Transcript The Roman Way of Life

The Roman Way of Life
1. The heart of the Roman Empire was on
the Italian Peninsula in the city of Rome.
• 2. About 1 million people lived in Rome in A.D. 1.
• 3. The emperor lived in Rome in a splendid palace
on the top of a hill.
• 4. At the bottom of the hill the “Forum” was located.
This was the marketplace for food and luxury items.
Games were played there as well as a chat area for
friends to meet.
• 5. Wealthy Romans lived in large homes on the
hilltops. They were made from marble, tiled floors
and running water.
• 6. Homes were built around a courtyard called an
“atrium.”
• 7. Wealthy Romans also had homes called villas on
large farms outside the city.
• 8. Most Romans were very poor. Many did not have
jobs. Others were unskilled laborers.
• 9. They lived in crowded, noisy, dirty neighborhoods
in wooden apartment buildings sisx or seven stories
tall. These buildings often collapsed or caught fire.
• 10. People tossed garbage into the streets, and
thieves prowled the areas at night.
• 11. Political leaders offered “bread and circuses,” to
the poor.
• 12. Crowds watched gladiators fight each other to
the death or battle wild animals in stadiums such as
the Colosseum.
• 13. Most gladiators were enslaved people, criminals,
prisoners of war, or poor people.
• 14. Many families lived in extended family homes.
(grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles)
• 15. The law even allowed fathers to sell children into
slavery or have them put to death.
• 16. Fathers in upper class families were responsible
for the education of their children.
• 17. Wealthy boys and girls learned from from private
lessons at home.
• 18. Reading, writing, math, public speaking were
learned.
• 19. Poorer children could not go to school but did
learn how to read and write
• 20. At 15, a Roman boy celebrated becoming an
adult. He would burn his toys as offerings to the
household gods.
• 21. At 15, the boy might work at the family’s
business, join the army, or get a job in the
government.
• 22. Men tended to marry later, but women usually
married around the age of 14.
• 23. Women were not full citizens and had few rights. They
often advised their husbands in public.
• 24. The wives of emperors began to have power. Whenever
the emperor was off to battle, the wives were in charge of
political affairs in Rome
• 25. By the A.D. 100’s wealthy women had more
independence. They could own land, run businesses, and sell
property.
• 26. Outside the home, they could go to the theater or attend
races and fights, but they had to sit in areas separate from
men.
• 27. Poorer women were allowed to as hairdressers,
priestesses, and even doctors.
• 28. Slavery was a part of Roman life from early
times.
• 29. Roman soldiers took conquered peoples as
prisoners.
• 30. By 100 B.C, about 40% of the people in Italy
were enslaved.
• 31. For most slaves, life was miserable.
• 32. They worked long hours and could be sold at any
time. They were punished for poor work or running
away.
• 33. In 73 B.C., a gladiator named Spartacus led a
slave rebellion. His army grew to about 70,000. But
the Roman army crushed the revolt. Spartacus was
killed in battle and 6,000 of his followers were
crucified.
• 34. Romans believed that gods controlled all parts of
life.
• 35. Greek gods and goddesses were given Roman
names. For example, Zeus became Jupiter, the sky
god, and Aphrodite became Venus, the goddess of
love and beauty. Every Roman home included an
altar for its household gods. Families made offerings
of incense, wine, honey, and the family meal.
• 36. The Romans were greatly influenced by the
Greeks.
• 37. A Greek doctor named Galen introduced many
medical ideas to Rome.
• 38. He emphasized the importance of anatomy.
• 39. To learn about inner organs, Galen cut open
dead animals and recorded his findings.
• 40. Another important scientist was Ptolemy (TAHluh-mee). He lived in the city of Alexandria in Egypt.
He studied the sky and mapped over 1,000 stars.
• 41. The Romans created the first major road, “The
Appian Way” which connected Rome to
southeastern Italy.
• 42. Aqueducts were created to bring fresh water to
the cities.
• 43. Another Roman adoption of Greeks were
statues. Greek statues showed perfect looking
people with beautiful bodies. Roman statues were
more realistic and included wrinkles, warts, etc.
• 44. The Romans also mastered the use of cement.
By mixing volcanic ash, lime, and water.
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Rome’s Decline
• 1. During the Pax Romana, a time of peace and progress,
Rome’s government grew weak, while the army became
very powerful.
• 2. To stay in office, an emperor had to pay higher wages
to the soldiers who supported him.
• 3. In a span of about 50 years, Rome had 22 different
emperors. Most were murdered by the army or by their
bodyguards.
• 4. Dishonest government officials took bribes, Interest
and support for education declined and many wealthy
Romans stopped paying taxes.
• 5. People had less money to spend so they bought
less.
• 6. Stores saw profits decline, forcing many out of
business.
• 7. Workers lost their jobs.
• 8. Romans began to barter, or to exchange goods
instead of money.
• 9. A general named Diocletian became emperor in
A.D. 284. He introduced reforms.
• 10. His reforms were:
• A. Remain on the job until you die.
• B. He set maximum prices for wages and goods in
order to prevent prices from rising further.
• C. Eventually this did not work.
• 11. A general named Constantine took over control
but he also could not control the falling empire.
• 12. Like the Romans, we believe that everyone is
equal under the law. We believe that everyone is
equal under the law. We also believe that a person is
considered innocent until proven guilty.
• 13. The Roman road system allowed the early
Christians to travel. As a result, Christian ideas were
easily shared with other groups of people.
The Byzantine Empire
• 1. In A.D. 395, The Roman Empire divided. The
eastern half eventually became known as the
Byzantine empire.
• 2. Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the
Roam Empire from Rome to the Greek city of
Byzantium and renamed it the city Constantinople.
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