Ancient Rome
-Early Rome
-Famous Places of Rome
-Daily life and entertainment
-The Roman Army
Rev-3/6/08
Rome in the “old days” is Italy
Vocabulary pgs. 1-16
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
GreeksEtruscansLatinsPeninsulaRomePalintine HillCapitoline Hill-
•
•
•
•
The Aenieid
Romulus + Remus
Tiber RiverVia Salaris-Salt
road
• Patres Familiarem
• Senex, Comitia
Curiata
Geography
•
1.
2.
3.
Modern Rome
Southern Italy
Italian peninsula =
683 x 155 miles(at
widest point)
4. Center of Med.basin
5. ¾ = mountainous
-Alps-Northern
-Apennines-N
Spine
of Italy
1. volcanoes
7. Western plains=ideal
farm land
8. Eastern side= drier
9. Rivers = Po, Arno, Tiber
Founding of Rome stories
Two main stories:
1) Virgil- 1st Cent. BC poet
wrote in his Aenid”Romans were descendants of a Trojan
prince (Aeneas)
“Romulus and Remus”
More popular story:
Livy- 1st Cent. B.C.- historian
Romulus and Remus were sons
of war-god Mars, and raised by a
she-wolf until discovered by a
farmer who raises them to manhood.
While deciding where to build a
city they quarrel and Romulus
kills Remus.
Settlement on Palentine Hill
becomes Rome.
Advantages of Rome’s site
geographically
• Overlooks shallow section of Tiber; control
trade
• City located on “Via Salaria” (salt road)
• 16 miles from mouth of river at coast-close
for using the ocean but safely far away
from raiders like pirates
Rome
ROME
Rome
Unlabeled City of Rome
Etruscans
• Came from north of
Latium
• Modern day Tuscany
• Cleared land, drained
marshes, = farmland
• Highly civilized,
artistic, orderly cities
• Wealthy traders with
Med.world
• Fierce warriors
ETRUSCANS
• Etruscan kings
controlled Rome for
close to 70 years.
Under these rulers,
the Romans
developed an
alphabet, and
learned how to use
the arch in building
design.
Etruscan influences in Farming
• Use of fertilizers
• Crop rotation
• Methods of draining
swamps
• Introduced grapes,
olives
Ex. Of canal system
Other Etruscan influences
-Introduced Greek
religion and idea of
“Augury”
-Use of metal for
weapons, tools
-New fashions
-Alphabet 21 letters
adopted to make the
Latin language.
- Eventually 26 to be
basis of our alphabet
- The Etruscan
language not
understood today.
Republican Form of
Government
vocabulary
• Res publica
• Aristocracy
• Patricians and
Plebians
• 2 Consuls
• 300 senators
• 10 tribunes
• Citizen assemblies
•
Political ladder of success:
Assembly of Tribes and
Assembly of Centuries
-Quaestors-Aediles-Praetors-Censors
-Priests
Special occasions:
-Dictator-
The Republic
• Once the Etruscans were
overthrown, Roman leaders
set up a new form of
government =
“Republic”- where citizens
elect their leaders.
• There were two classes of
citizens, PATRICIANS and
PLEBEIANS.
• Patricians came from wealthy
families.
• Patricians formed the bulk of
society, craftspeople,
peasants, etc..
The Forum, a place where the
business of the Republic could be
discussed. The laws of the Roman
republic, "the Twelve Tables", were
displayed in the Forum.
Patricians
•
•
•
•
Patricians = rich landowners –
City house and a country house.
Rich Romans had little furniture/
mainly couches and tables
Banquets
– shellfish, hardboiled eggs, olives,
smoked fish, sweet wine, several
meat courses, desserts, music,
dancing
•
Children of patrician
– own bedrooms, toys, personal
slaves to help with books, play
with, take care of them
•
•
Hairstyles – slaves would do them
Slaves sleep on floor or in
basements
Plebians
• Plebians shared apartment-type buildings
• No bathrooms- chamber pots emptied on
streets.
• Rare to have a kitchen- had to buy food:
typically bread, soup, porridge.
-Very rare to get a meat in their meal.
