ROMAN

CONTRIBUTIONS
 ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Rome’s location on the
Mediterranean Sea allowed for
trade and cultural diffusion
(blending of cultures) with other
people and nations
 ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION

Through the cultural diffusion, the Romans were able to

borrow the best ideas from other civilizations (especially the
Greeks) and improve upon them
 ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION

The wealth of the Roman Empire, especially

during Pax Romana, enabled the Romans to
promote culture and invention
 Roman Architecture
The Romans
were
tremendously
skilled
builders; they
improved
upon Greek
designs with
two new
architectural
features:
arches and
domes
 Roman Architecture

ARCHES: these are curved structures over an opening that

can support its own weight; arches were used to create
enormous buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon
 Roman Architecture

DOMES: they created vast open spaces and ceilings inside

buildings (like the Pantheon) and magnificent exteriors
 Roman Architecture

The Romans built arenas (like the famous Coliseum in

the city of Rome) so thousands of people could attend
“circuses” (entertainments such as gladiator battles)
Roman Architecture

What are three

similarities
between the
Roman Coliseum
and the Georgia
Dome?
 Roman Religion

At first, Romans were polytheistic and required

people they conquered to show respect for their gods
During the time of Pax Romana (Roman Peace),
Christianity began and spread along the roads and
trade routes of the Roman Empire
Roman Religion

Early Christians
were persecuted
for their beliefs;
some sacrificed
their lives rather
than change their
beliefs and were
honored as martyrs
Roman Religion

This changed
when Christianity
gained so much
popularity that
Roman emperors
made it the
Empire’s official
religion
 Roman Religion
After it became a legal, official religion in
Rome, Christianity spread further and
gained even more converts
Today, Christianity has the most followers of
any religion in the world
Roman Law

Roman laws
were made
by the Senate
and then
publicly
posted for all
to see in
displays
called the
Twelve Tables
 Roman Law
The Roman legal
system included a
criminal court system
(with lawyers and
juries) so people
accused of crimes
could defend
themselves; witnesses
could give testimony
to tell of what they
saw or heard
Roman law allowed anyone (including the poor and
slaves) to accuse others of crimes
 Roman Government
In 509 BCE, the
Romans
overthrew the
last king and
set up a new
government
called a
republic, where
the people elect
their leaders

The Romans created this republican system so no one

person would gain too much power
 Roman Government

They elected a
Senate, made up of
300 men, that
made laws; they
also elected two
consuls, men who
commanded the
army and ran the
day-to-day affairs
of Rome
 Roman Government
The Romans’ republican government is very
similar to the American government today
 Roman Government
Match each description of the U.S.
government to its equivalent in
the Roman Republic
American Government Roman Republic
1. Voters: The people elect their
government leaders A. Consuls
2. President: Runs the
government and enforces the
laws passed by Congress B. Senators
3. Senate: Lawmakers elected by the
people; only 2 senators per state, so its C. Tribunes
a prestigious position
4. House of Representatives: Lawmakers
elected by the people; they serve 2 D. Citizen Assemblies
year terms, so it is not as prestigious as
the Senate
 Roman Engineering: Roads
The Romans built the largest and longest-lasting
network of roads in the Ancient World
At the height of the Empire, Roman roads stretched
for 56,000 miles and included 29 major highways
 Roman Engineering: Roads

At first, the roads were built to move soldiers quickly,

but eventually the roads served many people for
many purposes, especially as trade routes
 Roman Engineering: Aqueducts
One of the Romans’ greatest engineering feats was
channeling water to their cities throughout the Empire

Roman engineers built the aqueducts to move the cold,

clear water from springs to towns; sometimes they would
be up to 250 miles long
 Roman Engineering: Aqueducts
Some Roman aqueducts are up and still in use today; one
in Spain is 95 feet above the ground and 2388 feet long
 Roman Language
Roman conquest spread their language, Latin, through
much of Europe; over time, different regions in Europe
developed their own languages based in Latin

Languages
based in
Latin are
known as
the
Romance
languages
 Roman Language
Words in the five major Romance languages often
sound alike: for example, the Latin word for liberty,
libertas, translates as liberta in Italian, liberte in
French, libertad in Spanish, liberdade in Portuguese,
and libertate in Romanian

See how many modern languages come from Latin; try to figure each of
the three words in the “Modern English” column

?
?
?
The Roman Calendar

The Romans
began using a
new solar
calendar that
borrowed
heavily from the
Egyptian
calendar and
was improved
by scholars from
Alexandria
The Roman Calendar
This new
calendar (called
the “Julian
Calendar” after
Julius Caesar)
had 365 days
and one extra
day every
fourth year
July was named
after Julius
because it
included his
birthday
 The Roman Civil Service
Rome’s first
emperor,
Augustus,
created
several
systems to
help himself
rule the
enormous
Roman
Empire

Augustus set up a civil service with skilled and salaried

workers to take care of the running of the Empire
 The Roman Civil Service

These bureaucrats helped oversee the Empire by

keeping track of such operations as grain production,
the roads, mail delivery, and tax collection
The Influence of the Greeks and Romans
The influence that the Greeks and later on
the Romans had on Western civilization
cannot be overstated
Many facets of modern American life can be
traced back to the innovations of the Greeks
and Romans: things like government, language,
religion, law, education, entertainment,
literature, art, mathematics, astronomy,
engineering, science, buildings, customs,
traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all
can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome