1. Roman Civilization
(part 1)

2. Standard 6-2: The student will
demonstrate and
understanding of life in ancient
civilizations and their
contributions to the modern
world.
Objective: 6-2.3-Describe the
development of Roman Civilization,
including language, government,
architecture, and engineering.

3. Latin- the Language of Romans
Is the basis of the “Romance Languages”: Italian,
Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian
Although English developed from Germanic
languages, much of our vocabulary was influenced
or comes directly from Latin:
Example: veto, curriculum
Latin terms are used extensively in the
fields of medicine, law, and science- every
species of plant and animal has a name in
Latin

4. The Center of an Empire
Rome was a city in central Italy, and it
ruled one of the word's greatest empire.
• 1000 BC- began as small
wooden huts
• Grew into a bustling city
• 200 BC Romans ruled
most of Italy
• Began invading
neighboring lands
• Empire stretched from
modern-day Scotland to
Turkey

5. The Forum
Center of Roman life
Location of the government and the marketplace
The rest of the city was filled with homes or flats
(like apartments), places of worship and leisure,
and sports areas

6. The Forum
Was the government
district in the center of
Rome.

7. Capital City:
Rome
Over one million people
lived in Rome
By 300 BC- Rome was
the largest city in the
world
There was a distinct
division of labor among
the people

8. Classes of People
Citizens: could vote and serve in the army
Non-citizens: did not have these rights
Knights & Nobles: ran the government and
were usually very rich
Patricians: wealthy citizens
Plebeians: ordinary people who were usually
poor, but still citizens
Slaves: not citizens, had no rights, and were not
allowed to leave their owners

10. Rome was a well protected
city
Surrounded by a thick strong stone wall that kept
enemies out
Visitors had to enter the city through one of the 37
gates that were always well guarded by soldiers
and watchmen

11. City Life (Common
Person)

12. City Life (Wealthy)
Wealthy Romans had more than one home- one
in the city and one outside the city
a ‘villa urbana’- homes just outside the city (Urban)
a ‘Villa rustica’- big house surrounded by farmland
located in the countryside

13. Pools- but not for swimming
Most Roman homes had a pool- but they aren’t
for swimming
Built in the courtyards of large homes as
decorations
Surrounded by
plants and statues
Some had
fountains &
mosaics covering
the floor

14. Roman Mosaics

15. Ancient Heated Floors
Wealthy families built
under floor central
heating
Wood burning furnace
heated air that was
circulated through
channels built under
the floor of the house
Slaves chopped wood
and kept the fire
stoked
Under-floor
channels
Furnace
entrance
floor

16. Trajan’s Market
World’s first shopping mall
Contained over 150 shops
People haggled prices to get bargains
Most shops or market-stalls closed at noon

17. 7 Facts about Roman
School
Boys had to learn how to speak well to grow up be
great politicians & army leaders
Girls did not go to school- they stayed at home to
learn how to take care of the home
Many of the best teachers were Greek slaves
Roman wrote a lot on thin slices of wood
Ink was made from soot, vinegar, & sticky tree gum
There were many libraries
Most read standing up- it was easier that way b/c of
the long papyrus scrolls

18. Let’s Learn Latin!
Liber = book
Bibliotheca = library
Epistola = letter
Stylus =
writing
stick

19. Roman Factoid
The Romans invented a version of our Valentine’s
Day
On Lupercalia, boys would draw the name of a girl
from a hat. She was meant to be his girlfriend for that
year!
It is also known as the Wolf Festival, celebrated on
February 15th – to avert evil spirits and purify the city,
making it healthy and fertile again.

20. Roman Style- Toga
Romans wore loose fitting robes that were not
sewn together.
They wee draped dover the body and pinned in
place with brooches, pins, or belts
Toga
colobium
Women’s

21. Advances in Architecture
New Building materials:
They discovered concrete
Made clay bricks baked at high temperatures
Created arches to make tall, strong walls and
doorways
Also made huge domes for buildings that were
too big for a traditional roof with wood beams

22. Amazing Aqueducts
How did they work: water was carried by pipes to
public fountains, bath houses, and wealthy
people’s homes
198 million gallons of fresh water went to Rome
each day through the aqueducts
It was so advanced that no one came up with a
better idea until the 1800s with the pump
The word plumber comes from the Latin word
“plumbum”- meaning to make water pipes

23. 7 Wonders of the Ancient
World

24. Public Bath House
A large building was dedicated for bathing
a network of pipes brought clean water into the city and flushed
out the dirty- much like our modern sewer systems do
Romans would bath once each 9 days
Five stage to taking a bath:
1. Disrobe then to the steam room
2. Hot, dry room where a slave removed all of the sweat and dirt
from their skin using a metal scraper and some olive oil
3. They cooled off in a tepid pool
(lukewarm temperature)
4. Finally they finished by jumping into a freezing
cold pool of water… BRRRRrrrrrr!

