Bellwork
• What factors ultimately caused Rome to
fall? Write down at least 3 causes of the fall
of the Roman Empire.
World History
Section 3, Unit 6
Ancient Rome pt. 5
Objectives
• Identify the cultural characteristics of Rome
• Define “Greco-Roman”
• Describe and analyze how Greco-Roman
culture impacted Western Civilization.
Unity under the Romans
• Under the Roman Empire, hundreds of
territories were brought under a single state.
Each Roman province and city was
governed in the same way and Roman’s were
proud of their ability to rule.
• However, the Romans not only
acknowledged the Greeks, but admired
their leadership in the fields of art,
architecture, literature, and philosophy.
Greece and Rome
• When Rome conquered Greece in 2nd
century B.C., Romans had come to admire
Greek culture.
• Although the Romans conquered the
Greeks, they became assimilated into the
Greek/Hellenistic culture.
Greco-Roman
• The mixing of elements
from Greek, Hellenistic,
and Roman culture
produced a new culture:
Greco-Roman or
“classical” civilization.
Greco-Roman
• Roman artists, philosophers, and writers
did not only copy Greek and Hellenistic
models, but adapted them to their own
purposes.
• Roman art and literature came to convey the
Roman ideals of strength, permanence, and
solidity.
Roman Sculpture
• Romans learned the art of sculpture from
the Greeks. However, while the Greeks
idolized beauty and grace in their sculpture,
the Romans created realistic portraits in
stone.
• Roman art was meant to be practical in
purpose– to educate the masses.
Bas-relief
• The reign of Augustus was a period of great
artistic achievement.
• At that time, the Romans developed a type
of sculpture known as bas-relief (bahrelief).
• In bas-relief, images
are projected from a
flat background.
Roman sculpture used
this style of art to
represent crowds of
people, soldiers in
battle, or landscapes.
Bas-Relief
Notice how the background is
flat and the characters are
carved into it.
Mosaic
• Roman artists were also skilled in the
creating mosaics. Mosaics were pictures or
designs made by setting small pieces of
stone, glass, or tile in the surface. Many
Roman villas (wealthy country homes) had
at least one colored mosaic.
Frescoes
• Romans also excelled in the art of painting.
Most wealthy Romans had bright, large
murals– called Frescoes– painted directly
on the walls.
– Few have survived the test of time.
– Many modern paintings have been found in
Pompeii, the Roman town that was covered in
volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius. The ash has
preserved many of the buildings and works of
art.
Question: Who is this to
the left?
You may be
surprised about who
it is.
Roman Art
• Roman art continued to inspire Western art
throughout the centuries to follow the fall
of Rome.
• Future artists would value the practical
concepts of Roman art and emulate it.
Entire cities, such as the Vatican in Rome,
are almost entirely designed with Roman
influence in mind.
Philosophy
• Romans borrowed much of their philosophy
from the Greeks. Stoicism- the belief that a
divine power controlled the universe and
that people should live in harmony with
natural law- was very influential in Roman
life.
– Stoicism valued virtue, duty, moderation, and
endurance– values that the Romans greatly
admired.
Literature
• In literature, the Romans found inspiration
again in the Greeks.
• Writers used Roman themes and ideas
while following the Greek forms and
models (think epics or dramas).
Literature
• The poet Virgil, for
example, spent 10
years writing the
Aeneid (ih-nee-ihd),
an epic about the
legendary Aeneas.
– While being written
about roman virtues, it
followed the Greek
epics of Homer.
Historical Literature
• Romans were also skilled in writing about
their own history.
• Tacitus (tas-ih-tus), a Roman historian, was
notable among ancient historians because
he presented the facts accurately. He was so
concerned about the Romans lack of
morality during his time that he wrote
about both the good and bad if imperial
Rome.
Question
What was the language the Romans spoke? What languages did their
language influence?
Latin
• Latin remained the language of learning in
the West long after the fall of Rome. It was
the official language of the Roman Catholic
Church into the 20th century.
• Latin was adopted by different peoples and
developed into French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian.
Languages inspired by Latin are called the
“Romance Languages”.
Latin
• However, Latin also influenced other
languages, including English, which a
Germanic language. More than half of the
words in English have a basis in Latin.
Accurate– from Latin “acu-” meaning “sharp”
Grade– from Latin “grad-” meaning “walk, step, or go”
Doctor– from Latin “doc-” meaning “teach”
Direct- from Latin “rect-” meaning “straight”
Architecture
• Visitors from across the empire marveled at
the architecture of Rome.
• The arch, dome, and concrete were all
combined to build spectacular structures,
such as the Colosseum.
• Because Roman architecture was designed
to be practical, they remained popular.
Look carefully at these two
pictures. How are they both
similar?
Thomas Jefferson, inspired by the Romans, began a Roman revival in the
United States in the 18th century. Many large public buildings, such as the U.S.
capitol building (on the left) are inspired by Greco-Roman architecture.
Law
• Rome’s most lasting and widespread
contribution was it’s law. Early Roman law
dealt mostly with the rights of Roman
citizens, but as it grew, they began to
believe that the law should apply equally to
everyone– rich and poor.
• The standards of law were inspired by their
beliefs in common sense and practical
ideas.
Comparison
Roman Laws
Does America have laws like this?
All persons have a right to equal
treatment under the law.
Yes. Americans value equal
protection.
A person is considered innocent
until proven guilty.
Yes. You are not assumed to be
guilty.
The burden of proof lies in the
accuser rather than the accused.
Yes. If someone accuses you of
something, they have to have proof.
A person should be punished
only for actions, not thoughts.
Yes. Freedom of speech applies to
freedom of thought.
Any law that seemed
unreasonable or grossly unfair
could be set aside.
Yes. Some states allow Americans to
vote away laws or they will be
considered unconstitutional.
Principles of Roman Law
• Roman law continued to endure to form the basis of
law in many countries and places influenced by
Europe, including the United States.
• In fact, the use of Roman laws may also explain why
buildings, such as the Supreme Court building, has so
many Grec0-Roman inspired themes:
There are pillars, slanted
roof, and a bas-relief in the
Supreme court building.
Enduring Influence of Rome
• By preserving and adding to Greek civilization,
Rome strengthened the Western cultural
tradition. The world as we know it today may
not be the same had Rome never existed.
• As Rome fell, a new Europe was slowly going to
build itself out of the ashes of Rome. Many of
these new civilizations would not fully
embrace Roman ideals for hundreds of years.
– We will talk about them in more detail in the
future.
Questions
• If you have any questions, please ask now.
Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Of the following three principles of Roman law, pick
which one you think is the most important and why:
(1) equality before the law, (2) innocent until proven
guilty, or (3) unfair laws can be set aside.
Do you think Greek culture would have spread even if
the Romans never existed? Why or why not?
What was Rome’s influence on languages?
What was Greco-Roman civilization?
How was the Roman view of art styles different from
the Greeks (i.e. what did they value differently)?
What are some architectural styles that we still use
today that the Roman’s inspired?
Next Lesson
• We are going to move away from Europe for
the next lesson and discuss the rise of
Islam, including Muhammad, Islamic
beliefs, and the effects of Muslims on
society.