• Little schooling, followed their parent’s
careers
Government
Post Etruscans- Romans organized “Republic” type of government
• Assembly of Tribes and Assembly of Centuries vote on issues and laws
• Consuls- highest officials
-elected by assemblies
-2 consuls each year
-enforced laws, commanded army during war
• Magistrates- all kinds of officials that assist consuls
- Assembly of Centuries elect them
-Quaestors- census, determine property values,taxes
-Aediles- like a mayor, took care of some public buildings
-Praetors- like a judge- did the trials
-Censors- file names for taxation, conscription, position in Assembly
-Dictator- for emergencies could be elected by senate / 6 month term
/temporarily take place of the consuls
Senate
• Most powerful of the government bodies
• 300 appointed by the 2 consuls
• life terms; originally only patricians, then later included
plebians
• proposed laws(but did not pass them),
• controlled the finances, foreign affairs
• Senate was where the real power of Rome lay
Roman Law
•
•
•
•
•
Very effective law code
laws written down on “12 tablets”
children had to memorize the law
laws changed as empire grew
court records kept throughout empirebecame international law
American Law and Roman Law
• Our laws are largely influenced by Roman
Law
Examples:
1. All citizens equal under the law
2. person is innocent until proven guilty
3. person has a right to know their
accuser
4. person should not be punished for
what he/she believes
The End of the Republic &
The Beginning of the Empire
• The people of Rome
gradually respected their
leaders less and less due
to corruption and other
factors.
• 49 B.C., Julius Caesar, a
Roman general, marched
his army on Rome,
seizing control of the
government, and
declaring himself dictator
for life.
Augustus, or Octavian,
brought a time of peace
to the Roman Empire,
known as the "Pax
Romana
The emperor
Constantine made
Christianity
permissible
in the Roman
Empire c. 313 A.D.
Circus Maximus –
Where the citizens would go to watch chariot races
Colosseum –
where the citizens would go to watch gladiators battle
Pantheon - a temple dedicated to all of the Roman gods
(Jupiter, Juno, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Minerva, Saturn,
Neptune, Pluto, etc.)
Pantheon –modern day view
The City of Rome
•
•
•
•
•
seven hilltops.
Marshy land in between
One million people
1,000,000 people
Police force-during reign of
Augustus – 4,500 police called
“urban cohorts”
Rome’s traffic problems
• -skinny streets
• After Fire of A.D. 64 –
Emperor Nero
• -”Julius Caesar’
redesigned streetswagons” were banned
parallel streets
during daylight hours.
• At night people used
carts to resupply
shops, do work
etc…noise on
cobblestones at
night was terrible.
Some famous places of Rome
City is known for many famous structures.
Including:
• The Circus Maximus
• The Coliseum
• The Roman Forum
• Roman Theaters
The Circus Maximus
The Circus Maximus
• The Circus Maximus was a large chariot track located in the valley
between two of Rome's seven hills. The size of the track was 656
feet wide and 1,969 feet long (Lewis 1980, pg 48). It was developed
in the sixth century A.D. with stands of wood, and it could hold
about 100,000 people. Emperors Titus and Trajan rebuilt it with
concrete at the end of the first century. By the fourth century A.D.,
the stands were expanded to hold up to 350,000 people.
• Chariot races were the most commonly held event at the Circus
Maximus. It was also the site for large attacks on Christians by
wild animals and gladiators.
• Four teams, designated by colors, competed in the races. A race
consisted of seven laps around the track at very high speeds.
Sometimes, as many as twenty races were run in a day. Often a
chariot would collide with another or hit the inside wall adding to the
excitement. Injury or death to a horse or rider was not uncommon.
The Roman Coliseum
• The building of the Roman
Coliseum (Colosseum) was
begun in 72 A.D. by Emperor
Vespasian.
• The dedication ceremony
included the slaughtering of
5,000 animals. That was
followed by 100 days of
games.
• It was named in the Middle
Ages The "Colosseum" after
a large statue of Nero which
used to stand beside it.
The Coliseum (“Amphitheater”)
•
•
•
It is 465 feet long, 386 feet wide and
118 feet high. The foundation of
cement measures 23 feet thick.
Built on the site of an artificial lake
which had to be drained. Some of
those drains are still in use today. (If
those drains were closed the
amphitheater could be flooded for
mock sea battles)
Exterior was made up of three tiers
of arches. The first set of arches were
Doric, the second Ionic, and the third
were Corinthian. The amphitheater
was equipped with 240 masts. On the
masts a large canvas would be
attached which could be a cover for all
the spectators.
The Coliseum
•
The seating in the
Coliseum was divided by
classes.
1.The Imperial court were in
the lower tier.
2. Behind them the
aristocratic families.
3. The next set of seats were
occupied by the
commoners.
4. Finally, women, were
seated at the very top tier.
From most accounts very
few women attended the
events.
It falls into ruins
Gladiator fights were outlawed in 438 A.D. and the last animal show was in 523
A.D.
Part of the wall of the Coliseum was destroyed by an earthquake. The
Coliseum fell into disrepair.
It was scavenged for materials for use in St. Peters, Palazzo Venezia,
Palazzo Barberini, and Plazzo Farnese.
Pope Benedict XIV finally stopped the looting of the arena in 1744 when he
made the site a holy site.
Interior shots of the Coliseum
•
•
•
The main area was made of a removable wooden floor that was covered with dirt
for easy cleanup. Some have suggested that the Romans may have removed the
floor and flooded the area for mock naval battles.
Under the floor was a set of tunnels and holding places for gladiators and wild
animals used for entertainment. Under the floor was a lift system and trapdoors from
which people or animals below could enter the arena.
When the Colosseum opened, 100 straight days of games were held. The Colosseum
was used for large events. For example, in one day, over 5000 animals were killed.
An other day over 1000 gladiators fought in a single afternoon (Lewis 1980, pg 48).
The Roman Forum
• The Roman Forum was the
center of the city and all its
activities. It was a large area
where shops and markets
were set up.
• The government buildings
surrounded the Forum, and it
was there that the Senate of
Rome met.
• Above the Forum was the
Temple of Jupiter, the king of
the Roman gods. Other
temples dedicated to important
gods of the Roman religion
were also located near the
Forum.
Famous Places-questions
-What was the Circus Maximus?
-How many people did it hold at its largest form?
-What kind of materials were used to build it?
-What is another name for Rome’s coliseum?
-What was it used for?
-In what order were the classes of people seated there?
-What were some unusual features of its design? What was
the floor made up of? Did it have a roof?
- What was the Roman Forum?
- What Roman God had a large temple near it?
Roman Entertainment
•
•
•
•
Romans worked from dawn until about
noon ever day of the week. After the
noon hour, and on holidays they often
looked for entertainment.
Free time-go to a public bath, visit the
theater, see a gladiator fight at the
Coliseum or a chariot race at the
Circus Maximus. Most of these events
were free for the common Roman.
In the economic good times of the
empire, wealthy Romans sponsored
the events to gain public prestige.
Later, the cost was picked up by the
government to keep the people of the
city in good spirits.
Seating at many of the events was
segregated by social class. For
example, at the Coliseum seating was
divided by classes. (see previous
slide)
Roman Theaters
•
•
•
•
•
Early theaters were temporary and set
up for specific religious festivals.
One theater held over 27,000 people.
The Theater of Marcellus, was built
around A.D. 12 and held 14,000
people. This theater is still standing.
Unlike the openness of the Greek
stage, the Romans built two or threestory backdrops behind the stage. The
theaters may have had an awning,
which shaded some or most of the
audience.
The Romans borrowed heavily from
the Greeks in both the style and the
content of their plays. Actors wore
masks like in Greek theater and they
and played multiple roles.
They performed tragedies and
comedies written either by the Greeks
or their own playwrights. Actors were
usually slaves or freed slaves,
because acting was not seen as a
respectable career.
Daily Life Questions
• When did the typical work day start and
end?
• What were ways Romans entertained
themselves?
• What were two things Roman theater had
in common with that of the Greeks?
• Who were the actors in Roman theater?
The Roman Army
Characteristics:
• Highly Organized
• Disciplined
• Duty to leaders and
Republic
A chance for another life
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Poor Romans often joined the army.
18 years old, 5 and ½ feet tall
Served for 25 years, then got a
pension. land
Could not marry while in army until
A.D. 197
non-citizens could be in army, serve
25 years then get citizenship, pension
or land
“Legions.” =The basic army unit.
6,000 men; also divided up into
smaller units
35 Legions during Hadrian’s rule
Several different types of soldiers with
different duties, front-line, archers,
engineers, etc..
Legions built most of the roads. They
used them to get from place to place
quickly. Most legions could travel up to
25 miles a day.
Daily life of the soldier
•
•
•
•
•
well-trained, rugged,
Capable of marching 18 miles a
day for several days in full battle
gear
Could do 25 miles in 5 hours
Weapons and gear weighed up to
60 lbs.
Julius Caesar defeated a Gaul
army of 250,000 men with only
50,000 Legionnaires
Roman Forts
•
•
•
•
•
•
A Roman Fort
The Romans developed a system
of forts to guard their frontier.
Some forts were large enough to
hold an entire legion of six
thousand men.
The forts were developed in an
organized design to allow the
soldiers to have quick access to
the surrounding walls. The same
layout was used for the troops
when they were on the move and
made camp for the night.
Around the forts, civilian
settlements often developed.
Fort layout
•
•
•
•
A fort would be set up with a large
ditch around the outer edge. Dirt
from the ditch was used to build a
rampart. On the top of the
rampart, a wooden wall would be
built.
If the Romans planned to make
the fort permanent, a stone wall
would be built to replace the
wood.
The gates would have guard
towers on both sides. The
Romans also dug deep holes and
put in sharpened wooden stakes.
They also would put sharp
branches and timbers in a shallow
ditch to make it difficult for infantry
to approach the walls.
Fort layout (continued)
•
•
•
•
•
Barracks- eleven rooms held a
century (group of eight men)..Best
troops were near the main gate.
Praetorium –The Commander and
his family. (Generals and high
commanders were allowed to
marry in the Roman army.)
Principia- administrative offices of
the fort and where the pay for the
soldiers was stored.
Forts would also have buildings
for blacksmiths, carpenters,
butchers, shoemakers, storage for
grains, and a stable for the
horses.
Outside of each fort, a Roman
style bath was built. It was usually
outside a forts walls because of
the risk for fires.
Army formations and tactics
For an open field conflictInfantry in the middle
Auxiliaries on the right
and left sides.
Cohorts of calvary formed
the rear flanks
Large reserve of infantry
men behind the main
force.
The “Pig’s Head”
• Another formation
was known as the
“pig's head.”
• The infantry was
placed into a wedgeshaped formation and
would push into the
enemy with a wall of
shields.
Square formation
• When surrounded,
the Romans formed a
square formation with
interlocking shields.
The “Tortoise”
• When laying siege to a fort,
they used a formation called
the “tortoise.”
• The soldiers in front and sides
interlocked their shields.
• The soldiers in the back lines
placed their shields over their
heads to form a protective
"shell" over top of the men.
• "It was so strong that (in
training) a chariot could be
driven over the top!" (Williams
2003, pg 28).
• You can see this in a scene in
the movie “The Gladiator”
Other tactics
• The Romans are known to have built
movable towers to capture walled cities.
• They also built dirt ramps to the top of
walls.
• The tortoise formation used by the
infantry was designed for such sieges.
Siege Machines
• Three weapons
developed: onager,
ballista, and catapulta.
-onager
• type of catapult used for
hurling large rocks up to
one thousand feet (three
hundred meters).
Ballista and Catapulta
• The ballista and
catapulta were types
of high-powered
crossbows which
hurled missiles long
distances or pierce
armor.
The Roman Army- Questions
• Your typical Roman soldier had to serve for how many years before
retiring?
• What kind of person was your “typical” Roman soldier?
• What was a “legion?”
• What were two types of “formations” that were used in battle by the
Romans?
• Describe the outer wall of a typical Roman fort.
• Define “barracks,” “Praetorium,” and “Principia.”
• What is the difference between an “onager” and a “ballista?”
• If you had to describe the Roman Army system with one word what
would it be?
Roman Baths
•
•
One of the pastimes in Ancient Rome was going to
the baths. In smaller towns, women scheduled
times during the day when they could use the baths.