25. 12 Facts about Bath
Houses There were hot, warm and cold baths
Water was heated by a boiler over a fire
The hot room was called the “caldarium”
The cold room was called the “frigidarium”
Men and women used separate bath houses
The floor might be covered with a mosaic
You had to pay to use the baths
You could buy refreshments at the baths
People did weight lifting at the baths
Public slaves could give you a massage
There was no soap so people used oil instead
Sticks called “strigils” were used to scrape dirt off the body
http://www.historyonthenet.com/romans/bath_house.htm

26. Time for fun
Much like the Greeks, the Romans enjoyed having fun
They like to dance and play music on pipes, flutes, cymbals,
castanets and horns
Wealthy Romans preferred the soft sound of the lyre with singers and
poets
Romans preferred comedies over the Greek tragedies
Plays began as parts of religious festivals that reenacted myths an
legends
The mimicked the large Greek theatres
Their actors also wore masks with huge
emotional expressions on them so the audience
could tell the mood the character was in
They also played skilled games of chance such
as: Draughts, dice & knucklebones

27. The Coliseum

29. The Coliseum
One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
Known as the Flavian Amphitheatre
Huge oval arena in the center of Rome built of
stone, concrete and marble
Has 80 separate entrances & seats 50,000 people
Outside decorated with lavish statues of Roman
heroes
Used for chariot races, Gladiator fights and mock
sea-battles

30. Video: Drive Thru History: Rome (6:12)

31. Roman Roads
The Romans were the first people to build paved roads that
would be able to be used in all types of weather. They built
their roads so that they were higher in the middle than at the
edges. This meant that when it rained the rain would run off
the sides of the roads. They often put a drainage system
alongside the roads to catch the water as it ran off.

32. Traveling on Roman
Roads
Wealthy Romans were carried by a litter of 6 to 8 men or pulled
by mules
Poorer travelers walked or rode in small groups for safety.
Messengers (who traveled alone) would ride in light carriages
similar to a chariot and go fast down the road.

33. Danger on Roads
Travel was dangerous, especially at night
Roadside inns offered a place to eat and rest,
but often times dangerous as well
Fights would break out and sometimes people
were robbed or murdered
Travelers preferred to stay with
family or trusted friends or friends
of friends for this reason

34. A story
written by
Virgil that
records
Rome’s
glorious
founding. 3:09 min

35. The Legend of
Romulus and Remus
3:06 min

36. Rome the Republic
There were 6 cruel kings after Romulus
After the overthrow of King Tarquin the Proud
in 509 BC, Rome became a Republic
Republic: a country without a king who is
governed by its people
Every year Rome elected two senior
lawyers called consuls to head the
government.
The Republic lasted for over 400 years

37. In the Time of the
Republic
People were divided into social classes:
Patricians, Plebeians, and slaves
Citizens of Rome (Patricians & Plebeians)
met in the Assembly and voted for consuls,
tribunes and magistrates
Women and slaves were not allowed in the
Assembly and could not vote

38. Roman Society
Patricians
• Wealthy powerful
citizens
• Nobles
• Small minority of the
population
• Once controlled all of
government
• After 218 BC, not
allowed to participate in
trade or commerce
Plebeians
• Common people
• Peasants, craftsmen,
traders, other workers
• Majority of population
• Gained right to
participate in
government
• Only Romans who
could be traders, so
many became wealthy

40. Consuls
Two consuls elected to
serve for one year
They governed Rome and
controlled the military
Both had to agree on all
decisions
They had to wait ten years
before being elected as
Consul again

41. Magistrates
Many magistrates were
elected
Their job to keep law and
order as well as manage
Rome’s financial affairs
When they retired they
became senators and
attended the Senate

42. Tribunes
Tribunes were elected
to represent the
common man, or
Plebeians
They made sure that
the people were being
treated fairly

43. Senate/ Senators
Senators went to the Senate to discuss
important government issues
They were retired magistrates who knew a lot
bout the government of Rome
Their job was to give advice to the two
Consuls
When Rome had an Emperor they gave
advice to him

44. Your Elected Officials
The Roman Government had three levels just like our
government. What are some of the titles of our officials
for each?
Federal State Local
President
Senator
Congressperson
Governor
State senator
State Representative
Mayor
City Council
Member
Sheriff

45. Checks & Balances
A method of balancing power
To offset checks & balances, the people could elect a dictator to
rule Rome for a short period of time during times of emergencies
Rome’s most famous dictator was Cincinnatus:
• Farmer who gained power in 458 BC was
chosen by the Roman citizens to led the army
against a large enemy army who had continued
to try and invade Rome. He quickly defeated
the enemy and was back working his farm 6
months before his term would end as dictator.

46. Challenges to the Republic
Challenges from the
Outside
Challenges from the Inside
Many wars
with other
peoples of
the region
Plebeians
calling for
change in the
government
and forming
their own
Use textbook pages 298-299 to answer the above qucesotiounsncil

47. Codification of Law
Similar to Hammurabi's Code
450 BC- Rome’s first written law codes were
carved into 12 bronze tablets
Displayed in the Forum for all to see and abide
by the laws
Called the “Law of the Twelve Tables”
These original written laws were seen as the
symbol of Roman law and the rights of Roman
citizens.

48. Primary Source:
• Read Law of the Twelve Tables on Textbook page 305
• With your partner, answer: “how are these laws similar to
and different from our laws today?”

49. Critical Thinking Organizer
Analyzing your notes on roman government, use this
diagram to list information about the powers of the
parts of Rome’s government:
Magistrate
Senate Assemblies
& Tribunes