ROMANS ROAMED
THE WORLD
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
The Romans ruled the whole
Mediterranean region. They
were the strongest and greatest
nation. Their empire lasted
1,229 years.
Roman Numerals
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The Romans came up with the roman numerals
They used letters from their alphabet to denote the
numbers
There was no numeral for zero
Today, the numerals are rarely used in everyday life
However, we still see them on outlines, clocks,
books to show a new chapter or page numbers
(ex. Romeo and Juliet)
Conversions:
I=1
II = 2
III = 3
IV = 4
V=5
VI = 6
VII= 7
VIII = 8
IX = 9
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M = 1000
The Alphabet
The Roman alphabet, also known as Latin, is what use today many parts of the
world, especially the Western part of the world and Europe, still use today. It
was first introduced by the Latin tribes who founded Rome.
This alphabet evolved from the Greek Cumae
alphabet
The ancient Romans only used 23 letters in their
alphabet (all the letters we use today except 3).
The letters “J,” “U,” and “W” were added
later during the Middle Ages
Almost all of our English words, and from other
European languages today, come from the Roman
alphabet
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The Roman Calendar
Ancient Rome’s Calendar
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Had 10 months
Winter’s 2 months were not included because they
were periods of inactivity
Julius Caesar introduced the idea of the year
consisting of 365.25 days, based on the Egyptian
calendar
He added an extra day every 4 years on the month
of February
He determined that every month to be 30 or 31
days, except for February
February stayed 28 days long because it is
believed that it was sacred to the deities of the
Underworld, who would’ve been mad at any change
to their annual schedule
After Julius died, Quintilis, the 5th month of the year
was renamed Julius in his honor
Our Western calendar that we
use today is based on the
Roman’s calendar. The
months’ names come from
Roman names.
Roman Art
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Sculpture
o Statuary and relief sculptures from
ancient Rome have survived through
the ages more intact than most
paintings
o Made of various materials including
concrete, marble, and bronze
o Subjects included emperors, mythical
characters, battles, and scenes from
everyday life
Roman art was influenced
greatly by the Greeks and
Etruscans
Roman Art (Cont.)
Painting
oCame from ancient villas where the most wealthy Romans lived
oPaintings with Christian subjects also exist
oArt scholars classified paintings into four different styles
1st style: shows how painters copied certain kinds of stone ex.
Marble
2nd style: show entire scenes on the wall, sometimes scenes
from mythical stories
3rd style: shows a single small mythical scene floating in a void
of one color and framed by an architectural structure
4th style: a combination of the first three styles
This is the Ixion Room in the
House of the Vettii in Pompeii.
This painting demonstrates how
the four three styles were used.
Roman Art (Cont.)
Mosaic
oEarly Romans and Etruscans did not use the
mosaics, but examples of Republican mosaics
were found in Roman homes
oImperial Rome used mosaics
ex. A floor mosaic was found in the Baths of
Neptune in Ostia. He is riding a horsedrawn chariot and is surrounded by figures
of men and sea creatures
oEarly Roman Christians made many mosaics to
teach people about their beliefs and stories
ex. In the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in
Ravenna, Christ is shown in a scene as a
shepherd, wearing purple and gold. He’s
holding a cross and has a halo around his
head. A group of sheep sit around him
Concrete/Cement
Concrete/Cement
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Made from tufa volcanic rock
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Replaced the cut-stone construction of the Greeks,
and became the primary building material
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Strong

Could span great distances in molding space
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Did not require skilled labor, therefore was cheaper

Fast to construct
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Baked bricks and marble were used to cover the
surface of the concrete walls

Is considered the Roman contribution most relevant
to the modern world
This tufa rock could
easily be made into
powder, and with some
water, gravel, and
sand, cement.
ARCHITECTURE
•Built to impress and be majestic as well as functional
•First built with timber, then changed to stone and marble
•Took thousands to built the great structures
•Marble was primary building material, used to build almost all buildings
•Dome
Provided large covered public space (ex. Public baths)
Based much of their architecture on domes (ex. Hadrian Pantheon, Baths on
Caracalla)
Today, not used frequently
Used to show elegance in government buildings
•Arch
Adopted form Greeks
Helped the construction of many aqueducts throughout the empire
oex.) Romans used arches to build their bridges, some still survive today
and are still used
Today, arches are seen everywhere
used today to support substantial weight, reducing stress on columns
significantly
Origins of
Roman
architecture
can be
traced to
Etruscans
Examples Of Roman
Architecture
Pantheon (Dome)
Roman Arch
Sports and Entertainment
 Gladiators
•
•
They were professional fighters who fought against other
enemies, wild animals, and slaves
These were fought in front crowds in huge arenas
 Campus
• This was the town where “track and field” was held
• There was foot racing, jumping, archery, wrestling and
boxing
• After, all the participants would jump in the Tiber River
for a bath
Sports and Entertainment (Cont.)
 Circuses
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•
Circuses in Rome are much different than circuses today
In Rome, circuses were arenas where wrestling, races, and
other sports took place
 Chariot Races
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Chariot races were the most popular sports in ancient Rome
There were four different teams; the blues, greens, whites,
and reds. If a charioteer won he became famous throughout
Rome.
Religion
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At first, Romans were pantheists: they believed in spirits
that lived in plants, animals, and in the ground
As Rome become a more powerful Republic, they
started to borrow the Greek religion and worship
Greek gods
Later, Romans adapted the ancient Egyptian goddess,
Isis, to help fertilize their land
Christianity spread across the Roman Empire.
•
Emperors persecuted Christians for refusing to make
sacrifices, which then alienated Christians from Romans
Sanitation In Rome
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Aqueducts
•
An aqueduct is a channel for conducting
water by means of gravity
•
The aqueducts carried water to Rome
form mountain springs as far as 30 miles
away
•
There were eleven aqueducts that carried
water throughout Rome
•
From mountain streams and springs, they
brought about 97 million gallons of water
to Rome each day as far as 57 miles
•
They were used for drinking, washing,
flushing the sewer systems, and filling the
emperor’s fish pond
This is the Cloaca Maxima. Most of the
network of sewers linked to the Cloaca
Maxima. It was Rome’s main sewer built to
drain marshlands between the Palatine and
Capitoline hills.
Sewage System
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•
•
•
•
This system was designed by using the 11 aqueducts
The sewer system was covered by stones
Waste that was flushed from the toilets or latrines
went through a main channel and into a river or
stream
Other waste sources traveled through an intricate
set of channels set up underground
This was an extremely efficient system
Map of Aqueducts and Sewage System
Roads
50 thousand miles of roads connected parts of the Roman Empire
The old and most famous road was the Via Appia, it was more than 350 miles long, 35 ft.
wide, and very straight
Roman roads survived throughout the centuries, long after the fall of the Roman Empire
oex.) the Via Appia was so well built, some parts of it are still in use
Roads through rainy areas had arched surfaces
oThey were higher in the center than the sides
oThis shape let rainwater drain off quickly, so that it didn’t soak in and damage the
pavement
Via Appia
oMost roads had drainage ditches at sides of road
They had a sturdy foundation
o5 ft. thick
o made of packed earth and layers of stone blocks, broken stone, sand, and other
material
oPaved with blocks of cut stone
First to Raise Their Animals
-The climate in
Rome was mild,
Mediterranean
climate.
-The Romans
were the first
people to give
out welfare.
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Romans grew olives, grapes, grain, and
livestock
They produced so much grain, they
don’t need to trade with other nations
as much
They fed their grain to their livestock
Romans raised sheep, goats, and pigs
Greatest Army in the World
The Roman Army conquered all the
nations in the Mediterranean region.
Romans believed they ruled the world,
which was true
Being in the army was a privilege
They had the strongest army, with
their strong weapons and armor.
Its central location was in the
Mediterranean Sea. This allowed Rome
to get control of all the nations in the
Mediterranean, because they were right
in the middle of the nations.
After conquering places, they didn’t make their enemies slaves like other
civilizations had. The Romans made them citizens. This was smart of them,
because it made the newly citizens loyal to Rome.
Army Weapons
Swords
Spatha-could be any sword
•Generally a long sword used in the late 2nd or early
3rd century because it was more efficient than the
gladius
Gladius: a short stabbing sword used for close combat
Onager
•Extremely similar to a catapult
•It had a fixed base and an arm wound in twined hair
•This provided the tension in order to launch the
projectile
•A payload, a projectile, was placed in a small pocket
at the end of the arm
Army Weapons (cont.)
Javelin
•It was a throwing weapon
•It had an iron tip, heavy handle, and it was soft in the middle so it could
travel faster
•Feared because of its accuracy
•Made so that the enemy could not throw it back once it was thrown by the
Romans
Scorpion: worked like a crossbow and threw large javelins
Ballista: a large crossbow-type weapon (6 meters tall) that could hurl 50lbs.
over 500 meters
Battering ram: used to attack gates
•Was swung by two teams on men
Army Armor
Roman armor was designed to protect the
soldier mainly from projectiles like spears,
javelins, arrows, swords, or daggers.
body armor varied depending on rank
and position
Scutum (shield):
Was a curved oval shape
Made from wood, covered with
canvas and leather
Weighed 10kg (about 22lbs.)
Scale armor: a covering of small metal scales
sewn to a fabric backing
Wired together in horizontal rows
Used during the Republic
Chain mail armor: a covering for the chest and
torso of interlinked metal rings
Made the armor flexible and strong, most
weapons couldn’t penetrate it
Used during the Republic and throughout the
Roman Empire
Army Armor (cont.)
Vest: included hooks and ties made out of metal
Belt: holds sword
came with an apron to protect the lower stomach
area
Manica: armguards
Greave: sheet metals protecting the legs
Sandals: made of leather
The soles had iron hobnails to make them last
longer
Helmet: included cheek pieces, head guard, ear
pieces, brow band, and neck guard
Made of bronze
Under the armor, soldiers wore tunics made of wool
Army
Training
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Must state the military oath: “The soldiers swear to perform
with enthusiasm whatever the emperor commands, never to
desert, and not to shrink from death on behalf of the roman
state”
Discipline
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The first thing soldiers were taught to do was march in a line
to keep the army a compact fighting unit
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The Roman soldier had to be able to march 24 miles in 5
hours carrying a 60 lb. pack
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Must practice running so that he could advance on enemy with
greatest speed possible and overtake them
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Long and high jumps were also practiced so they would cross
ditches or scale difficult objects
Soldiers also needed to know how to swim. If their camp was
near water, they would be made to swim.
Taught to use the bow and arrow and javelin: trained soldiers
to throw them with proper aim and force
Soldiers were even trained to throw stones because the
wound stones caused were fatal w/o any loss of blood
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Was a strict system of rewards and
punishments
Order and discipline was maintained in
the army by fear
Sentries who fell asleep was beaten or
stoned to death
Punished with death for desertion, mutiny,
insubordination
Corporal punishment, monetary fine,
added duty, reduction in rank, or
dishonorable discharge from service were
all forms of minor punishments
Practice decimation: execution by
colleagues
 If there was a coward in a Roman
unit, all the soldiers would pick a
straw and whoever got the shortest
straw was killed even if he was not
the coward
Army Tactics
 soldiers were divided into legions that had 5000 men in each legion
• Within the legions, soldiers were divided further into centuries that had 80 men
 intercepting the supplies en route.
• the amount of supplies that could reach the enemy was drastically reduced
 build a wheeled tower higher than the walls, and use that to place the troops on top of the
wall.
• While not attempting to mount the wall, archers could climb to the top of the tower to
increase their range
 The main goal for the Roman army was to cut off their opponent from his resources
• The first method was to destroy the resources themselves
 This gave them more food and also prevented them from falling into their
opponent’s hands
• The second method was the most famous one: the siege
 When the enemy holed up in a city or fort, the army would surround the city and
begin constructing the various parts of their siege arsenal
 they would build another wall around the city, out of range of the archers, to keep
the enemy from escaping.
 They would use onagers to throw stones and spears from safe distances
Government
 Emperors were very important in Roman history even though they weren’t part of
the government in the beginning of the empire

Julius Caesar was also a ruler of Rome, but he ruled as a dictator, not an emperor
Roman Republic
Form of government in which voters elect
officials to run the state
 The Roman Government had 3 branches
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Assembly of Centuries: all members of army: term
of 1 year
The Senate: 100 members, most important and
most powerful branch: their term was for life
Assembly of tribes: 35 tribes, 31 rural 4 urban:
term of 1 year
Credits
By:
Colin Sullivan,
Zane Tatro,
Jack Murphy,
and Cindy Trinh
World History
Mrs. Greenblatt
June 10, 2011
Period 7