1. Rome's Legacy
Section 3, Chapter 12

2. Science and Engineering
Romans were concerned about finding knowledge that could improve their lives
They studied the stars to produce a calendar
They studied plants and animals to produce better crops and meat

3. Galen, a Greek in the 100s AD, made many advances in medicine
He discovered valves in the heart
He discovered the difference between veins and arteries
The Romans engineered roads and bridges that are still used today

4. They made cement by mixing lime with volcanic rock and ash
They developed the arch, which is able to hole more weight than other shapes
These were used in aqueducts to carry water from the mountains to the cities
A set of arches that support the roof of a building is called a vault

6. Architecture and Art
Architecture was largely based on earlier Greek designs
They used columns on their public buildings and used marble
But Roman architectural techniques allowed them to surpass the Greeks

7. The vault allowed them to build much larger structures
They also used more domes than the Greeks did
The use of cement made this possible
Rome was known for its beautiful mosaics

8. They decorated their walls with frescos, painting done on wet plaster
Roman artists excelled at painting portraits
Roman sculptors studied the Greeks and copied their style

10. Literature and Language
Virgil wrote The Aeneid
Ovid wrote poems about Roman mythology
The developed satire, which pokes fun at people and society
They wrote history, speeches, comedies and tragedies

11. The language of the Roman Empire, particularly in the west, was Latin
Later, Latin developed into the Romance Languages such at French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, Romanian
Latin also influenced many other languages, such as our own

12. Law
Rome’s system of law was perhaps most influential of all
Roman law continued to exist even after the Empire ended
It inspired civil law, a legal system based on a written code of laws

13. In the 1500s and 1600s European colonists carried civil law around the world, including Asia, Africa and the Americas