decided that they wanted hope and created a religion that promised many gains after death. Christianity soon became a leading religions partly because of what happened in the afterlife and the churches were becoming to be important places around the time.
While Christianity became popular, problems became to sprout. The emperor of ancient Rome didn’t like the Idea of Jesus being worshipped and not himself. So he made Christianity banned throughout Rome. If you confessed being Christian (many did) you were punished severely such as death and brutal cruelty. The Roman leaders had many horrible ways of punishing Christians. You could have been burned alive and used as torches at night. Or possibly you could have been covered with animal hide to be eaten by dogs. But the most popular was to be crucified or hung on a cross just like Jesus Christ had been killed. This is when many people were called as martyrs, which means a person who stands for a certain religion when a punishment could mean death.
The Christians had no choice but to worship in secret, which was mostly in underground tombs. In order to celebrate their holidays and not of those of the emperor, they would leave the emperor’s party to celebrate their own. This way they could worship God without being killed or brutally punished. Meanwhile, most Christian’s were being blamed for everything such as burglaries and murdering in Ancient Rome. Some things are so ridiculous that it’s not even fair.
More and more people began to adopt the idea of Christianity. Finally, in 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in Ancient Rome. Christians were allowed the freedom to praise and worship they had wanted for so many years. Soon churches were being built all over the empire. Then, in 391 A.D., the worship of any other gods than the Christians were illegal.
But then the empire was fell in 476 A.D., by this time, Christianity was the main religion of the Roman Empire. Many people blamed the fall of the Roman Empire on the Christians. Maybe they didn’t understand the religion. But the truth was the failings of the culture of the empire that brought them down.
It’s hard to believe that one religion that was banned, killed if praised the lord, and then welcomed into society could have such an impact on such a large empire. And even today it is one of the largest worshipped religions in the entire world.
Works Sited
“Christianity For Kids” History For Kids. Friday March 11th, 2011 http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/religion/christians/christianity.htm
“Spread of Christianity” UNRV Historyhttp://www.unrv.com/culture/spread-christianity.php
Monday, March 14th, 2011
“Christianity’s Effect on Rome” Mr. Sedivy Highlands Ranch History. Monday, March 14th, 2011 http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/r_life.html
Article by: Matt, Alex, Jaci, Haley, Katie, and Krystal
March 29, 2011
While Christianity became popular, problems became to sprout. The emperor of ancient Rome didn’t like the Idea of Jesus being worshipped and not himself. So he made Christianity banned throughout Rome. If you confessed being Christian (many did) you were punished severely such as death and brutal cruelty. The Roman leaders had many horrible ways of punishing Christians. You could have been burned alive and used as torches at night. Or possibly you could have been covered with animal hide to be eaten by dogs. But the most popular was to be crucified or hung on a cross just like Jesus Christ had been killed. This is when many people were called as martyrs, which means a person who stands for a certain religion when a punishment could mean death.
The Christians had no choice but to worship in secret, which was mostly in underground tombs. In order to celebrate their holidays and not of those of the emperor, they would leave the emperor’s party to celebrate their own. This way they could worship God without being killed or brutally punished. Meanwhile, most Christian’s were being blamed for everything such as burglaries and murdering in Ancient Rome. Some things are so ridiculous that it’s not even fair.
More and more people began to adopt the idea of Christianity. Finally, in 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in Ancient Rome. Christians were allowed the freedom to praise and worship they had wanted for so many years. Soon churches were being built all over the empire. Then, in 391 A.D., the worship of any other gods than the Christians were illegal.
But then the empire was fell in 476 A.D., by this time, Christianity was the main religion of the Roman Empire. Many people blamed the fall of the Roman Empire on the Christians. Maybe they didn’t understand the religion. But the truth was the failings of the culture of the empire that brought them down.
It’s hard to believe that one religion that was banned, killed if praised the lord, and then welcomed into society could have such an impact on such a large empire. And even today it is one of the largest worshipped religions in the entire world.
Works Sited
“Christianity For Kids” History For Kids. Friday March 11th, 2011 http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/religion/christians/christianity.htm
“Spread of Christianity” UNRV Historyhttp://www.unrv.com/culture/spread-christianity.php
Monday, March 14th, 2011
“Christianity’s Effect on Rome” Mr. Sedivy Highlands Ranch History. Monday, March 14th, 2011 http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/r_life.html
Article by: Matt, Alex, Jaci, Haley, Katie, and Krystal
March 29, 2011
XXIII. Empire in Decline
No man in the ancient world would ever think that the mighty Roman Empire would ever fall. Like all great empires before them there were flaws that led to down fall of their empire. Some of the flaws that led to the fall of the Roman Empire are bad emperors, weak government, a bad economy and inflation (rapidly increasing prices).
