Roman Society and Culture By: Brandon, Colin, and Bre
Aug 18, 2015
Roman Society and Culture
By: Brandon, Colin, and Bre
Building a Strong Empire
● Government was the strongest unifying force in the empire
● Law also helped unify the empire and changed laws with the Twelve Tables
● The Twelve Tables were the earliest attempt to create a code of law.
● These helped influence our civil and criminal laws
● The Romans traded on three continents Europe, Africa, Asia.
● They traded things such as ivory, silk, and pepper.
● They also had about 60,000 miles of paved high that usually lead to military outposts
Trade and Transportation
The Roman Army
● Men served from 15 to 20 years fighting in the Roman army
● They were usually stationed in outpost scattered along the farthest reaches of the empire
● They usually were peacekeepers in the region where they were stationed
● Men from other places were often asked to enlist but were promised citizenship when they returned
Life in the Empire
● Daily life was hard in the empire unless you were rich.
● Rich people had much time for a lot of other things.
● Most rich people held dinner parties just to impress one another.
Slaves and slavery
● Slaves were a big part of life in the empire.● They were used for many things.● Slaves that worked on large farms or in
mines were usually treated with harsher conditions.
● They had many skilled positions of trust, serving as doctors, teachers, or secretaries.
The roles of men, women, and children
● Family was a very important thing to the Romans
● The man held most of the power in the family he was the main decision maker
● The women also did help some in making decisions unlike the Greeks
● The children went to school at an early age and learn what we learned in elementary school
Fun and Games
● Most of the Romans enjoyed watching the Gladiators fight to the death
● Others are big sea battles when they would flood the arenas
● They were also lovers of the theater like comedies
● Most of this was to make the citizens unaware of what the government was actually doing
Religion
● Early romans were seeking to achieve harmony through their gods.
● By the time that the empire had started there had become a state religion.
● In 12 B.C. Augustus had become the chief priest.
● Religious rituals were also a part of their religion.
Science and Arts
● Aqueducts were an important part of roman architecture.
● They used he aqueducts to transport fresh and clean water from the mountains.
● Galen the physician wrote many books on his medical knowledge.
Literature
● The Roman theater was always spoken in the language Latin
● They often played out Dramas or peoms● They sometimes read Greek literature
Language
● Romans had learned their alphabet from the Etruscans who had gotten it from the Greeks.
● They changed some of the alphabet.● To this day we still use the Roman or Latin
alphabet.● The english added the letter J,Y,and W.