Men had the time after work designated for them. In
larger towns, the baths had separate areas for the
men and women to use. The baths were free in
some cases, or very reasonably priced so that most
Romans could have access to them. The city of
Rome itself had over 800 public baths, including 11
very large imperial baths, which held hundreds of
people at the same time. The very wealthy had
private baths in their own homes.
Most baths in Roman times had several common
characteristics. There was a changing room called
an apodyterium where they left their clothes and
took a towel into the bath area. The next room was
a warm room know as the tepidarium. Here they sat
and allowed their bodies to adjust to the
temperature of the next room, the caldarium, which
was know as the hot room. This room was not only
hot but also steamy. These rooms were heated by a
heating system under the floor called a hypocaust.
Here the Romans used an instrument known as a
strigil to scrape off the dirt on their bodies. After this,
they proceeded to the cold room, or the frigidarium,
where they took a quick dip into a cold pool of water
to wash off the rest of the dirt. After their cool dip, a
slave applied scented oils to their bodies. Then the
clean Romans went to a courtyard and socialized.
Fresh water and sewer system
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
City of Rome needed lots of waterDesigned aqueducts to carry water from highlands
to city
Carried more in gallons than what flows today in
New York City (Snedden 1998, pg 28).
reservoirs or redirected mountain streams into the
aqueducts.
The aqueducts = combinations of pipes that either
ran underground or through a cement lined trough,
which would run on top of arch supports.
Tthe Aqua Claudia ". . . built in A.D. 47, supplied
Rome from a source 43 miles (70 km) away. The
source was just 820 ft. (250 m) higher than Rome
itself. This meant that the aqueduct had to drop no
more that 3 ft. (1m) in height for every 920 ft. (280
m) of it's length" (Snedden 1998, pg 26).
The engineers had a gradual slope
The aqueducts would end on the top of one of the
seven hills of Rome. At the ending point, the water
would flow into a distribution basin, which would
have a number of smaller pipes to feed public
baths, fountains, or a few wealthy homes in that
area of the city.
The Romans also developed a sewer system, which
would empty waste from the public bathrooms and
laundries into the Tiber River.
Engineering advancements
•
ARCHES-could build higher and stronger
structures such as the Coliseum. The
Romans extended the idea of the arch
into the “dome.” The Pantheon,
originally a temple to the Roman gods,
was the largest dome built until the
twentieth century.
•
CONCRETE-Less expensive and very strong
material.
- Concrete walls were built by pouring
a footer at the foundation. After the
concrete hardened, they built wooden
scaffolding or supporting framework.
They lined the scaffolding with bricks
and poured the concrete in between.
After that layer hardened, the workers
extended the scaffolding to make the
wall higher.
Homes in Rome
•
Homes- wood- until after great fire of AD 64- then
richer people used concrete.
•
Apartments- Most of the population in of Rome
lived in crowded, multi-story apartment structures
that were as high as five or six stories. In cities,
such as Pompeii, the apartments were only two
stories high since they were less crowded.
The bottom floor of the apartment buildings
often housed shops along the road. The lower
floors were occupied by wealthier Romans, while
poorer Romans lived in the upper floors. Only the
first floor would have running water and under-thefloor heat. Walls on the lower floors were often
made of concrete and brick, while the upper floors
were made of wood. Some of the apartments were
badly constructed and were prone to fires. Those on
the upper floors had very little chance of escaping a
fire. Conditions in the apartments were often
crowded and unsanitary.
Town Houses
Only richest of Romans
-one or two stories tall , no outside windows on the
first floor. Windows were limited for security
purposes and due to the noise and dirt from the
street.
-open-air atrium in the middle.
-Some of the very rich even had their own private
bath area.
•
•
Heating your home
• Two types of heating systems1. Bronze trays called braziers were used
to hold charcoal to heat rooms.
2. A town house was often built with a
central heating system called a
hypocaust. The hypocaust had a fire in
the basement which heated the air below
the floor and spaces in the walls.
Cooking / kitchens
• Apartments– Kitchens were not allowed in many of the apartments
due to being a fire hazards. People living in these
structures would buy their meals from local bars or
takeout places.
