The Roman Legacy
Analysis of the influence of
Rome on the world
Adaptation or Advancement
• An adaptation is . . . • An advancement is .
something, such as a
. . a forward step, or
device or mechanism,
an improvement; a
that is changed or
gradual step, or
changes so as to
growth, or
become suitable to a
development
new or special
application or
situation
Art and Architecture
•
•
•
•
•
•
Statues
Dome
Columns
Mosaics
Concrete
Arch
Augustus with
Romulus
Pantheon, 312 AD
The Arch of Titus, 81 AD
The Arch of Constantine, 312 AD
Bas-relief on the Constantine’s Arch
Bas-relief on the Constantine’s Arch
Roman Forum
Trajan’s Column
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Pantheon/9013/Trajan.html
Detail of Trajan’s Column
•
http://ic.ucsc.edu/~langdale/arth134/trajcol.htm
Roman Mosaics
More Mosaics
Coliseum In Rome
Art and Architecture
Adaptations
• Statues
• Columns
• Arch
Advancements
• Mosaic
• Concrete
• Dome
Science and Technology
• Medical knowledge
• Roads and bridges
• Astronomical findings
• Aqueducts
Roman Roads
Road near the Forum and the Tiber river.
Roman Aqueducts
Seine Aqueduct (France)
Segovia Aqueduct (Spain)
Roman Bath
Bath England
Pompeii Bath
Hadrian’s Wall
73 miles across the
south coast of
Britain in 55 BCE
Science and Technology
Adaptations
• Medical
Encyclopedia by
Galen
• Ptolemy’s theory
on earth as the
center of the
universe
Advancements
• Roads – Appian
Way – “ All
roads lead to
Rome
• Aqueducts
Literature
• Lyric Poetry
• Commentaries
• Epic Poetry
• Histories
Lyric Poetry
Ovid – The Art of Love
• You, who for the first time are taking up
arms beneath the standard of Venus, find
out, in the first place, the woman you are
fain to love. Your next task will be to bend
her to your will; your third to safeguard that
your love shall endure. This is my plan, my
syllabus. This is the course my chariot will
pursue; such is the goal that it will
endeavour to attain.
Ovid . . .
• Now, that you still are fancy-free, now is
the time for you to choose a woman and say
to her: "You are the only woman that I care
for." She's not going to be wafted down to
you from heaven on the wings of the wind.
You must use your own-eyes to discover the
girl that suits you. The hunter knows where
to spread his nets in order to snare the stag;
he knows the valley where the wild boar has
his lair. The birdcatcher knows where he
should spread his lime; and the fisherman,
what waters most abound in fish.
Ovid . . .
• As numerous as the ears of corn on
Gargarus, grapes in Methymna, fish in
the ocean, birds in the thickets, stars in
the heavens, so numerous are the
beautiful girls you'll find in Rome:
Venus has made her seat of empire the
city of her beloved Æneas.
And the last of Ovid
• Dinners and banquets offer easy access to
women's favour, and the pleasures of the
grape are not the only entertainment you
may find there; Love, with rosy cheeks,
often presses in her frail hands the amphora
of Bacchus.
• http://www.sacredtexts.com/cla/ovid/lboo/lboo58.htm
Virgil’s Epic poetry
• The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil
in the 1st century BC (between 29 and 19
BCE) that tells the legendary story of
Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy
where he became the ancestor of the
Romans. It is written in dactylic hexameter
(?!).
History - Livy
Book I
c. 1184 Fall of Troy; beginning of Aeneas' wanderings
c. 1176
Aeneas founds Lavinium
c. 1152
Aeneas' son Ascanius founds Alba Longa
c. 1152-753 Period of kings at Alba Longa
753
Traditional date of founding of Rome by
Romulus and Remus
753-509 Period of kings at Rome
c. 753-715 Romulus
c. 715-673 Numa Pompilius
c. 673-642 Tullus Hostilius
c. 642-617 Ancus Marcius
c. 616-579 L. Tarquinius Priscus
c. 578-535 Servius Tullius
c. 534-510 L. Tarquinius Superbus
Livy – Books 2 & 3
• Livy, Book 2
•
509
Foundation of the Republic (consuls replace king);
first treaty with Carthage
c. 506
Horatius Cocles at the Bridge
c. 506
Mucius Scaevola and Cloelia perform acts of heroism
c. 496
Romans defeat Latins at the Battle of Lake Regillus
494
Conflict of the Orders begins (struggle between the
patricians and plebeians)
• Livy, Book 3
•
450
Twelve Tables (Roman laws written down by
committee of 10)
Livy – Book 5
340
Latin War; Latin League dissolved
327-304 Romans fight the Samnites of Central Italy
280-275 Romans defeat Pyrrhus, general helping Greek cities
of Southern Italy
272
Tarentum (in Southern Italy) surrenders to Rome
264
First gladiatorial show at Rome; Roman army enters
Sicily, fights Carthaginians.
264-241 First Punic War (War with Carthage)
227
Sicily and Sardinia are made the first Roman provinces
218-201 Second Punic War (Rome vs. Carthage); Hannibal
invades Italy
202
Roman general Scipio defeats Hannibal at battle of
Zama; Carthage dependent of Rome
202-191 Romans conquer Cisalpine Gaul (= Northern Italy)
197-133 Rome fights wars in Spain
Livy - Book 5 continued
133
Tiberius Gracchus is tribune at Rome; Rome gains
province of Asia
121
Gallia Narbonensis (Southern France) becomes a Roman
province
107-100 Gaius Marius consul 6 times, reforms the army
100
Julius Caesar born
91-88 Rome fights war with its Italian allies (the Social War)
88
Roman general Sulla marches on Rome
83-82 Sulla returns to Rome; civil war
73-71 Spartacus leads slave revolt in Italy
60
First Triumvirate (Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus form
coalition to run government)
59
Livy born in Patavium (Padua) in Northern Italy
58-49 Caesar leads military campaigns in Gaul
49
Civil War between Caesar and Pompey (Caesar defeats
Pompey in 48)
Book 5 - continued
•
47-44 Dictatorship of Julius Caesar; Caesar murdered on the Ides
of March, 44.
43
Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus)
31
Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of
Actium
29
Livy begins to write his history at Rome
27
Octavian takes name of Augustus; "restores the republic"
19
Vergil dies, leaving Aeneid almost complete
27-AD14 Augustus first Roman emperor
9
Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) dedicated at Rome
AD
c. 2
Ovid begins the Metamorphoses
14
Augustus' Res Gestae published after his death
14-37 Tiberius emperor
17
Livy dies in Patavium (Padua)
Commentaries
Caesar’s De bello gallico
• Caesar was a writer and a literary stylist.
Ancient sources list him as a leader of the
puristic style of writing, which was called
the Attic Style, opposed to the more highlywrought and flowery Asiatic Style, of which
Cicero was considered a proponent. Caesar
wrote his Commentaries on the Gallic War
in the year 52-51 B.C., and left unfinished
three books on the Civil War.
Literature
Adaptations
Advancements
• Lyric Poetry of
Ovid
• Epic Poetry of
Virgil
• HistoriesPlutarch and
Livy
• Commentaries
such as
Caesar’s
Commentaries
on the Gallic
Wars
Law
• Law Codes
• Equity under the law
• Trials
• Procedures to follow
• Ability to get rid of
unreasonable laws
Law
Adaptations
• Law Code
• Trials
Advancements
• Equity under
the law
• Procedures
• Unreasonable
laws set aside
Which is the most
significant?
WHY?