In A.D. 180 the emperor Marcus Aurelius dies. Soon after his death is son Commodus took the title of emperor. Commodus was a cruel emperor and wasted money. Instead of ruling Rome, Commodus preferred fighting as a gladiator instead. In the year A.D. 192 one of Commodus body guards kills him. Soon after Commodus death emperors called the Severans ruled Rome. Much of the emperor’s time was spent on putting down revolts and protecting their borders. The Severans stayed in power by paying the army well. They didn’t notice the growing problems of crime and poverty.
When the last Severan emperor died in A.D. 235 Rome’s government became very weak. For 50 years army generals fought for control. During this time period Rome had 22 different emperors. Many government officials began taking bribes. As problems started to increase talented people started refusing to join the government.
In the A.D. 200s Rome’s economy began to crumble. As the roman government started to weaken, law and order broke down. Roman soldiers and invaders seized and started to destroy fields. Farmers started to grow less food and hunger started to spread across the empire. As the roman economy got worse artisans produced less and shopkeepers lost money. As businesses closed the number of jobs decreased so workers joined the army.
Rome started to suffer from inflation. Inflation in the Roman Empire started when fewer were being paid. With less money coming in the roman government had to come up with a solution for this. The government’s solution for this was to put less gold in each coin so they could have left over gold to make more coins. The reason they did this was to have left over coins to pay their army and government officials. As the citizens of Rome found out that these new coins had less gold they started to lose their value. Many people started using no money at all and started to barter without spending money.
Works Cited
Article By: Gabe,Hunter,Todd,Ty,Eric
In A.D. 180 the emperor Marcus Aurelius dies. Soon after his death is son Commodus took the title of emperor. Commodus was a cruel emperor and wasted money. Instead of ruling Rome, Commodus preferred fighting as a gladiator instead. In the year A.D. 192 one of Commodus body guards kills him. Soon after Commodus death emperors called the Severans ruled Rome. Much of the emperor’s time was spent on putting down revolts and protecting their borders. The Severans stayed in power by paying the army well. They didn’t notice the growing problems of crime and poverty.
When the last Severan emperor died in A.D. 235 Rome’s government became very weak. For 50 years army generals fought for control. During this time period Rome had 22 different emperors. Many government officials began taking bribes. As problems started to increase talented people started refusing to join the government.
In the A.D. 200s Rome’s economy began to crumble. As the roman government started to weaken, law and order broke down. Roman soldiers and invaders seized and started to destroy fields. Farmers started to grow less food and hunger started to spread across the empire. As the roman economy got worse artisans produced less and shopkeepers lost money. As businesses closed the number of jobs decreased so workers joined the army.
Rome started to suffer from inflation. Inflation in the Roman Empire started when fewer were being paid. With less money coming in the roman government had to come up with a solution for this. The government’s solution for this was to put less gold in each coin so they could have left over gold to make more coins. The reason they did this was to have left over coins to pay their army and government officials. As the citizens of Rome found out that these new coins had less gold they started to lose their value. Many people started using no money at all and started to barter without spending money.
Works Cited
Article By: Gabe,Hunter,Todd,Ty,Eric
XXIV. The End of the Western Roman Empire
In 307 AD Rome split into two empires. To some, it was a bad move. Here’s how the Western Roman Empire was destroyed. It was Emperor Augustus’ Idea to split the empire.
Due to a bad economy, It was decided that [by Emperor Augustus] that the western and eastern sides of the roman empires would split. Emperor Augustus would go and be the emperor on the western side because the east side did not like Augustus very much.
The western empire suffered horribly from they change. Anyone that the romans could not understand was called barbarians. The barbarians attacked western Rome and almost burned down the whole city. The holy church was hit, but still stands today.
After the attack, the western empire needed food. They didn’t have enough money to make crops. The eastern empire was doing fine after the split. The western empire needed help from the eastern empire, but the eastern empire needed something in return…
The eastern empire wanted them to get rid of Augustus. They had no choice but to cooperate. Then, the western empire was vulnerable. The barbarians attacked again. The empire wasn’t strong enough to fight back. Thus, the western empire takes a turn for the worst.
Works Cited
"Western Roman Empire". Wikipedia. March 20, 2011.
Written by: Dodge P., Antony F, Johnny M, Josiah W, and Kris L.
March 30, 2011
Due to a bad economy, It was decided that [by Emperor Augustus] that the western and eastern sides of the roman empires would split. Emperor Augustus would go and be the emperor on the western side because the east side did not like Augustus very much.
The western empire suffered horribly from they change. Anyone that the romans could not understand was called barbarians. The barbarians attacked western Rome and almost burned down the whole city. The holy church was hit, but still stands today.
After the attack, the western empire needed food. They didn’t have enough money to make crops. The eastern empire was doing fine after the split. The western empire needed help from the eastern empire, but the eastern empire needed something in return…
The eastern empire wanted them to get rid of Augustus. They had no choice but to cooperate. Then, the western empire was vulnerable. The barbarians attacked again. The empire wasn’t strong enough to fight back. Thus, the western empire takes a turn for the worst.
Works Cited
"Western Roman Empire". Wikipedia. March 20, 2011.
Written by: Dodge P., Antony F, Johnny M, Josiah W, and Kris L.
March 30, 2011
XXV. The Eastern Empire
The Eastern Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire lasted from about 306A.D to 1453A.D. Their land stretched west to Greece, east to the border of Arabia, and south down into Egypt. The total land mass of the Eastern Empire was 1,698,849 sq mile. In this encyclopedia article we will be talking about the capital of the Eastern Empire (Constantinople), their war tactics, kind of religion, government systems, and legacies that they left behind for us after they fell to the Ottomans.
The capital of the Eastern Empire, Constantinople, was also referred to as the Second Rome. Over the years Constantinople has been the capital of the Roman, Latin, and Ottoman Empire. The great city was found by Emperor Constantine I and was made on the already-existing city of Byzantium. Constantinople took over six years to build on the Seven Hills. It was surrounded by water on three sides, leading to a great territory to manage trades. The city contains a mix of both Roman and Greek architecture, forming their own kind of style. In 1453 Constantinople fell to the Ottomans (more about that in the final paragraph).
Instead of going into battles with their neighbors, people in the Eastern Empire would try to resolve their conflicts by peaceful means. In turn the emperors ruled for a long time and governed the empire well. The series of emperors began with Constantine the Great, he ruled from Constantinople and was the first Christian Roman emperor. After Constantine, there were twenty other dynasties that ruled. Until, Emperor Theodosius separated the empire between his two sons and it was never reunited.
People of the Byzantine Empire were Christians. Even though Constantine was the first Christian Emperor, it wasn’t until Theodosius I that Christianity was the sole religion of the empire.
The Byzantine Empire’s government system was a mix of aristocracy and breaucracy which they got from earlier Roman systems.
A few of the different legacies that the empire left behind were the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church which inspired the Greek Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. Also, they developed the Cyrillic script which was very important to preserving much of the Greek works and are used by Eastern European countries today.
During a civil war that lasted for six years, the Ottomans who were mercenaries had set out to conquer Christian cities (hired by John VI Kantakouzenos, they became known in Europe and by the end of the civil war they had defeated most of the Balkans and began to take over the other empires’ territories. On August 14, 1461 the last Roman Empire was taken over.
WorksCited:
“Byzantine Empire.” History-World. Web. 19 Mar 2011. http://history-world.org/byzantine_empire.htm
“Byzantine Empire.” Wikipedia. Web. 14 Mar 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire
“Byzantinism.” Wikipedia. Web. 19 Mar 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantinism
“Chapter 20: Byzantinium.” – The Eastern Roman Empire.” White-History. Web. 19 Mar 2011.
http://www.white-history.com/hwr20.htm
“Eastern Empire.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
“Fall.” Wikipedia. Web. 14 Mar 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire#Fall
Firefly. "How many square miles did the Roman Empire cover?” Answerbag. Web. 14 Mar 2011. http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/759617
Article by Jessica, Heather, Kali, Sarahann, and Griffin
March 24, 2011
The capital of the Eastern Empire, Constantinople, was also referred to as the Second Rome. Over the years Constantinople has been the capital of the Roman, Latin, and Ottoman Empire. The great city was found by Emperor Constantine I and was made on the already-existing city of Byzantium. Constantinople took over six years to build on the Seven Hills. It was surrounded by water on three sides, leading to a great territory to manage trades. The city contains a mix of both Roman and Greek architecture, forming their own kind of style. In 1453 Constantinople fell to the Ottomans (more about that in the final paragraph).
Instead of going into battles with their neighbors, people in the Eastern Empire would try to resolve their conflicts by peaceful means. In turn the emperors ruled for a long time and governed the empire well. The series of emperors began with Constantine the Great, he ruled from Constantinople and was the first Christian Roman emperor. After Constantine, there were twenty other dynasties that ruled. Until, Emperor Theodosius separated the empire between his two sons and it was never reunited.
People of the Byzantine Empire were Christians. Even though Constantine was the first Christian Emperor, it wasn’t until Theodosius I that Christianity was the sole religion of the empire.
The Byzantine Empire’s government system was a mix of aristocracy and breaucracy which they got from earlier Roman systems.
A few of the different legacies that the empire left behind were the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church which inspired the Greek Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. Also, they developed the Cyrillic script which was very important to preserving much of the Greek works and are used by Eastern European countries today.
During a civil war that lasted for six years, the Ottomans who were mercenaries had set out to conquer Christian cities (hired by John VI Kantakouzenos, they became known in Europe and by the end of the civil war they had defeated most of the Balkans and began to take over the other empires’ territories. On August 14, 1461 the last Roman Empire was taken over.
WorksCited:
“Byzantine Empire.” History-World. Web. 19 Mar 2011. http://history-world.org/byzantine_empire.htm
“Byzantine Empire.” Wikipedia. Web. 14 Mar 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire
“Byzantinism.” Wikipedia. Web. 19 Mar 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantinism
“Chapter 20: Byzantinium.” – The Eastern Roman Empire.” White-History. Web. 19 Mar 2011.
http://www.white-history.com/hwr20.htm
“Eastern Empire.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
“Fall.” Wikipedia. Web. 14 Mar 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire#Fall
Firefly. "How many square miles did the Roman Empire cover?” Answerbag. Web. 14 Mar 2011. http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/759617
Article by Jessica, Heather, Kali, Sarahann, and Griffin
March 24, 2011
XXVI. Ancient Roman Influences on the United States
The casual observer of history might wonder how there could be any connection between our American nation and the millenias-old culture of a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. A closer look reveals that there are many ways that the developments of Ancient Rome contribute to the United States today, including our form of government, our public roads and infrastructure, and some of our architecture and art: they all owe a debt of gratitude to the work of Romans 2,000 years ago!
A visit to Washington D.C. would quickly show how our government includes a Senate like that of Rome. This group of law-makers works on a body of written law, not unlike Rome's original set of written laws, The Twelve Tables. Even our trial system, with a jury deciding whether or not an accused person is guilty or innocent, dates back to ancient Rome.
"All roads lead to Rome!" This famous quote has its basis in the very real fact that Rome built almost 250,000 miles of very well-designed roads. Their layered, sloped, paved roads were in use for over a thousand years. They even developed public water and sewer pipe systems in their cities; we use the same basic ideas today.
To see the influence of Roman architecture on the United States, one can look at the grand dome of the United States Capitol Building, or any other majestic, vaulted structure found throughout our nation. Compare the Capitol Building dome to that of the Pantheon in Rome and you will find great similarities. Even the attention to realistic detail found in statues throughout our country can be attributed to the work of ancient Roman artists, who took the advances of the Greeks before them, and added the "warts and all" details we take for granted today.
Whether we look at our government, infrastructure, art, or architecture, the same theme appears in all: a lasting influence of the work of an empire based in the Mediterranean Sea, dating back two millenia!
Works Cited
Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire by Michael Kerrigan. Dorling Kindersley, London: 2001.
"Ancient Rome: from the Republic to the Empire." Courtenay Middle School Library Website. Web. 18 Feb 2011.
http://elibrary.sd71.bc.ca/subject_resources/socials/ancient_rome.htm
“Roads and Travel.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
"Roman Technology." Wikipedia. Web. 18 Feb 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_technology
Article by Mr. Johnson
March 15, 2011
A visit to Washington D.C. would quickly show how our government includes a Senate like that of Rome. This group of law-makers works on a body of written law, not unlike Rome's original set of written laws, The Twelve Tables. Even our trial system, with a jury deciding whether or not an accused person is guilty or innocent, dates back to ancient Rome.
"All roads lead to Rome!" This famous quote has its basis in the very real fact that Rome built almost 250,000 miles of very well-designed roads. Their layered, sloped, paved roads were in use for over a thousand years. They even developed public water and sewer pipe systems in their cities; we use the same basic ideas today.
To see the influence of Roman architecture on the United States, one can look at the grand dome of the United States Capitol Building, or any other majestic, vaulted structure found throughout our nation. Compare the Capitol Building dome to that of the Pantheon in Rome and you will find great similarities. Even the attention to realistic detail found in statues throughout our country can be attributed to the work of ancient Roman artists, who took the advances of the Greeks before them, and added the "warts and all" details we take for granted today.
Whether we look at our government, infrastructure, art, or architecture, the same theme appears in all: a lasting influence of the work of an empire based in the Mediterranean Sea, dating back two millenia!
Works Cited
Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire by Michael Kerrigan. Dorling Kindersley, London: 2001.
"Ancient Rome: from the Republic to the Empire." Courtenay Middle School Library Website. Web. 18 Feb 2011.
http://elibrary.sd71.bc.ca/subject_resources/socials/ancient_rome.htm
“Roads and Travel.” Encyclopedia of Discovery: Science and History. 2002. Print.
"Roman Technology." Wikipedia. Web. 18 Feb 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_technology
Article by Mr. Johnson
March 15, 2011