Transcript Life in Ancient Rome Power Point Notes

Life in Ancient Rome
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They admired and studied Greek buildings,
statues, and ideas. Though they copied some
things, they changed them to suit their own
needs.
Buildings: Romans borrowed porches and
rows of columns from the Greeks, but added
arches, vaults and domes
Romans invented concrete (volcanic ash, lime,
and water)
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Greek statues made people look perfect –
Romans made them realistic and included
wrinkles, warts, etc.
In one very important way the Greeks were
different from the Romans. The Greeks loved
to talk about ideas. To the Romans, ideas
were only important if they could solve every
day problems.
COLOSSEUM (TEXT P. 305,
SPORTS AND CONTESTS P. 306)
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Completed about AD 80
Seated 60,000 people
Arena for gladiators
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Forum – an open
space that served as a
marketplace and
public square
At the center of Rome
Temples and public
buildings were built
around it
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Racecourse
Up to 10 chariots at
one time
250,000 people
Text p. 307 (pictures +
More about the Art)
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Virgil – Aeneid
Horace – satires (make fun of human
weakness); odes (writing that expresses strong
emotions about life); The Book of Epodes p. 304
Ptolemy – studied astronomy and mapped the
stars (though he thought the Earth was the
center of the universe)
Modern European languages are based on
Latin (French, Spanish, Italian, English)
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The Romans admired the Greeks and copied
some of their ideas, though they often changed
what they borrowed
Roman statues and art portrayed people with
flaws (Greeks portrayed ideal people)
Romans added arches, domes, and vaults to
Greek architecture
Engineers – advanced road system and
aqueducts
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Virgil – what did he write?
Horace – what did he write?
Ptolemy – what did he study?
Modern European languages – what about
them? Which ones?
(see notes for details)
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Rome was one of the largest cities in the
ancient world. At the time of Augustus over a
million people lived there.
It was a planned city laid out in a square with
main roads crossing at right angles.
At its center was the Forum. Temples and
public buildings were built around it.
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Crowded, noisy, dirty (people tossed garbage
into the streets from their apartments)
Thieves prowled the streets at night
Most people in Rome were poor and lived in
apts. made of stone and wood (text p. 309)
High rent forced families to live in one room
Apartments were up to 6 stories high
 They often collapsed because they were so
poorly built
 Fire was a constant danger because people
used torches and lamps for lighting and
cooking with oil
 Once started, fires could destroy entire blocks
of apartments
T/P/W or 4/2/1 W: What was life like in the
city?
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Lived in large, comfortable houses.
Each house had large rooms, fine furniture,
and beautiful gardens.
In the center was an inner court called an
atrium (text p. 308)
Some wealthy Romans even had homes called
villas on their country estates
T/P/W or 4/2/1/W What was life like for
wealthy Romans?
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Family units were large and included not only
parents and young children, but also married
children and their families, other relatives, and
enslaved servants.
Father was head of the household
(paterfamilias) – he had complete control over
the family. He punished severely and
arranged marriages.
Boys become a man 14 – 16. Girls become adults when
they married.
T/P/W or 4/2/1/W Describe the Roman family.
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Women in early Rome had some rights, but
they were not full citizens
Paterfamilias controlled his wife, but he often
sought her advice in private. Some women
had strong influences on their families.
A woman’s freedom depended on her
husband’s wealth and standing.
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Wealthy women could own land, run businesses,
and sell property. They also had free time to have
fun
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Women with less money had less freedom.
They spent their time working in their houses
and helping their husbands run the business.
They were allowed to leave home to shop, visit
friends, worship in the temples, or go to the
baths.
A few women did work independently outside
the home, served as priestesses, hairdressers, or
even doctors.
T/P/W or 4/2/1/W Summarize the role of
women
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Poor Romans could not send their children
to school
Wealthy Romans hired tutors to teach their
young children at home
Some older boys did go to schools where
they learned reading, writing, and rhetoric
(public speaking)
Girls did not go to school – they studied
reading and writing at home as well as
learning household duties
T/P/W or 4/2/1/W Describe school for
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Large family units; paterfamilias; punished
severely
Women – limited rights, depended on
husband’s wealth and standing (wealthy
women could own land, run businesses, and
sell property – also had free time to have fun;
poorer women – spent time working, allowed
to shop, see friends, worship, visit baths; a few
did work independently
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Wealthy Romans – large, comfortable homes,
fine furniture, gardens, atrium, some even had
villas
Poor Romans – city life - crowded, noisy, dirty,
thieves, apts., high rent, lived in one room, fire
and collapse were dangers
Bread and circuses
School – poor Romans – no school; wealthy –
tutors, boys – reading, writing, rhetoric; girls –
no school (learned at home)
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Slaves not uncommon – suffered many
hardships and were treated poorly.
Spartacus – gladiator, slave, leads revolt, 70,000
slaves, 2 years, Spartacus + 6,000 crucified
Gladiators – usually slaves, the poor, or
criminals but were considered the sports
heroes of their day
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Worshipped many gods and goddesses. Many
are the same gods as the Greeks. Text p. 310
As they conquered people of other religions,
they allowed them to worship freely as long as
they did not threaten the Roman government
(Christianity was often seen as a threat to the
government – Messiah)