Roman Empire 500B.C- 500 A.D Mrs. Birklid Mrs. Turley Ms. Hansen Mr. Kelleher

Art and Architecture: ●Roman’s were master builders ●They built roads, bridges, buildings ●Colosseum- used for entertainment ●The arch- helped to distribute weight, made many of the building feats possible

Central Government: ●Began as a monarchy ●Became a Republic- power in the hands of the citizens, who have the right to vote ●Julius Caesar takes power as Emperor ○ General that had loyalty of the soldiers

Cities: ●Major Cities ○ Rome, Pompeii (Modern Italy), Gades (Spain), Narbo, Massalia (France), Londinium (England) ●Homes of the wealthy in cities were elaborate with many modern conveniences (indoor plumbing) ●¼ of the Roman Empire was made up of the urban poor

Job Specialization: ●Farmers: 90% of the people of the empire were engaged in farming ○ This food would make its way to Rome for trade ●Traders: There was a vast network of trade routes that kept the empire thriving ○ Rome traded with India and China ●Soldiers: The Roman Army was responsible for the conquest of land ○ Soldiers were more loyal to the Generals than the government ●Politicians: The Senate was made up of more than 300 people with a variety of duties

Public Works: ●Because of the vast land of the Roman empire an elaborate network of roads and bridges were needed for trade, military movement, etc. ●Aqueducts brought water to the cities ●Knowledge of bridge building helped the empire expand

Religion: ●Early Roman Religion was polytheistic (worship of multiple gods and goddess) ●As Rome conquered new lands they would acquired the gods and goddess of those areas- this helped those people to assimilate into Roman culture ●Emperor was often worshipped as a god-like figure ●Later Roman Religion was Christian

Social Class: Emperor Senators Generals Wealthy Romans Traders & Farmers Soldiers Gladiators Urban Poor Slaves Women *Education was a key part of most Romans lives

Writing: ●Roman’s had a written language- Latin ●Roman literature was mostly modeled after Greek literature with similar themes ○ History ○ Tragedy ○ Comedy ●The poet Virgil spent 10 years writing Aeneid - based on the Greek poet Homer’s work ●Tacitus wrote elaborate histories of Rome

Strengths: ●Writing: ○ Rome was able to communicate with its vast Empire because of the common written language ○ Most every person in Rome had some sort of formal education ■ Tradesmen learned to read and write before they were taught their trade ■ Slaves that could read and write were more valuable ○ Latin was used in Christianity ○ Many latin words and phrases are still used today ○ Many European languages are derived from Latin (Spanish, French, Italian)

Strength: ●Job Specialization: ○ Rome had one of the most powerful and intimidating armies ○ Caesar was able to build a bridge in 10 days that allowed 60,000 men to cross into Germany and when he was done exploring he tore down his bridge ■ Roman’s Army could go where they wanted, when they wanted ○ The military conquered most of Europe and a significant amount of North Africa

Strength ●Central Government: ○ Rome had a Republic that allowed the people to vote for who they wanted to make the laws of Rome ○ This included people in all parts of the Empire ○ Their laws included ■ All people had equal treatment under the law ■ A person was innocent until proven guilty ■ People were not punished for their thoughts ○ Many modern governments model themselves after the Roman Republic

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