THE ROMANS
A case study of how they
have affected our lives
today.
Roman History
People have lived in Italy for a long time, because Italy is
a fairly fertile area, but the time when Rome was
powerful did not begin until after the greatest power of
Egypt and Greece.
On the map you have
been given draw a
climate graph to show
what the weather may
have been like. Use
the data in the table.
Roman history is usually divided into three main periods:
before the rise of Rome, the Roman Republic, and the
Roman Empire. The Empire is usually divided up
according to who was emperor.
Greeks and Egyptians - main powers
Roman Republic 500BC - 30BC
Roman Empire 30BC – 450AD
Ancient Rome was situated on seven hills and its
monumental public buildings - the Colosseum, the Forum
of Trajan, and the Pantheon - made the city the "capital
of the world" under the emperors. But in addition to the
arenas, temples and forums, Rome also had theatres,
basilicas, gymnasiums, baths, taverns, and brothels.
The rich preferred to live on the hills above the teeming
crowds (Rome housed over 1 million inhabitants) and
animals of central Rome.
The poor lived packed into apartment houses near the
centre of the city since there was no public transport.
In the beginning was the census.
Every five years, each male Roman citizen had to
register in Rome for the census. In this he had to declare
his family, wife, children, slaves and riches.
Primarily the census served to count the number of
citizens and to assess the potential military strength and
future tax revenue. Most important, the census
transformed the city into a political and military
community.
The entire concept of Roman life seemed to center
around the city, be this the city of Rome itself or any
other town.
Most countries still have a census today, for many of the
same reasons that the Romans carried them out.
The Romans Society
The Roman population was divided into two groups:
patricians and plebians.
The patricians were the descendants of the most
ancient and powerful families (nobles), they were
landowners and lived in large houses.
Soldier &
Patricians
slave
Plebians
The plebians were mainly peasants who worked the
patricians' land; they lived in apartments and they
had no political rights.
The two classes were quite divided: the patricians
married and did business only with the people of their
class.
Until recently many countries still had a class system; the
ruling or rich people and the working class.
More recently this has been broken down and most
people see themselves as being equal.
Things that were the same in both classes
Family
The family was structured in the same way in both
classes.
The head of the family was the oldest male.
Everybody in one family lived under one roof. Women
had no authority except in the home.
Slaves:
If they could afford it, both classes had slaves to do the
work
Things that were different
Social Life
A wealthy plebeian family and a wealthy patrician family
did not meet socially. Under the kings, it was illegal for a
pleb and a patrician to marry.
In 445 a new law was written that said it was no longer
illegal for plebs and patricians to marry.
Apartment Houses
Many plebians lived in apartment houses called flats.
Some of the apartments were above or behind their
shops.
The Poor, Unsanitary Living Conditions
In the poorer apartment houses, an entire plebeian
family (grandparents, parents, children) might all be
crowded into one room, without running water.
They did not have toilets. They had to use public latrines
(toilets).
Roman clothes
Most people wore tunics as their basic attire.
Over the tunic patrician women wore a stola which was a
length of cloth from the ground to their neck. They may
also wear a shawl in cooler weather.
Patrician men wore a toga over their tunic. This was like
a wide shawl and was wrapped around the shoulders
and body.
Men and women would wear a cloak against the
really cold wet weather,
The Roman Empire
The Roman Army
The Romans managed to conquer so many countries
because they had such a good army. The Emperor used
the army to protect Rome and to control the people it had
conquered. Some soldiers were away from their families
for long periods of time.
Organisation of the Army
The army was organised in a very simple way:
5000 Legionaries (Roman Citizens who were in the
army) would form a Legion.
The Legion would be split into centuries (80 men)
controlled by a Centurion.
The centuries would then be divided into smaller groups
with different jobs to perform.
Roman soldiers had to be tough.
They were expected to march up to 20 miles per day in
line, wearing all their armour and carrying their food and
tents.
Roman soldiers were trained to fight well
and to defend themselves. If the enemy shot
arrows at them they would use their shields
to surround their bodies and protect
themselves, this was known as 'the turtle'.
They fought with short swords, daggers for stabbing
and a long spear for throwing. They also carried a
shield for protection as well as wearing armour.
http://www.oakengates.com/history/roman_army_tactics.htm
A Roman Soldier
Education
Most children did not go to school.
Parents had to pay for their children to go and they
would only teach boys!
Schools were also quite scarce, and were always
built in towns.
Girls and poorer children might be taught to read and
write at home but this was rare.
These children would more likely
have to help their parents at work
from an early age.
Trade
The Romans traded
goods throughout their
Empire. By importing
goods from other
countries they raised
their standard of living
and were able to have
many luxuries.
The Romans used their
network of roads and
also waterways to
transport goods from
one country to another.
The Romans traded
with Britain for silver,
which they used to
make jewellery and
coins, and wool
which they used to
make clothes.
They imported dyes
to colour their
clothes from the
south-eastern part of
their Empire and
also spices to flavour
their food.
From the Far East,
what is now China,
they imported silk to
make fine clothing.
Cotton came from Egypt and exotic and wild animals for
the gladiator fights came from Africa by sea.
Government of Rome
From the time of Julius Caesar, 48BC, Rome and
the Roman Empire was ruled by an Emperor. The
Emperor was wise if he listened to the advice of the
Senate but some chose to be dictators and do what
they wanted rather than follow the Senate's advice.
Government of Rome
Before Julius Caesar took control in 48BC, the Roman
Empire was not ruled by the Emperor but by two consuls
who were elected by the citizens of Rome. Rome was then
known as a Republic.
Government of Rome
• Government in the time of the Republic
• People were divided into different classes. There were
Patricians, Plebians and Slaves.
• Citizens of Rome - Patricians and Plebians met in the
Assembly and voted for consuls, tribunes and
magistrates.
• Women and slaves were not allowed in the Assembly
and could not vote.
Government of Rome
• Consuls
• The citizens of Rome voted for two consuls. They were
elected to serve for one year. It was the Consuls job to
govern Rome. They had to both agree on all decisions.
After they had served their year they were replaced.
They were not allowed to be consuls again for ten years.
Government of Rome
• Magistrates
• The citizens of Rome voted for a number of magistrates.
It was the magistrates job to keep law and order and
also to manage Rome's financial affairs. When
magistrates retired they became senators and attended
the Senate.
Government of Rome
• Tribunes
• The citizens of Rome voted for tribunes. It was the
tribunes job to make sure that the people were treated
fairly.
Government of Rome
• The Senate
• Senators went to the Senate to discuss important
government issues. Senators were retired magistrates
and knew a lot about the government of Rome. It was
the job of the senate to give advice to the two consuls.
When Rome had an Emperor the senate still gave
advice on governing Rome and the Empire.
Questions
1. What is similar to the Assembly in todays government
system?
2. What role is filled in todays government that equates to
the consuls of Roman times?
3. Do we have magistrates today? If so what is their job?
4. Tribunes would be what in todays government?
5. Senators would be known as what in todays
government?
6. Did the Roman system of government have any impact
on how we run our government today? Explain your
answer.