By Matthew Ariana Joseph Jalinda

Rome was built on seven rolling hills at a curve. These hills were located near the Tiber River. Also, Rome is located in the middle, of the Mediterranean Sea. These rivers provided a great supply of produce and advanced trade.

Throughout Rome’s existence, there have been many famous people that affected our lives today. The most important one was Jesus, who started Christianity. Another important person was Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was an absolute ruler, meaning that he had all the power. He made some amazing changes to Rome, expanding the Senate and helping the poor by creating jobs through construction of new buildings. Without the rise of Christianity and the rule of Julius Caesar, our world may have been very different.

Rome had a republic, or a balanced government where the people help make choices. Some of our governments were taken from the Romans and adapted. The government had a senate which contained legislative and administrative functions. In a time of crisis, they would higher a dictator, or a leader who had absolute power, commanded the army, and made laws. Dictators were allowed to last for a max of 6 months.

The Romans had a belief in Gods and Goddesses. The Gods and Goddesses were powerful spirits and the Romans believed that they had a humanlike form and individual personalities. They were given Roman names. Also, they believed in Christianity, or the belief in the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus spread his religion from the rich to the poor. He was believed to be the Messiah when, after being crucified, his body disappeared and he went to heaven.

In the Roman families, the eldest man known as the paterfamilias, or “father of the family,” had all the power. The women had become nearly the social equals of men. Upper-class women ran the house and were given respect. Roman women could own property and even testify in court. One bad point was that they were unable to vote since they were supposed to remain in the background. Lower-class women could work jobs like a weaver, a spinner, a shopkeeper, and even a waitress.

During the Pax Romana, or time of no war, trading overflowed and the Romans were at a high point. When the Romans were in need of money since the wealthy had spent it all, they had to start taxing the people. The economy soon suffered from inflation, or when the value of items increase but the value of money drops. Also, the soil had been overworked and lost its fertility. This sent the Romans into a downfall.

The Romans had many great achievements such as the arch, the dome, concrete, and aqueducts. Another famous building they created that is still around today is the Colosseum. Another WONDER that is still used today is the roads. They had sand roads, concrete roads, and sand that connection to all parts of the empire.