ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTS Essential Question: What were the important contributions of Ancient Rome? Warm-Up Question: What are two similarities and two differences.

ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTS

Essential Question:What were the important contributions of Ancient Rome?

Warm-Up Question:What are two similarities and two differences between Christianity and Judaism?

ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTSThe Romans developed innovations that are still used today; what made them such influential innovators?

Definition of “INNOVATION”: something new or original (such as an idea, an invention, a device, a method)

ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATIONRome’s location on the

Mediterranean Sea allowed for trade and cultural diffusion

(blending of cultures) with other people and nations

ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION

Through the cultural diffusion, the Romans were able to borrow the best ideas from other civilizations (especially the

Greeks) and improve upon them

ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION

The wealth of the Roman Empire, especially during Pax Romana, enabled the Romans to

promote culture and invention

Roman ArchitectureThe Romans

were tremendously

skilled builders; they

improved upon Greek designs with

two new architectural

features: arches and

domes

Roman Architecture

ARCHES: these are curved structures over an opening that can support its own weight; arches were used to create enormous buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon

Roman Architecture

DOMES: they created vast open spaces and ceilings inside buildings (like the Pantheon) and magnificent exteriors

Roman Architecture

The Romans built arenas (like the famous Coliseum in the city of Rome) so thousands of people could attend “circuses” (entertainments such as gladiator battles)

Roman Architecture

What are three similarities

between the Roman Coliseum and the Georgia

Dome?

During the time of Pax Romana (Roman Peace), Christianity began and spread along the roads and

trade routes of the Roman Empire

Roman Religion

At first, Romans were polytheistic and required people they conquered to show respect for their gods

Roman Religion

Early Christians were persecuted for their beliefs; some sacrificed their lives rather

than change their beliefs and were

honored as martyrs

Roman Religion

This changed when Christianity gained so much popularity that

Roman emperors made it the

Empire’s official religion

Today, Christianity has the most followers of any religion in the world

After it became a legal, official religion in Rome, Christianity spread further and

gained even more converts

Roman Religion

Roman Law

Roman laws were made

by the Senate and then publicly

posted for all to see in displays

called the Twelve Tables

Roman LawThe Roman legal

system included a criminal court system

(with lawyers and juries) so people

accused of crimes could defend

themselves; witnesses could give testimony to tell of what they

saw or heard

Roman law allowed anyone (including the poor and slaves) to accuse others of crimes

Roman Government

In 509 BCE, the Romans

overthrew the last king and set up a new government

called a republic, where the people elect

their leaders

The Romans created this republican system so no one person would gain too much power

Roman Government

They elected a Senate, made up of

300 men, that made laws; they also elected two

consuls, men who commanded the army and ran the day-to-day affairs

of Rome

Roman GovernmentThe Romans’ republican government is very similar to the American government today

Roman GovernmentMatch each description of the U.S.

government to its equivalent in the Roman Republic

American Government1. Voters: The people elect their

government leaders

2. President: Runs the government and enforces the laws passed by Congress

3. Senate: Lawmakers elected by the people; only 2 senators per state, so its a prestigious position

4. House of Representatives: Lawmakers elected by the people; they serve 2 year terms, so it is not as prestigious as the Senate

Roman Republic

A.Consuls

B.Senators

C.Tribunes

D.Citizen Assemblies

Roman Engineering: RoadsThe Romans built the largest and longest-lasting

network of roads in the Ancient WorldAt the height of the Empire, Roman roads stretched

for 56,000 miles and included 29 major highways

Roman Engineering: Roads

At first, the roads were built to move soldiers quickly, but eventually the roads served many people for

many purposes, especially as trade routes

Roman Engineering: AqueductsOne of the Romans’ greatest engineering feats was

channeling water to their cities throughout the Empire

Roman engineers built the aqueducts to move the cold, clear water from springs to towns; sometimes they

would be up to 250 miles long

Roman Engineering: AqueductsSome Roman aqueducts are up and still in use today; one in Spain is 95 feet above the ground and 2388 feet long

Roman LanguageRoman conquest spread their language, Latin, through much of Europe; over time, different regions in Europe

developed their own languages based in Latin

Languages based in Latin are known as

the Romance languages

Roman Language

See how many modern languages come from Latin; try to figure each of the three words in the “Modern English” column

Words in the five major Romance languages often sound alike: for example, the Latin word for liberty,

libertas, translates as liberta in Italian, liberte in French, libertad in Spanish, liberdade in Portuguese,

and libertate in Romanian

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The Roman Calendar

The Romans began using a

new solar calendar that

borrowed heavily from the

Egyptian calendar and

was improved by scholars from

Alexandria

The Roman CalendarThis new

calendar (called the “Julian

Calendar” after Julius Caesar) had 365 days and one extra

day every fourth year

July was named after Julius because it

included his birthday

The Roman Civil Service

Augustus set up a civil service with skilled and salaried workers to take care of the running of the Empire

Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, created several

systems to help himself

rule the enormous

Roman Empire

The Roman Civil Service

These bureaucrats helped oversee the Empire by keeping track of such operations as grain production,

the roads, mail delivery, and tax collection

The Influence of the Greeks and RomansThe influence that the Greeks and later on

the Romans had on Western civilization cannot be overstated

Many facets of modern American life can be traced back to the innovations of the Greeks

and Romans: things like government, language, religion, law, education, entertainment, literature, art, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, science, buildings, customs,

traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome