Civilization During the Empire CHW 3M

Roots of European Civilization As the Roman Empire spread, it assimilated and spread all cultures Took the best of each Especially Greek! Philosophy: Epicureanism and Stoicism both big, but by 100AD, Stoicism is the “religion” of the educated Seneca the Younger Condemned immoral upper class (hated luxuries and Roman games) We are giving into the worst part of ourselves! Marcus Aurelius Stoicism reminded him of his duties as Emperor – must live for others

Religion Religions were an important part of Roman culture – kept local peoples happy! Huge Greek influence Gods given Roman names (Zeus = Jupiter, Aphrodite = Venus, Poseidon = Neptune, etc) Ancestor worship becomes big Families offer regular sacrifices to honour/appease ancestors Religious holidays – big deal! 132 days each year were holidays Meant lots of downtime – especially since Romans only worked 6 hours each day! Religious tolerance was big – unless they were subversive Monotheistic religions – especially Judaism and Christianity – regarded as dangerous

Art While Greek art had emphasized harmony, balance and idealism, Roman art featured strength and greatness Architecture Etruscan arches = huge buildings Baths – enormous social structures Aquaducts – could supply 455L per person per day Sculpture Less idealized than Greeks But BIGGER (Constantine’s head = 2.5 meters tall) Idea of GREATNESS

Science Brilliant Engineers Excellent surveying led to excellent roads Like modern highways – raised, with ramps leading on and off Constructed 85,000 km of road – connected everything! Notable Scientists Ptolemy of Alexandria: Concluded that Earth was centre of universe (idea becomes dominant) Galen of Pergamum: Dissected apes to figure out human anatomy and diseases

Literature To the Romans, the most important element of education was rhetoric – speaking and writing persuasively. The masters: Cicero Virgil Horace Ovid These men not only produced important literature, they actually developed the Latin language (like Shakespeare and English) “Even if you have nothing to write, write and say so.” -Cicero

Women In Rome, women were very much respected and had much freedom Shocked the Greeks – (rampant immorality??) Women still had guardians, but light-hearted (much independence) Women shared all aspects of life with men Shopped, worshipped, attended baths, had social visits, watched gladiators, were gladiators! Both boys and girls were educated – some became successful philosophers, businesspeople, professionals Could not vote, but were unofficially powerful (protests, “behind every good man...”) In Roman society, the idea of “family” took on new value Men looked out for family Wives were respected and loved Children were taught to be obedient and respectful

Laws Under the Empire, the legal system emphasized: Equality – All citizens (Patricians or Plebs) given equal justice Tended to protect the weak and poor – lawyers provided for those who could not pay Everyone guaranteed a fair trial (Paul “appealed to Caesar”: “It is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before the accused prisoner has met his accusers face to face, and has the opportunity of defending himself upon the charge laid against him.”) Led directly to modern legal systems Rome’s most enduring achievement???? Laws