• Townhouses– Kitchens in town houses consisted of a counter where
slaves boiled or grilled food over a small fire. Brick
ovens were also used for baking.
Roman marriage
• Marriages often arranged by
the parents.
• The favorite month = June.
• The girl @13 yrs old
• The boy 2-3 yrs older.
• The bride would take her
childhood toys and clothing
and offer them to either the
goddess Venus or to
household gods.
• A pig -sacrificed on the day of
the wedding, and prayers
made to Juno. T
• The father of the bride would
sign the marriage contract and
gifts from the brides family
would be given to the grooms
family.
The role of Fathers
• The Father in the Family
• Families in Rome were paterfamilias. The
father's authority was absolute.
• As long as the father was alive, he controlled all
the property for the children and his wife.
• The father could even go as far as whipping his
children, selling them into slavery, or even killing
them if they did not obey his wishes.
• After the death of the father, the eldest son
would take the role of the head of the family.
The Role of Women
• Women in Roman society were not given much power or
influence. Roman men feared strong queens and female rulers.
• Wealthy women had slaves to do chores. Rich women spent their
time socializing and planning entertainment.
• Few women had it that easy!
• Most women had to do it all: chores, raising children, keeping the
house in order, buying food, spinning yarn, hand making clothes.
• Clothes were handwashed in lye, and hung on bushes to dry. Rich
women had slaves to do it or take it to a “wash store.”
• In countryside- women also made cheese, washed wool
In city- women sometimes worked with their husbands at their craft
stores (if they had one).
-There were some stories of women gladiators.
Roman Children
• Early Roman history father decided if child would
live or be left to die.
• Father chose name for child at day 8 or 9.
• Three names- first is personal name, second
was that of their clan, the last of their family
name.
• Girls – one name in early days, later on a
second family name was the custom.
Schools
• Schools were in the “forum” of a town.
– Children went for 5 years to get basic education.
– Wax tablets, abacus
– strict discipline
• Secondary Schools
– history, astronomy, geometry
– later education learned “rhetoric”- art of discussion
and debate
– Athens became the place for rich kids to go to
Roman meals
• Breakfast= bread and cheese
Lunch = fruit, bread, sometimes meat
Supper= sometimes a 3 course meal
-they loved to spice up their food with pepper and spices
• Meat was for special occasions- not eaten everyday
• Utensils =
-bronze spoons, knives. The rich might have iron ones.
-Forks not used. Ate most food with fingers.
-Rich had tin or metal plates, bowls.
Others used wooden or pottery plates and bowls.
-Dishes cleaned with water, used sand to scrape off food. No soap
used.
Some Roman jobs
•
•
•
•
•
Medicine
Farming
Slaves
Gladiators
Mining
Medicine
•
•
•
•
•
•
Doctors = men
Treated only those who could pay
Average life span of a Roman = 40 yrs
Only 50% of rich children lived to 20th birthday- much less for poor
High infant mortality rate- (why they wait 8-10 days to name them)
Poor nutrition, poor living conditions reasons why plebians live
shorter lives than patricians
• Common childhood sicknesses of today became epidemics back
then
• Doctors = advanced for the time
-cataract surgery, artificial limbs, some brain surgeries, some
medical tools similar to those of today
• Some slaves became accomplished doctors after freedom
Farming
• 90% of people were
connected with farming
• Most work done by slaves
and supervised by other
Romans
• Wheat = major crop.
• Much grain imported from
Africa and Egypt.
– Important to control trade
routes
• Olives and grapes next
major crops
– olive oil
– wine
Slavery
•
•
•
•
Big role in Roman society
Did all the unwanted work
Few rights
Could buy their freedom
sometimes
• Could become slave
holders themselves
• Children of freed slaves
could become citizens
Gladiators
•
“Gladiator” = trained warrior that
fights in contest to entertain the
Romans
- Slaves, prisoners of war
-very expensive to train
-did not all fight to death: thumb up or
down rule
•
3 types:
-samnite, secutor, retiarius
-samnite – heavily armed
- secutor – special helmet,
equipment
-retiarius- trident, and a net
•
Great gladiators could earn freedom
•
The most famous gladiator was
Spartacus, who led a two year slave
revolt against Rome in 73-71 B.C
Mining
•
•
•
•
•
•
Craftsman got their ores from the
efforts of miners
Very dangerous job- slaves, criminals
lowered by rope into deep mine shafts
lots of problems- flooding, cave-ins,
bad fumes
Ores raised to surface with baskets
Many ores imported:
Gold, silver = Spain, Greece
Tin = Britain
Copper= Italy, Spain, Cyprus
•
After the ore was mined, it would be
processed by smiths into gold, copper,
or some kind of metal product.
Stores/shops
• Stores were often located in a
town’s main forum. Other
markets could be connected to
it.
• Shops opened to the street.
The owner slept above it.
• Wooden shutters went down
over the front at night for
security.
• The government set scales,
standards, and had inspectors
• Rome’s main forum had over
150 shops in it.
Roman Roads
• Rome was famous for
its road system.
• Built over 53,000
miles through empire
• You could start in
N.E. Africa, go around
the Mediterranean
Sea, and up into
Rome and never be
off a Roman road.
Roman Road construction
Steps to building a road:
1. surveyed to keep it straight
2. dig 3 feet down, 20 feet across
3. put foundation of gravel and
sand
4. then a level of smaller gravel,
was laid and leveled
5. sides lined with block and
stone
6. top of road then fitted with 5
sided stones laid together
7. roads sloped for drainage
Roman roads
• Stone mile
markers
would be
placed along
the roads to
let travels
know how far
to the next
city or inn.
Rome expands
• 343-290 BC Rome expands its borders
• Latin becomes official language of empire
• Extensive road system built to connect to
Rome
• Roman navy built up to use
The Punic Wars• Rome vs Carthage
-Causes = who will control Mediterranean?
- 3 main wars -off and on between 264146 BC
-Famous generals=
-Rome- Scipio
-Carthage- Hannibal
Hannibal
• known for his military “smarts”
• defeated the Romans in battle
• marched 9,000 miles from Spain to Italy
-lost many men, war elephants etc..
• lost eventually to Scipio at Zarma
• Scipio spared Carthage and Hannibal;
unpopular move with the Roman government
• When Scipio died Hannibal had to flee
eventually committed suicide
Scipio
•
•
•
•
defeated Hannibal
became a censor
184 BC enemies accused him of crimes
retired then died
Pompey
• Powerful general and leader-78-48 BC
• organized and firmed up control of
empire’s lands
Review
• How are the branches of the Roman
Republic and the United States similar and
different?
• List the main officials of Roman
government.
• What are three examples of Roman
principles we have in our legal code
today?
Other Famous Romans
Directions- Use a partner and list main accomplishments,
or notable characteristics for each of the following
leaders:
• Marc Antony• Octavian• Augustus• Caligula• Nero• Hadrian• Marcus Aurelius• Commodus-
Leaders -continued
• Diocletian• Constantine-
Review questions• 1. Discuss who Octavian was and why he
was later named “Augustus.”
• 2. What does the term “Pax Romana”
mean or refer to?
• 3. What does the term “Greco-Roman”
culture mean or consist of?
• 4. What are three Roman engineering
inventions? How do we use them today?
Review continued• 5. What is the emperor Caligula known
during his rule?
• 6. Characterize Nero as a leader?
• 7. What are some of Hadrian’s
accomplishments?
• 8. What is Marcus Aurelius know chiefly
for?
• 9. Discuss how the death of
ended “Pax Romana.”
Review continued• 10. What leader divided the Roman
Empire and why did he feel it necessary?
• 11. Who was Constantine and what are
some of the things he accomplished?
• 12. What connection is there between
Hannibal and Scipio?
• 13. Why do you think that Julius Caesar is
so famous as a leader?
Checks and Balances
• Checks and Balances- when one part of
government “checks” the power of another
part of government.
• Plebians in Assembly of Tribes have 10
men called Tribunes.
-could veto decisions of Senate and
consuls
What were some weaknesses?
• large numbers of officials elected for life
• hard to get new ideas going sometimes
• dictators sometimes would not stop being a
dictator
• power of Senate too much for tribunes to stop
sometimes
• fights between plebians and patricians led to
civil wars
• Size of empire so great that was very difficult to
lead it effectively