Pax Romana & Contributions of Ancient Rome
Essential Questions:
1. What was the Pax Romana?
2. Explain the civil service system in Rome.
3. What is the Pantheon?
4. What are aqueducts?
Pax Romana  period of peace and prosperity known as “Roman peace”, lasted from 27 B.C.E.
to 180 C.E. (207 years)
Economic Impact
- Agriculture was the most important industry (90% farmed)
- Silver coin, the denarius, was used throughout Rome, which made trade
between different parts of the empire easy
- A complex network of roads linked the empire to Persia, southern Russia,
China, etc. and were originally built by military, but goods and culture were
spread because of them
Social Impact
- Family was the heart of Roman society; the eldest man, known as the
paterfamilias, or “father of the family” had power to rule the household,
control property, banish family members, etc.
- Women, both rich and poor, were nearly equal the men
- Upper-class women could own property and attended public baths, plays,
and festivals, but still could not vote
- Lower-class women could be weavers, shopkeepers, or entertainers
- Few children went to school, boys were favored over girls, and poor
children had to work and were generally illiterate
- Slaves were a bigger part of Roman culture than any culture before; they
worked in cities and on farms and many were treated cruelly or forced to be
gladiators
Political Impact
- Augustus stabilized the frontier, glorified Rome with splendid buildings and
created a long-lasting system of government
- He also set up a civil service, which meant that he paid workers to manage
the affairs of government, such as the grain supply, tax collection, and the
postal system
- The Senate still functioned, but the civil servants, drawn from plebeians and
former slaves administered the empire
- The Roman Forum was a central area in which commerce and the
administration of justice took place
Roman Contributions
Art/Architecture
- The Colossuem, a huge arena that could hold 50,000 and hosted gladiators
contests, games, races, animal shows, etc.
- The Pantheon was a temple for all the gods in Rome, had massive columns
and domes, which were typical
- Used bas-relief, where images project from a flat background
- Where also skilled in mosaics, pictures or designs made by setting small
pieces of stone, glass, or tile onto a surface
Technology
- Aqueducts were designed to bring water into cities and towns
- Vast network of roads built of stone, concrete, and sand
Languages
- Latin was the official language of Rome
- Latin influenced French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian which
became known as the Romance Languages
Literature
- Writers used Roman themes and ideas while following Greek forms and
models
- Virgil, a poet, wrote The Aeneid, which was a praise of Rome and Roman
virtues; he believed government was Rome’s most important contribution to
civilization
Religion
- Adopted the Greek gods, but changed their names
- Most important were Jupiter (Zeus) – father of the gods, Juno (Hera) – his
wife, who watched over marriage and women, and Minerva (Athena) – goddess
of wisdom and war
- Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and eventually became the
official religion
Law
- All persons had the right to equal treatment under the law
- A person was considered innocent until proven guilty
- The burden of proof rested with the accuser, not the accused
- A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts
- Any law that seemed unreasonable or unfair could be set aside