BELLRINGER: 2/12 AND 2/13
• 1. Pick up the papers by the door.
• 2. Answer the following questions from your reading:
• A) Name an accomplishment of Augustus Caesar (can’t say
he’s the first emperor).
• B) What was at the heart of Roman society?
• C) What does it mean for a society to be patriarchal?
• D) True or False: Roman women had more power than their
Greek counterparts.
• E) How did Roman girls receive their names?
• F) How does the phrase “Bread and Circuses” relate to the
treatment of the lower classes in Rome?
BEFORE WE BEGIN…
• 1. Make the following additions to your ToC:
• Page 95: Notes: Imperial Rome/Contributions of Rome
• Page 96: Primary Source: Pliny the Younger (Pompeii)
• 2. Write down your homework:
• Study for your Pax Romana and Christianity Quiz NEXT
CLASS (2/17 for B-day, 2/18 for A-day)!
• Read pages 158-162 in your textbook.
AGENDA: 2/11 AND 2/12
• 1. Bellringer
• 2. Notebook Quiz
• 3. Notes: Imperial Rome
LIFE IN IMPERIAL ROME
WHAT DOES IMPERIAL ROME INCLUDE?
• Imperial Rome begins with the reign of
Augustus Caesar.
• The Roman Empire will amass an
empire that contains the vast majority
of the Mediterranean world:
• Italian Peninsula
• Gaul
• Parts of modern-day Germany
• Iberian Peninsula
• Balkan Peninsula (incl. Greece)
• Most of Asia Minor
• Syria, Judea, Armenia, Cyprus
• Parts of Egypt and North Africa
THE CONTRIBUTIONS
OF ROME
1. CREATION OF GRECO-ROMAN
CULTURE
• Greco-Roman culture: Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman
• Also referred to as “Classical culture” or “Classical civilization”
• Involved the adaptation of Greek/Hellenistic ideas, designs, etc. by
Romans
• Will experience a rebirth in later history during the Renaissance in the
1500s CE and will continually influence many Western cultures
throughout history
2. ROMAN ENGINEERING
• Romans = practical engineers
• Use of concrete  new designs to
be built
• Roman Roads still used today in
some cases
• Built first large, long-lasting bridges
• Other examples of Roman
engineering:
• Hadrian’s Wall
• Aqueducts, arches, domes
• Hypocausts, sewage systems
3. ROMAN ENTERTAINMENT
• Large gap between rich and poor,
but both rich and poor need forms
of entertainment (for different
reasons, though):
• Rich have leisure time = need
something to do!
• Poor need to be distracted = “Bread
and Circuses”
• Examples of entertainment include:
• Chariot races in the Circus Maximus
(200k)
• Gladiatorial games in ampitheatres
• Colisseum (seats 50k)
• Naval battles at the Piazza Navona
4. PUBLIC HEALTH
• Public baths
• Hypocaust systems
• Public water systems
• Sewage systems
5. ROMAN LAW
• First to study law like science or
philosophy
• See law as its own discipline to
study
• Emphasized fairness to all
• All are equal before the law
• Corrupt governors are
persecuted
• Belief in natural law
• Principle of “innocent until proven
guilty” is from the 12 Tables
6. LANGUAGE
• Latin = main linguistic contribution
• Latin language will be used as the foundations for many Romance
languages
• EX: Mare nostrum “our sea”
• Nosotros in Spanish means “our”
• Mar in Spanish is sea”
7. LITERATURE
• Two most famous authors:
• 1. Virgil
• Wrote Latin literature (The
Aeneid)
• Written in praise of Rome
and its virtues
• 2. Tacitus
• Roman historian (like
Herodotus and Thucydides in
Greece)
• Presented facts accurately
and without bias (“scientific
historian”)
• Wrote the Annals and Histories
8. FINE ARTS
• Realistic sculptures in the classical
style
• Intended for education
• Should be realistic in appearance
• Mosaic art
• Painting
A CASE STUDY IN ROME:
THE CITY OF POMPEII
ABOUT POMPEII:
• Italian city located south of Rome
• Located along the Bay of Naples
• Popular vacation site for the elite
patricians of Rome
• Home to a 20,000 seat arena (half
the size of the Coliseum)
• Town was essentially destroyed in 79
CE, when Mount Vesuvius erupted
• 10,000+ people were likely killed as a
result (including Pompeii’s
population and those in the
surrounding countryside)
LAYOUT OF
POMPEII: