Rome Part II

Chapter 7 Sections 4-6

Building the Empire

2 strengths lead to growth:– Government

Emperor made all decisionsProvincial governors = very importantTwelve Tables adjusted as needed

– Trade and TransportationAgriculture was most important jobAll goods went to Rome, then spread outROADS - close to 60,000 miles

– “all roads lead to Rome”

The Big Bad Army

Citizens - 16-20 years of service

Army posts along frontier

Used force if necessary– Uprising in Britain

in A.D. 60 destroyed by the army

Social Life

HUGE gap between rich and poor– Most people were poor

The Wealthy– Often had multiple homes– Running water and private baths– Recreation, leisure, banquets

The Poor– Tenant farmers and laborers– Multistory, crowded apartments– Roman government provided grain

The Lowest of the Low

Slavery was widespread– Several million when Augustus took power

Brutality and harsh treatment– No regulations

Could buy freedom

Men, Women, and Children

Family was the heart of society, and the father was the head of the family

Mother managed the household– Could own property and accept inheritances

Education began at home Elementary - reading, writing, math, music Secondary - (only the wealthy) grammar,

Greek, literature, composition, expressive speech

Roman Religions

Sought harmony with gods

Lares = ancestral spirits

Vesta = spirit who guided fire and hearth

State religion evolved– Promotes patriotism,

loyalty, and unity

“Bread and Circuses”

Give people what they want to be superficially happy

Political and social strategy

Used games, theater and recreation as distractions and morale boosters

Recreation in the Empire

Theater– Comedies and satires– Mimes, jugglers, dancers, acrobats, clowns

Chariot Racing– Circus Maximus

Gladiators– The Colosseum– Wild beasts– slave battles

Advancing the Arts

Virgil = greatest Roman poet– Aeneid

Horace– Odes, satires, and epistles about human emotion

Tacitus = historian– Annals - history of Rome that criticizes social gap

Plutarch– Compared Greeks and Romans

Architecture

Aqueducts Concrete Arches and vaulted

domes Great public

buildings

Science and Language

Ptolemy– Astronomer

Galen– Summarized all

medical knowledge Romans adapted

Greek to create Latin– We use Latin

alphabet, plus J,Y, and W

Christianity in RomeChristianity in Rome

Romans practiced pagan religions, with similar gods throughout the empire

Emperor = divine ruler

***What problems would this cause for a Jewish or Christian town/city?

***What other threats might Christianity pose?

Romans practiced pagan religions, with similar gods throughout the empire

Emperor = divine ruler

***What problems would this cause for a Jewish or Christian town/city?

***What other threats might Christianity pose?

We Didn’t Start the FireWe Didn’t Start the Fire

In 64 A.D., a great fire burned Rome

Rumors erupted that Nero himself started it

He blamed it on the Christians

Christians hid in catacombs

In 64 A.D., a great fire burned Rome

Rumors erupted that Nero himself started it

He blamed it on the Christians

Christians hid in catacombs

Constantine Saw the SignConstantine Saw the Sign

Emp. Constantine prays before battle in 312 A.D.

Has a vision of a cross

Puts crosses on shields and battle flags

Wins battle

Emp. Constantine prays before battle in 312 A.D.

Has a vision of a cross

Puts crosses on shields and battle flags

Wins battle

Changes Across the Empire

Changes Across the Empire

Edict of Milan - Christianity is now legal

Constantine builds churches and declares Sunday as a holy day

Not baptized until his death bed 380 AD. - Theodosius makes

Christianity the official religion

Edict of Milan - Christianity is now legal

Constantine builds churches and declares Sunday as a holy day

Not baptized until his death bed 380 AD. - Theodosius makes

Christianity the official religion