Roman Culture World Studies

Bell Ringer Read Pg (stop at Life in Ancient Rome) As you read, make mental notes of the information presented Have your homework from Tuesday on your desk to be collected

Art and Architecture A lot of the Roman style of art and architecture came from the Greek style In addition to the Greek style, using columns and rectangle buildings, they also used curved shapes, arches, vaults, and domes

Architecture Romans built roads, bridges and aqueducts to help increase and improve the empire 50,000 miles of roads Aqueducts transported water from the source to the city of Rome – about a dozen supplied the city with hundreds more for the rest of the empire

Circus Maximus Location of the chariot races in Rome

Palentine Hill Location Romulus selected for the city of Rome

The Roman Forum Location of the Roman Government and other important civic structures

Temple of Caesar

House of Vesta Vesta was the goddess of fire – as long as the flame continued to burn, civilization as the Romans knew it, would continue Six pure women were chosen to keep the flame going They had no family but they had a high standing in society But if they let the flame die, they would be beaten

The Colossium also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre it was built during the Flavian Dynasty Construction started with Vespasian and finished by Titis Largest amphitheater in the world – 50,000 to 80, 000 spectators as used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.gladiatorialpublic spectaclesmock sea battlesanimal huntsClassical mythology

Roman Persecution Christianity differed greatly from the Roman world Initially, Romans paid little attention to the Christians Romans were tolerant of other religions unless that religion threatened public order Christians refused to worship the Roman gods/goddesses Romans viewed this as treason (a crime against the country) and punishable by death

Christian Belief Unlike the Romans, Christians were monotheistic – they believed in only one God If they worshiped the Roman gods, they would be worshiping false gods and endanger their own salvation

Roman Persecution The Roman government began persecuting (harassing to cause suffering) Christians during the reign of Nero ( AD) Nero blamed the Christians for the fire that destroyed Rome He subjected them to cruel deaths – feed them to the lions, fight gladiators, etc… This persecution continues for over a hundred year

Roman Empire adopts Christianity The persecution of the Christians didn’t stop the spread of the religion, it actually strengthened it Strong clergy (church leaders) helped organize Christianity and spread the word Why did Romans begin to follow Christianity? Christianity appealed to Romans because it was a personal and offered salvation an eternal life to followers – it gave them meaning and purpose of life It had a familiar feeling – similar to other religions Fulfills the need to belong

Exit Slip Complete #2,3,5,6 on Pg 173 Due as you leave class

Bell Ringer What makes people great? Why do great people fail? 3 mins

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire After Marcus Aurelius, the last of the five good rulers, 180 AD, there was period of conflict, confusion, and civil wars From 235 to 284, there were 22 Emperors of Rome These emperors were the head of the military and most died violent death Additionally, The Roman Empire faced invasions from the Persians and Germanic tribes

Economic Trouble for Rome Invasions, civil wars, and plague (epidemic disease) almost caused an economic collapse of the Roman Empire in the 3 rd Century The plague created a shortage of labor – this effected the military and the economy Decline in trade and farming created problems There weren’t enough soldiers, nor money to hire more Germans were hired to fight for the Romans (this was problem because they didn’t understand Roman traditions and had little loyalty to the empire or emperors

Reforms lead to Success At the end of the 3 rd and during the 4 th centuries, Roman saw success because of Diocletian and Constantine They instituted a new government structure, a rigid economic and social system, and a new state religion – Christianity Diocletian thought the empire was too large and he divided the empire into four units, each with a ruler Constantine continued some of Diocletian’s policies and build a new capital (Constantinople – AKA Istanbul, Turkey) that offered protection for the empire to the east

More Economic Problems Both Diocletian and Constantine increased military and civil service, which drained the treasury Since the population was not increasing, taxes couldn’t pay for this expense Money began to loose its value and prices rose (inflation) To combat this inflation, Diocletian and Constantine issued edicts (proclamation that has the force of law) that set wage and price controls and forcing labors to remain in their jobs This meant jobs became hereditary (you did what your father did) Some of these policies worked for a little but they couldn’t sustain long term economic stability

The Fall of the Roman Empire The Roman Empire remained divided, Eastern (Constantinople) and Western (Rome) The Western Roman Empire was under constant pressure from the Germanic tribes The Huns, from Asia, moved into the area and put pressure on the Visigoths The Visigoths moved into the Roman territory and settled down as an allies – they finally revolted in 378 and sacked Rome in 410 The Vandals also sacked Rome in 455 (the term vandalize and vandal come this ruthless tribe)

The Fall of the Roman Empire 476 AD is usually given as the end of the Western Roman Empire – the Eastern Roman Empire thrived at Constantinople for another thousand years) REASONS: Christianity took away the emphasis on military virtues and placed an emphasis on spirituality – lost military edge As more and more non-Italians gained influence, traditional Roman values were lost Lead poisoning from lead water pipes and cups caused a mental decline in the population Plague killed 1/10 the population Rome failed to advance technologically due to slavery Rome could not create a workable political system