Rome and Early Christianity
Section 3
Roman Society and Culture
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Life in Imperial Rome
• Quick Facts: Roman Society
• Rome’s Cultural Legacy
Rome and Early Christianity
Section 3
Roman Society and Culture
Main Idea
The Romans developed a complex society and pioneered
cultural advances that, even today, affect life all over the world.
Reading Focus
• What social and cultural factors influenced life in imperial
Rome?
• What achievements shaped Rome’s cultural legacy to the
modern world?
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Rome and Early Christianity
Life in Imperial Rome
Images of Rome from movies and stories: Gladiators in combat, temples
of marble, soldiers marching to war. What was life really like?
Life for the Rich
• Pax Romana provided
prosperity for many
• Rich citizens
– Had both city, country homes
– Homes had conveniences like
running water, baths
• Wealthy men spent much time
in politics
Public Life
• Public officials not paid; only
wealthy could afford to hold
office
• Roman politicians worked to
perfect public-speaking skills
• Ties of marriage, friendship,
family alliances as important
as common interests for public
officials, political groups
Rome and Early Christianity
Section 3
Life for the Poor
• Nearly 1 million Romans lived in crowded three- or
four-story apartment buildings
• Fire a constant threat
– Torches used for light
– Charcoal used for cooking
• To keep poor from rebelling
– Free food, public entertainment offered
– Two things interested public—bread, circuses
Rome and Early Christianity
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Public Entertainment
Entertainments
• Romans of all classes enjoyed circus, chariot races
• Held in Circus Maximus—racetrack could hold 250,000 spectators
• Also liked theater, mimes, jugglers, dancers, acrobats, clowns
Bloody Spectacles
• Romans enjoyed spectacles in amphitheaters
• Wild animals battled each other and professional fighters
• Gladiator contests most popular, performed in Colosseum for 50,000 people
Public Baths
• Popular places for entertainment
• Romans well aware of importance of bathing, hygiene for health
• Many public baths had steam rooms, meeting rooms, and pools for
socializing
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Rome and Early Christianity
Family
Patriarchal Structure
Education and Religion
• Head of family—paterfamilias,
family father—oldest living male
• Had extensive powers over
other members of family
• Within family structure, virtues
of simplicity, religious devotion,
obedience emphasized
• Adoption important in Roman
society, a way to ensure family
name would be carried on
• Women could do little without
intervention of male guardian,
more freedom in lower classes
• Upper class Romans placed
great value on education
• Parents taught children at
home; wealthy families hired
tutors or sent sons to exclusive
schools to learn Latin, Greek,
law, math, public speaking
• Romans adopted much from
Greek mythology, also from
Egyptians, others
• Each family worshipped local
household gods, penates
• Many worshipped emperor
Rome and Early Christianity
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Signs and Augurs
Worshipping the gods
• Romans believed gods sent signs, warnings
– Came in form of natural phenomena
– Flight of birds, arrangement of entrails of sacrificial animals
• Paid respect to augurs
– Priests who specialized in interpreting signs
– Nothing important undertaken without first consulting augurs
Rome and Early Christianity
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Rome and Early Christianity
Section 3
Contrast
How was life different for rich and poor
citizens in Rome?
Answer(s): Rich—often had two homes and
spent time in politics, women's lives controlled by
guardians; Poor—lived in crowded conditions,
lower-class women had more freedom, often
worked outside the home
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Rome and Early Christianity
Rome’s Cultural Legacy
Although the Western Roman Empire fell in 476, much of Roman
culture continued to influence life for centuries. In fact, we can still see
many of the legacies of the great empire today.
Science and
Engineering
• Romans less
interested in
original scientific
research than in
collecting and
organizing
information
Galen
Other Thinkers
• Physician, AD 100s
• Ptolemy stated
knowledge of
others as single
theory in astronomy
• Wrote volumes
summarizing all
medical knowledge
of his day
• Greatest authority
in medicine for
centuries
• Pliny the Elder
wrote about Mount
Vesuvius
Rome and Early Christianity
Section 3
Practical Knowledge
• Romans practical, tried to apply knowledge gained from science to
planning cities, building water, sewage systems, improving farming
• Roman engineers constructed roads, bridges, amphitheaters, public
buildings, aqueducts to bring water to cities
• Without aqueducts, cities would not have grown as large
Concrete
• Romans developed concrete, with which they built amazing
structures that still stand today
• Roman bridges still span French, German, Spanish rivers
• Roads that connected Rome with provinces still survive today
• Added urban plan to every city they conquered; many still seen today
Rome and Early Christianity
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Architecture and Language
Locations
Advances
• Many examples still seen
throughout southern Europe,
northern Africa, Southwest Asia
• Arch, vault allowed Romans to
construct larger buildings than
earlier societies
• Dominant advances—round
arch and the vault
• Have been used for centuries,
still seen in many countries
Ruins
Beyond Latin
• Ruins of buildings inspired
generations of architects
• Romance languages developed
from Latin
• Michelangelo, Thomas
Jefferson, others
• Spanish, French, Italian,
Portuguese, Romanian
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Rome and Early Christianity
Legacies
English
Literature
• English owes much vocabulary
to Latin
• Technique of satire derived from
Roman authors
• Examples: et cetera, veto,
curriculum
• For centuries, writers have
borrowed from authors like
Virgil
Law
Civil Law Systems
• Romans used system called
civil law, based on written code
• Systems carried to Asian,
African, American colonies
• Adopted by many countries in
Europe after empire fell
• Roman influence still seen in
today’s legal system worldwide
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Summarize
What are some areas in which Rome’s
influence is still seen?
Answer(s): science, engineering, architecture,
language, literature, and law