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The Roman Empire

Table of Contents

Introduction Page 4

Geographical Features Page 12

City of Rome Page 14

Buildings Page 23

Society Page 29

Family & Education Page 37

Homes Page 52

Clothing Page 65

Food Page 71

Bath House Page 78

Entertainment Page 84

Writers Page 103

Art Page 107

Music Page 115

Religion & Philosophy Page 119

Christianity Page 127

Architecture & Engineering Page 130

Roads Page 137

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Medicine Page 140

Latin Page 153

Army Page 196

Punic Wars Page 204

Law Page 207

Government Page 214

Emperors Page 222

Decline & Fall Page 239

Pompeii Page 244

Valentine's Day Page 253

Links, PowerPoints, Unit Studies, etc. Page 257

Answer Key Page 260


Architecture and Engineering

The Romans were master architects and built many different kinds of structures, most of which were unknown previously. The use of the arch, vault, and dome rank among the most important achievements of Roman architecture and engineering. So, too, does the Roman invention of concrete. Roman architects had to provide enormous, uninterrupted spaces to shelter the vast crowds. Had they chosen to use the post and beam system, there would have been a forest of columns to impede the free flow of pedestrian traffic. Therefore, the Romans became proficient in the use of arches, vaults, and domes. Much of this dramatic Roman work would have been impossible without the knowledge of concrete technology.

Roman concrete was little different from the material used today; the main difference is in the modern use of steel reinforcement. Concrete construction was relatively economical and easily handled by unskilled labor, whose ranks primarily consisted of slaves and unoccupied soldiers. Using a mixture that included lime and sand, the Romans created a very strong and durable type of concrete.

Architecture: The Arch, Dome, and VaultAn arch is a curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight, (such as a doorway in a stone wall), usually made of stone, brick, concrete or steel. Its purpose is to support or strengthen a building. Most arches consist of wedge-shaped blocks. The top center stone, called the keystone, is the last block to be inserted. During construction, arches are often supported by a wooden frame. When the frame is

removed, both sides of the arch press against the keystone and support the arch. As the Romans learned how to curve stone bricks by cutting them, they began to create arches that were used as windows, doorways and as the foundations for bridges. The Colosseum is an excellent example of the use of arches.


The Romans did not invent the arch, however, the arch was previously limited to supporting small structures, such as storerooms, and people used columns to support the roof. This design limited the size of a building so builders could not construct extremely large palaces or buildings. The Romans created an arch that could support huge amounts of weight by using concrete. Arches made from concrete could support a lot of weight, enabling them to build larger and more varied buildings.

As the Romans learned to work with cement, they were able to construct roofs that formed a complete semi-circle known as a dome (a large hemispherical roof or ceiling). A dome is an element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. They would build the dome on the ground and then lift it to the top of the building. The Pantheon (a temple dedicated to all the Roman gods in Rome) offers an early example of a dome; even today it is still one of the largest single-span domes in the world.


The Colosseum

The Pantheon

A vault is a roof or ceiling that is curved into an arch shape by combining arches. If it is long and deep it is called a barrel vault because it looks like

the inside of a barrel. The Basilica of Maxentius (courthouse, council chamber, and meeting hall) in Rome shows good examples of vaults.

Aqueducts As cities grew, the ancient Romans needed more fresh water. To solve this problem, they built aqueducts. Aqueducts were built to transport fresh water into the city. These were massive construction projects. An aqueduct is the entire conduit (a channel through which fluids may be conveyed) from fresh water spring to town. Where aqueducts had to cross valleys,

some were built above ground, on arches. Most of the time, they were underground conduits, and sometimes conduits lying right on the ground. These conduits could be made of clay or wood, covered or encrusted with stone. The pipes inside the conduits that carried the water were made of lead, which required vast mining enterprises and then transportation to get all this pipe out into the field all over the empire. By 100 A.D. there were a total of nine aqueducts that brought fresh water into the city of Rome.

What is extraordinary about the aqueducts is the planning that must have gone into their construction. Since the ancient Romans didn't use pumps, aqueducts had to be positioned at a relatively constant gradient for dozens of miles. Imagine building something that drops by only 100 feet in 40 miles and you'll understand why scholars refer to the ancient Romans as such great builders!


Basilica of Maxentius

Sewage SystemThe Romans were the first civilization to introduce a public health system. They had to do this because it was necessary to find a way of disposing of the sewage (human waste) to prevent pollution causing health problems. In larger Roman towns, people often got sick or died from drinking water that had been contaminated with sewage. When people drink water with sewage in it, they can get sick or

die. To fix this problem, many Roman towns built public toilets and a network of sewers and pipes to carry sewage out of the streets and dump it into the river Tiber. This was a big improvement on prior sewage disposal, where people just poured their waste into the street. Some of these sewers are still being used today.


The spread of the Roman arch and its cousins, the vault and dome, has had a lasting impact on architecture throughout the world that can be seen even today in many famous buildings around the world:

Dome of the Rock Mosque St. Basil's Cathedral Jerusalem, Israel (691) Moscow, Russia from (1561)

U.S. Capitol The Taj Mahal Washington, D.C. USA (1800) Agra, India (1654)


Roman Architecture & Engineering Worksheet

1. How did the use of the arch, vault, and dome benefit building design?

a. it provided a large space for crowds without the obstruction of columns

b. it was easier to build

2. Roman concrete was completely different from the material used today.

True False

3. The Romans invented concrete.

True False

4. What materials were used to make concrete? ______________________

5. The keystone is the first block to be inserted in an arch.

True False

6. Arches were used as:

a. windowsb. doorways c. foundations for bridgesd. all the abovee. none of the above

7. Aqueducts were built to transport fresh water.

True False

8. In 100 A.D. there were 15 aqueducts.

True False


9. The Romans were the first civilization to have a public health system.

True False

10. Sewers were built to take sewage out of the city.

True False

11. There were no public toilet facilities in Rome.

True False

Matching:

12. ___ arch A. a curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting weight

13. ___conduit B. a large hemispherical roof or ceiling

14. ___dome C. a roof or ceiling that is curved into an arch shape

15. ___keystone D. a channel through which fluids may be conveyed

16. ___vault E. the top center stone of an arch


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