roman achievements essential question: what were the important contributions of ancient rome?...
TRANSCRIPT
ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTS
Essential Question:What were the important contributions of Ancient Rome?
Warm-Up Question:What are two similarities and two differences between Christianity and Judaism?
ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTSThe Romans developed innovations that are still used today; what made them such influential innovators?
Definition of “INNOVATION”: something new or original (such as an idea, an invention, a device, a method)
ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATIONRome’s location on the
Mediterranean Sea allowed for trade and cultural diffusion
(blending of cultures) with other people and nations
ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Through the cultural diffusion, the Romans were able to borrow the best ideas from other civilizations (especially the
Greeks) and improve upon them
ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
The wealth of the Roman Empire, especially during Pax Romana, enabled the Romans to
promote culture and invention
Roman ArchitectureThe Romans
were tremendously
skilled builders; they
improved upon Greek designs with
two new architectural
features: arches and
domes
Roman Architecture
ARCHES: these are curved structures over an opening that can support its own weight; arches were used to create enormous buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon
Roman Architecture
DOMES: they created vast open spaces and ceilings inside buildings (like the Pantheon) and magnificent exteriors
Roman Architecture
The Romans built arenas (like the famous Coliseum in the city of Rome) so thousands of people could attend “circuses” (entertainments such as gladiator battles)
Roman Architecture
What are three similarities
between the Roman Coliseum and the Georgia
Dome?
During the time of Pax Romana (Roman Peace), Christianity began and spread along the roads and
trade routes of the Roman Empire
Roman Religion
At first, Romans were polytheistic and required people they conquered to show respect for their gods
Roman Religion
Early Christians were persecuted for their beliefs; some sacrificed their lives rather
than change their beliefs and were
honored as martyrs
Roman Religion
This changed when Christianity gained so much popularity that
Roman emperors made it the
Empire’s official religion
Today, Christianity has the most followers of any religion in the world
After it became a legal, official religion in Rome, Christianity spread further and
gained even more converts
Roman Religion
Roman Law
Roman laws were made
by the Senate and then publicly
posted for all to see in displays
called the Twelve Tables
Roman LawThe Roman legal
system included a criminal court system
(with lawyers and juries) so people
accused of crimes could defend
themselves; witnesses could give testimony to tell of what they
saw or heard
Roman law allowed anyone (including the poor and slaves) to accuse others of crimes
Roman Government
In 509 BCE, the Romans
overthrew the last king and set up a new government
called a republic, where the people elect
their leaders
The Romans created this republican system so no one person would gain too much power
Roman Government
They elected a Senate, made up of
300 men, that made laws; they also elected two
consuls, men who commanded the army and ran the day-to-day affairs
of Rome
Roman GovernmentThe Romans’ republican government is very similar to the American government today
Roman GovernmentMatch each description of the U.S.
government to its equivalent in the Roman Republic
American Government1. Voters: The people elect their
government leaders
2. President: Runs the government and enforces the laws passed by Congress
3. Senate: Lawmakers elected by the people; only 2 senators per state, so its a prestigious position
4. House of Representatives: Lawmakers elected by the people; they serve 2 year terms, so it is not as prestigious as the Senate
Roman Republic
A.Consuls
B.Senators
C.Tribunes
D.Citizen Assemblies
Roman Engineering: RoadsThe Romans built the largest and longest-lasting
network of roads in the Ancient WorldAt the height of the Empire, Roman roads stretched
for 56,000 miles and included 29 major highways
Roman Engineering: Roads
At first, the roads were built to move soldiers quickly, but eventually the roads served many people for
many purposes, especially as trade routes
Roman Engineering: AqueductsOne of the Romans’ greatest engineering feats was
channeling water to their cities throughout the Empire
Roman engineers built the aqueducts to move the cold, clear water from springs to towns; sometimes they
would be up to 250 miles long
Roman Engineering: AqueductsSome Roman aqueducts are up and still in use today; one in Spain is 95 feet above the ground and 2388 feet long
Roman LanguageRoman conquest spread their language, Latin, through much of Europe; over time, different regions in Europe
developed their own languages based in Latin
Languages based in Latin are known as
the Romance languages
Roman Language
See how many modern languages come from Latin; try to figure each of the three words in the “Modern English” column
Words in the five major Romance languages often sound alike: for example, the Latin word for liberty,
libertas, translates as liberta in Italian, liberte in French, libertad in Spanish, liberdade in Portuguese,
and libertate in Romanian
???
The Roman Calendar
The Romans began using a
new solar calendar that
borrowed heavily from the
Egyptian calendar and
was improved by scholars from
Alexandria
The Roman CalendarThis new
calendar (called the “Julian
Calendar” after Julius Caesar) had 365 days and one extra
day every fourth year
July was named after Julius because it
included his birthday
The Roman Civil Service
Augustus set up a civil service with skilled and salaried workers to take care of the running of the Empire
Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, created several
systems to help himself
rule the enormous
Roman Empire
The Roman Civil Service
These bureaucrats helped oversee the Empire by keeping track of such operations as grain production,
the roads, mail delivery, and tax collection
The Influence of the Greeks and RomansThe influence that the Greeks and later on
the Romans had on Western civilization cannot be overstated
Many facets of modern American life can be traced back to the innovations of the Greeks
and Romans: things like government, language, religion, law, education, entertainment, literature, art, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, science, buildings, customs,
traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome