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Roman

Civilization

Chapter 9 Objectives

Be able to discuss the cultural achievements

of the Romans and describe the daily lives of

people in Rome.

Explain why the Roman Empire fell and

summarize its legacy in law, government,

language, and the arts.

Describe the rise and cultural

accomplishments of the Byzantine Empire.

Test Preview - Vocabulary

anatomy

Hagia Sophia

Western Roman Empire

Vault

Visigoths

Inflation

Justinian Code

Germanic tribes

Pantheon

Eastern Roman Empire

Test Preview – Things to know

What type of satires did the poet Horace write?

What did the scientist Ptolemy do?

How did Romans honor their gods and goddesses?

What happened when the last Severanemperor died?

What did Diocletian do when he took power?

Test Preview – Things to know

When did Rome fall?

What happened to the Byzantine Empire as time went on?

What did Justinian want to do?

What happened to the Byzantine Empire from A.D. 500 to A.D. 1100?

What did Byzantine writers do?

Test Preview – Essays

Whom did the Romans force

into slavery? How were the

slaves treated?

Why did Rome’s power decline?

Section 1 – Life in Ancient

Rome

The Romans learned from the Greeks but changed what they

borrowed to suit their own needs. The lives of rich and

poor Romans were very different.

Life in Ancient Rome

Romans admired and studied Greek statues, buildings, and ideas. They copied the Greeks but changed things to meet their own needs.

The Romans copied the Greek-style statues for their homes. But where the Greek artists made the humans in their statues look perfect, the Roman statues were more realistic and showed less attractive features.

The also used Greek ideas in their buildings but added features such as arches and domes. Romans came up with the idea of using a row of arches to create a vault.


Romans were the first people to invent and use concrete, a mixture of volcanic ash, lime, and water.

Romans buildings made with concrete still stand today. They include the Colosseum and the Pantheon, a temple built to honor Rome’s gods. The Pantheon’s domed roof was the largest of its time.

Roman authors based much of their writing on Greek works. For example, Virgil drew some of his ideas from Homer’s Odyssey.

One of Romans poets, Horace wrote satires. What is a satire?

Works that poke fun at human weaknesses.


Rome’s historians recorded events of their civilization. The most famous was Livy who wrote his History of Rome about 10 B.C.

Like the Greeks, the Romans enjoyed plays. Roman plays were often based on Greek tragedies and comedies.

The Roman language, Latin, had a big impact on future generations. Latin became Europe’s language for government, trade, and learning until about A.D. 1500. Latin became the basis of many modern European languages, such as Italian, French, and Spanish. Many of the English words that we use today come from Latin as well.


The Greek doctor named Galen brought many medical ideas to Rome. For instance he emphasized the importance of anatomy. What is anatomy?The study of body structure.

To learn about inner organs, Galen cut open dead animals and recorded his findings.

Another important scientist was Ptolemy. He studied the sky and carefully mapped over 1,000 different stars. He also studied the motion of plants. However, he did incorrectly place the Earth at the center of the universe.

Roman engineers built an elaborate system of roads and bridges. They also used advanced engineering to supply their cities with water through the use of aqueducts.


Rome had become one of the largest cities in the ancient world with a population of over a million people. Rome had been carefully planned out as a square with the main roads crossing at right angles. At its center was the Forum. This was an open space that served as a marketplace and public square.

Wealthy Romans lived in large, comfortable houses with a central courtyard called a atrium.

The city of Rome was crowded, noisy, and dirty. People tossed garbage into the streets from their apartments. Most people in the city were poor. They lived in apartment buildings made of stone and wood. Many families had only one room.

Apartment buildings often collapsed because of poor construction. Fire was a danger because people used torches and lamps for lighting and cooked with oil.


To keep the people from rioting, the Roman government provided “bread and circus”. Romans of all classes flocked to chariot races or gladiator contests.

Family life was important to the Romans. Their families were often large and included parents, young children, married children and their families, other relatives, and enslaved servants.

The father, called the paterfamilias, was the head of the household. He had complete control over family members. He could chose who they would marry.

Some paterfamilias made sure that his children were educated. Poor Romans could not afford to send their children to school. Wealthy Romans hired tutors to teach their young children at home. Older boys went to schools while older girls studied reading and writing at home.


Between the ages of 14 and 16, a Roman boy celebrated becoming a man. He would burn is toys as an offering to the household gods. Then he would start wearing a toga. He might also join his families business, become a soldier, or begin a career in government.

Roman women did not become adults until they married. A woman usually wear a long flowing robe with a cloak called a palla.

