CLAS / HIST 1061Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome

Aqueduct of Valens, Istanbul, Turkey

Politics• Republican Democracy:

Elective magistrates; limited terms; checks and balances

•Tri-partite government: (Polybius Bk. 6) Consuls : Senate : Plebeians > President : Supreme Court : Congress

World Empire• Size: 50,000,000

people = 1/5 world populace (compare: Han China 206 BCE – 220 CE)

• Generosity with citizenship: graded citizenship used to encourage cooperation; even slaves gain citizenship

Pax Romana (Roman Peace)

• European Unity / Mediterranean Unity: by 30 BCE Rome controls entire Mediterranean basin (compare: EU = larger land mass / populace, but less control of Mediterranean)

• National unity / Cultural pluralism: Language groups = Greek (Greece, Turkey, Middle East); Semitic (Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic); Celtic (Britain, France, Spain, Turkey); African (Egyptian, Punic, Numidian, Mauretanian); Armenian

• All are “Roman”

Empire of Cities

• Empire of cities: 3,000 cities; 10% of populace; new foundations (Lyons, Paris, London) and ancient cities (Athens, Jerusalem, Alexandria)

• Generators of culture: education; art; entertainment; production; redistribution

Architecture• Arches: Colosseum > Galleria Milano • Forms: Pantheon > Hagia Sophia > Jefferson

Monument ; US Capitals

Architecture• Arches: Colosseum > Galleria Milano • Forms: Pantheon > Hagia Sophia > Jefferson

Monument ; US Capitals

Engineering

• Highway system: paved roads network; bridges• Fresh water: aqueducts; fountains; baths

Engineering

• Highway system: paved roads network; bridges

• Fresh water: aqueducts; fountains; baths

Languages

• Romance languages (descendents of Latin: 690 mil native speakers): Spanish (329 mil native speakers; 2nd most common world language), Portuguese (236 mil; 6th most common), French (68 mil; 11th most common), Italian (32 mil; 18th most common), Romanian (23 mil; 34th most common) + non-native

Languages

• Writing system: Roman letters

Language

• English: 90 percentage of English language from Latin or Greek roots

Literature

• Drama (episode, prelude, persona)

• Novel (prose narrative, travel / adventure, mistaken identity, episodic)

Law

• European law: French Code Civile; German Buegerliches Gesetzbuch

• International law: South and Central America; South Africa; Japan; Vietnam

Time

• 365 ¼ day year; Julian / Gregorian Calendar

Christianity

• Melding of Jewish theology and Greek philosophy

• Spread in unified empire because of atmosphere of religious pluralism; triumph of imperial Christianity