College English 10 Walker The Roman Empire College English 10 Walker

A Brief History The founding of Rome goes back to the very early days of civilization. So old, known as 'the eternal city'. Romans believed that city was founded in 753 BC. Modern historians believe it was 625 BC.

Government Early Rome governed by kings, but after only seven ruled, Romans took power over own city and ruled themselves They had a council known as the 'senate' which ruled over them From this point on note as the 'Roman Republic'. The word 'Republic' comes from the Latin (the language of the Romans) words 'res publica' meaning 'public matters' or 'matters of state‘

A speech in the Roman senate                           A speech in the Roman senate The Senate Job was to advise the kings appointed a consul (head guy), who ruled Rome like a king, but only for one year wise idea, because the consul ruled carefully and not as a tyrant, for he knew he could be punished by the next consul, once his year was up.

Four Classes of People NOBLES: called “patricians” All the real power in Rome lay here EQUESTRIANS: AKA- 'knights' means the “riders” They were given a horse to ride if they were called to fight for Rome. Had to be rich. PLEBIANS: They were free people. They had little say at all. SLAVES: Owned by other people. They had no rights at all.

Julius Caesar Facts Rome's most famous citizen Roman politician and general conquered the vast territory of the Gauls to the north of his province in France In the year 49 BC crossed the river between his province and Italy, called the river Rubicon, and conquered Rome itself which he then ruled as a dictator. His military campaigns also took him to Egypt where he met the famous Cleopatra. His life was ended as he was infamously murdered in the senate in Rome. A month of the year is still named after him and his heirs today, July (after Julius Caesar) Shakespeare wrote a famous play called Julius Caesar about his famous murder (yes- we’ll be reading this!)

Map of Ancient Rome Forum of Julius Caesar Colosseum Circus Maximus

Colosseum The Colosseum was begun by Vespasian was finished by Titus in AD 80. could contain an audience of between 45'000 and 50'000 spectators.

The Colosseum: The arena area today – as seen from the second level up over the present main entrance

Circus Maximus very ancient origin Its basic facilities appear to date back as far as 329 BC Today nothing really remains but the large space, cleared of any modern buildings in the 1930's once was filled by the massive structure which housed as many as 250'000 spectators.

Forum of Julius Caesar Using his booty from conquests of Gaul, Caesar built the Forum Julium undoubtedly Caesar's grand reply to Pompey's theatre, and supplied entertainment begun in 51 BC and completed in 46 BC Once contained not merely a statue of the goddess Venus, but so too of Julius Caesar and his Egyptian lover Queen Cleopatra.

The Census Every five years, each male Roman citizen had to register in Rome for the census. he had to declare his family, wife, children, slaves and riches. Should he fail to do this, his possessions would be confiscated and he would be sold into slavery. Throughout the entire republican era, registration in the census was the only way that a Roman could ensure that his identity and status as a citizen were recognized.

Scribes and Censors Scribes = responsible to compile the list from the census Censors = responsible to scrutinize each man, evaluate his riches and his rank and placing him in his rightful place within the civic hierarchy of Rome (four classes).

Roman Dress clothes needed to be simple                        Stola and Palla                       Stola and Palla                      The Palla Cloak                     Toga                         Priest's Toga clothes needed to be simple only one type of material: Wool, linen was available at times

The Toga The standard dress worn by Roman citizens was the toga for men and the stola for women. Basically it was a large blanket, draped over the body, leaving one arm free. anyone who didn't want to be seen as a slave or a workman in Rome had to be seen in a toga

What was the women’s role? Note this quote from the ancient Cicero: 'Our ancestors, in their wisdom, considered that all women, because of their innate weakness, should be under the control of guardians.‘ Hypothesize the role of women in pairs. How did their role differ from a man’s?

Sources: http://www.roman-empire.net/index.html