Women had some rights but were not full citizens. Women did have some voice in their families. Wealthy women could own land, run business, and sell property. They could attend the theater but had to sit in a separate area from the men.


Slavery was a part of Roman life from early times. The use of slave labor grew as the Romans took over more and more territory. Enslaved people had many different jobs.

Many enslaved Greeks were well educated. They served as teachers, doctors, and artisans.

For most enslaved people, life was miserable. To escaped their hardships, enslaved people often rebelled.

In 73 B.C. as slave revolt broke out in Italy. It was led by a gladiator named Spartacus. Under Spartacus, a force of 70,000 enslaved people defeated several Roman armies. The revolt was finally crushed two years later. Spartacus and 6,000 of his followers were crucified.


The ancient Romans worshiped many gods and goddesses. They also believed that spirits lived in natural things like trees and rivers.

Romans gave many Greek gods and goddesses new names. For example, Zeus became Jupiter, and Aphrodite became Venus.

Romans honored their gods and goddesses by praying and offering food. Every house had an alter for this purpose.

As the empire grew, Romans came into contact with other religions. These other religions were allowed as long as they did not threaten the government.


Greek and Roman Gods

Greek God Roman God Role

Ares Mars God of war

Zeus Jupiter Chief god

Hera Juno Wife of chief god

Aphrodite Venus Goddess of love

Artemis Diana Goddess of the hunt

Athena Minerva Goddess of wisdom

Hermes Mercury Messenger god

Hades Pluto God of the underworld

Poseidon Neptune God of the sea

Hephaestus Vulcan God of fire

Section 2 – the Fall of Rome

Rome finally fell when Germanic invaders swept through the

empire in the A.D. 400’s. Roman achievements in government, law, language, and the arts are

still important today.

the Fall of Rome

In A.D. 180 Marcus Aurelius died. His son Commodus became emperor. Commodus was cruel and wasted money. In A.D. 192 the emperor’s bodyguard killed him.

After Commodus was killed, a series of emperors called the Severans ruled Rome. They spent most of their time putting down revolts and attacks on Rome’s borders.

When the last Severan ruler died in A.D. 235, Rome’s government became very weak. For the next 50 years the armies fought each other for control. Rome had 22 different emperors during this time.

Poor leadership was coupled with growing problems of dishonest government officials and civil unrest.

the Fall of Rome

During the A.D. 200’s, Rome’s economy began to fail. As the

government became weaker, law and order broke down. A

plaque also spread that killed one out of every 10 people in

the empire.

Rome also suffered through a period of inflation when

prices for food and other goods increase rapidly. The

money people had used became useless and people began to

barter instead. Barter is the exchange of goods without

using money.

Meanwhile invaders swept into the empire. In the west,

Germanic tribes invaded Roman farms and towns. In the

east, armies from Persia pushed into Rome’s territory.

the Fall of Rome

In A.D. 284 a general named Diocletian became emperor. He

introduced reforms. Diocletian divided the empire into four

parts and named officials to rule over those areas. He tried other

reforms to help the economy. Diocletian’s reforms failed.

When Diocletian retired in A.D. 305, another general named

Constantine took over. He also introduced several reforms to

help the economy. However, the empire continued to decline in

the west. He decided to build a new capital in the east and built

the city of Constantinople. Today Constantinople is called

Istanbul. It is in Turkey between the Mediterranean and Black

Seas.

When Constantine died in A.D. 337 fighting broke out again until

a new emperor called Theodosius finally gained control.

the Fall of Rome

After the death of Theodosius, the empire was divided into two

separate empires. One was the Western Roman Empire, with its

capital in Rome. The other was the Eastern Roman Empire, with

its capital in Constantinople.

As Rome declined, it was no longer able to hold back the

Germanic tribes on its borders. Many different Germanic groups

existed – Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandels, Angles, and

Saxons. They came from the forests and mashes of northern

Europe.

Most of the tribes were in search of better places to raise their

cattle and farm. Some were fleeing from the Huns, fierce

warriors from Mongolia in Asia.

In the late A.D. 300’s the Huns entered Eastern Europe and

defeated the Ostrogoths. The Visigoths feared they would be

next.

the Fall of Rome

The Visigoths asked to be allowed to settle just inside the borders

of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Romans treated the Visigoths

badly and in A.D. 378 they rebelled against the Romans.

They defeated the Romans in the Battle of Adrianople and forced

Rome to surrender land to the Visigoths. Now the Germanic

tribes knew Rome was weak and they invaded. In A.D. 410 the

Visigoth leader Alaric and his soldiers captured and burned

Rome.

Another group, the Vandals invaded Spain and northern Africa.

Later the too captured Rome and spent 12 days stripping

buildings of everything valuable and burning them. From these

attacks came the English word vandalism, which means “the

willful destruction of property.”

the Fall of Rome

In A.D. 476 a Germanic general named Odoacer took control and

overthrew the last Roman emperor named Romulus Augustulus.

This marked the end of the Western Roman Empire.

By A.D. 550, the Western Roman Empire had faded away. Some

Roman beliefs and practices remained. Europe’s new Germanic

rulers adopted the Latin language, Roman laws, and Christianity.

Although the Western Roman Empire ceased to exist, the Eastern

Roman Empire prospered and became known as the Byzantine

Empire.

Our world would be much different today if the Roman Empire

had never existed. Many words in the English language and

many of our ideas about government come from the Romans.

the Fall of Rome

Roman ideas about law, as first written in the Twelve Tables,

are with us today. We believe that all people are equal

under the law and we consider a person innocent until

proven guilty.

Roman ideas about government and citizenship are also

important today. We believe that a republic is made up of

equal citizens is the best form of government.

Roman influence on our culture is also still felt. Our

alphabet is direct descendant of Latin. Scientists, doctors,

and lawyers still use many Latin phrases. Christianity

became one of the major religions in the world.

Many of our modern buildings reflect Roman style

architecture and use a modern day version of concrete.

Section 3 – the Byzantine Empire

As the Western Roman Empire fell, the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire grew rich and powerful.

The Byzantines developed a culture based on Roman, Greek,

and Christian ideas.

the Byzantine Empire

The Eastern Roman, or Byzantine Empire reached a high point in the A.D. 500’s.

The Roman Emperor Constantine had moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to a new city called Constantinople. This city became the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

Constantinople became one of the world’s richest cities. This as due in large part to its location. It lay on the waterways between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea.

Constantinople also sat at the crossroads of trade routes between Europe and Asia. The trade that passed through made the city extremely wealthy.


The Byzantines at first followed Roman ways. Much of their social and political life was based on Roman ideas and laws.

As time passed, the Byzantine Empire became less Roman and more Greek. Most Byzantines spoke Greek and honored their Greek past.

The ideas of non-Greek people, like the Egyptians and the Slavs, also shaped Byzantine live and culture.

All of these cultures blended together to form the Byzantine civilization. Between A.D. 500 and A.D. 1200, they had one of the world’s richest and most-advanced empires.


The Emperor Justinian ruled the Byzantine Empire from A.D. 527 until A.D. 565. He was a strong leader.

Justinian’s wife, the empress Theodora helped him run the empire. She was intelligent and strong-willed, and she helped him choose government officials.

Justinian wanted to reunite the Roman Empire and restore it back to its former glory. During his reign, the Byzantine military conquered most of Italy and northern Africa and defeated the Persians in the east.

However, Justinian conquered too much too quickly. After he died, the empire did not have enough money to maintain an army large enough to hold the territory in the west.


Under Justinian’s rule the empire’s laws were reformed by a group of legal scholars headed by a man named Tribonian.

The new set of simplified laws became known as the Justinian Code. Over the years, the Justinian Code has had a great influence on the laws of almost every country in Europe.

The Byzantine Empire lasted approximately 1,000 years. The Byzantines were highly educated and creative. They preserved and passed on Greek culture and Roman laws to other people.

They gave the world new methods in the arts. They also spread Christianity to the people in Eastern Europe.


Because Constantinople was at the center of so many trade routes, it became very rich. They people of Constantinople were exposed to many different cultures. It also became the center of silk production in the ancient world.

Byzantine leaders supported artists and architects. Constantinople was known for its hundreds of churches and palaces. One of Justinian’s greatest achievements was building the huge church called Hagia Sophia or “Holy Wisdom”.

Inside Hagia Sophia, worshipers could see walls of beautiful marble and mosaics. Mosaics are pictures made from many bits of colored glass or stone.


The family was the center of social life for most Byzantines. Religion and the government stressed the importance of marriage and family life.

Byzantine women were not encouraged to lead independent lives. However, women did have some important rights, thanks toe Empress Theodora.

Some women, who were interested in government and politics served as regents. A regent is a person who stands in for a ruler who is too young or too ill to govern.


Learning was highly respected in Byzantine culture. The government supported higher education.

In Byzantine schools, boys studied religion, medicine, law, arithmetic, grammar, and other subjects. Girls did not usually attend school and were taught at home.

Most Byzantine authors wrote about religion. They stressed the need to obey God and save one’s soul. Byzantine authors copied and passed on the writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Review

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The Rise of Rome

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