Life in Imperial RomeLife for the Rich• Pax Romana provided

prosperity for many• Rich citizens had both

city, country homes• Homes had

conveniences like running water, baths

• Wealthy men spent much time in politics

Public Life• Public officials not paid;

only wealthy could afford to hold office

• Roman politicians worked to perfect public-speaking skills

• Ties of marriage, friendship, family alliances as important as common interests for public officials, political groups

Roman Sculpture• Collectors and copiers of Greek

work (which was more idealistic)• Categories included:

– Portrait sculpture– Statues– Paintings & Mosaics– Relief Sculptures

• Roman work was more realistic (showed wrinkles, budges, and aging.)

Republican Couple

Portraits of Emperors

Julius Caesar

Nero

HadrianMarcusAurelius

Wealth and Trade• It is believed that

Roman trade extended as far as China or at least with India as an intermediary

• This trade coupled with the wealth from granaries made rich Roman’s lives very comfortable

Glass Work• Roman’s ability

to work with metal and glass showed a tremendous about of skill and ability

• Only the rich could afford such luxuries

Roman Frescoes

Life for the Poor• Nearly 1 million Romans lived in crowded three-

or four-story apartment buildings • Fire a constant threat

– Torches used for light– Charcoal used for cooking

• To keep poor from rebelling– Free food, public entertainment offered– Two things interested public—bread, circuses

Public EntertainmentEntertainments• Romans of all classes enjoyed circus, chariot races• Held in Circus Maximus—racetrack could hold 250,000 spectators• Also liked theater, mimes, jugglers, dancers, acrobats, clowns

Bloody Spectacles• Romans enjoyed spectacles in amphitheaters• Wild animals battled each other and professional fighters• Gladiator contests most popular, performed in Colosseum for 50,000 people

Public Baths• Popular places for entertainment• Romans well aware of importance of bathing, hygiene for health• Many public baths had steam rooms, meeting rooms, and pools for socializing

FamilyPatriarchal Structure• Head of family—paterfamilias,

family father—oldest living male• Had extensive powers over other

members of family• Within family structure, virtues of

simplicity, religious devotion, obedience emphasized

• Adoption important in Roman society, a way to ensure family name would be carried on

• Women could do little without intervention of male guardian, more freedom in lower classes

Education and Religion• Upper class Romans placed

great value on education• Parents taught children at

home; wealthy families hired tutors or sent sons to exclusive schools to learn Latin, Greek, law, math, public speaking

• Romans adopted much from Greek mythology, also from Egyptians, others

• Each family worshipped local household gods, penates

• Many worshipped emperor

Signs and AugursWorshipping the gods

• Romans believed gods sent signs, warnings

– Came in form of natural phenomena

– Flight of birds, arrangement of entrails of sacrificial animals

• Paid respect to augurs

– Priests who specialized in interpreting signs

– Nothing important undertaken without first consulting augurs

Rome’s Cultural LegacyAlthough the Western Roman Empire fell in 476, much of Roman culture continued to influence life for centuries. In fact, we can still see many of the legacies of the great empire today.

Science and Engineering

•Romans less interested in original scientific research than in collecting and organizing information

Galen• Physician, AD 100s

•Wrote volumes summarizing all medical knowledge of his day

•Greatest authority in medicine for centuries

Other Thinkers•Ptolemy stated knowledge of others as single theory in astronomy

•Pliny the Elder wrote about Mount Vesuvius

Practical Knowledge• Romans practical, tried to apply knowledge gained

from science to planning cities, building water and sewage systems, improving farming

• Roman engineers constructed roads, bridges, amphitheaters, public buildings, aqueducts to bring water to cities

• Without aqueducts, cities would not have grown as large

• Added urban plan to every city they conquered; many still seen today

Roads• Roads that

connected Rome with provinces still survive today

• Vital to keeping the empire supplied and secure

RoadsA. PAVING SLABS The road was paved with

hard-wearing stone slabs. The middle of the road was made higher than the sides so rain would drain off.

A. LAYERS OF PEBBLES AND GRAVEL A layer of pebbles and gravel was rammed down to form a hard surface.

B. DIGGING The Romans dug a trench 1 metre deep and 7 metres wide. Drainage ditches were also dug alongside the road.

A. FOUNDATIONS The trench was covered with sand and large stones. These were packed tightly to make strong foundations.

Architecture• Many examples still seen

throughout southern Europe, northern Africa, Southwest Asia

• Dominant advances• Round Arch and the Vault• Concrete• Dome

• These innovations allowed the Romans to construct larger structures than earlier societies

Roman Aqueduct

• Romans developed concrete, with which they built amazing structures that still stand today

• A revolution in architectural design• Created larger heavier buildings• Knowledge to make concrete was lost until the mid

18th century• Roman bridges still span French, German, Spanish

rivers• It was concrete that allowed the Romans to build the

massive domed Pantheon

Concrete

Aqueduct in Segovia, Spain Arch Bridge in Spain

Hadrian’s Wall in Britain

Early Roman Amphitheatre

Roman Theatre

Circus Maximus

The Dome• Basilicas

– Large and relatively open space– Examples:

• Pantheon• Early Christian churches

• With the dome the Romans could surpass their earlier cultures by their ability to span space

The Pantheon Plans

The Pantheon

Pantheon’s Dome

Roman Colosseum

Interior of the Colosseum

Arena is Latin for the sand, coating the floor that soaked up the blood of the combatants

LegaciesLanguage

• Romance languages developed from Latin

• Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian

• English owes much vocabulary to Latin

• Examples: et cetera, veto, curriculum

Literature• Technique of satire derived from

Roman authors• For centuries, writers have borrowed

from authors like Virgil

Law• Romans used system called

civil law, based on written code

• Adopted by many countries in Europe after empire fell

Civil Law Systems• Systems carried to Asian, African,

American colonies• Roman influence still seen in today’s

legal system worldwide

Ruins• Ruins of buildings inspired generations

of architects• Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Thomas

Jefferson, others