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Mr. David A. Giglio

World History

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS

• Rome itself was a melting pot filled with people from all over the empire

• Greeks, Syrians, Jews, North Africans, Spaniards, Gauls, and Britons

• Daily life in the Roman Empire was heavily dependent on your place in society.

• Two Romans living at the same time in the same city could have very different lives.

GLORY DAYS

• Pax Romana: was a roughly 200 years period of peace and prosperity (seemingly) in the Roman Empire

• Latin: “Roman Peace”

• Began with the reign of Augustus and ended with the reign of Marcus Aurelius (27 BC to 180 AD)

• During this time, the Roman empire reached its peak land mass area and its population grew up to 70 million people

GLORY DAYS• Pax Romana (Cont)

• Trade and ideas flowed freely throughout the empire• Silk Road – connected East and West• Wild Animals from Africa• Spices, cotton and stone from India

• People and the army moved easily throughout the empire.• Massive system of paved roads• “All roads lead to Rome”

• Massive public building projects were undertaken by the Emperors

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ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME THE WATERS OF ROME• As Rome’s population grew rapidly, she

needed new ways to bring resources (like water) into the city.• Aqueducts: transport water from one

place to another, achieving a regular and controlled water supply to a place that does not receive sufficient water

• Date back to the Minoan civilization• Romans became master builders

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THE WATERS OF ROME

LIVIN’ IT UP

• For the Rich life was grand• They lived in beautiful houses – often on the

hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell. • They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyles with

luxurious furnishings, surrounded by servants and slaves to cater to their every desire. • Many would hold exclusive dinner parties

and serve their guests the exotic dishes of the day.

• They controlled the political scene and exerted heavy influence

HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

• For the majority of Romans, life was much harder

• Most awoke everyday at sunrise and worked until noon

• Poverty was rampant in the city.

• Influx of slave labor created little job opportunities

• Thousands of Romans were homeless and wandering the city streets.

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RISE OF THE CITIES• Space was at a premium in Rome

• little attention was paid to the housing needs of the people who migrated to the city

• Homelessness was large problem

• Tenements provided the best answer

• there were over 46,000 insulae throughout the city

• Most were over-crowded and extremely dangerous resulting in residents living in constant fear of fire, collapse, and flooding

• The floor on which a person lived depended on one’s income.

• The lower apartments were for the well-off. (Spacious and well-kept)

• Higher floors, where rent was paid by the day or week, were cramped, often with only one room to a family. (No light, no water, Constant fear of eviction)

Depictions of a Roman Insulae

THE SLUMS OF ROMEBREAD & CIRCUSES

• Phrase got its origins in the writings of the satirical poet Juvenal.

• Emperors were consumed with keeping power and needed to distract the masses of poor from all of Rome’s underlying troubles• Solution was to provide free wheat to Roman

citizens as well as costly circus games and other forms of entertainment• Mass Distraction

• Practice actually began during the republic under Gaius Gracchus

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"Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt”

~Juvenal

CIRCUS MAXIMUS

• Giant racetrack built for Chariot races in 6BC

• Hosted the Roman Games (Ludi Romani) which honored Jupiter.

• held every September with 15 days of chariot races and military processions.

• Also used for gladiator matches

• Capacity for 250,000 spectators

• last official chariot race at the Circus Maximus was in 549 CE

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THE COLOSSEUM

• Built of concrete and sand, it is the largest amphitheater ever built.

• Named after a colossal statue of emperor Nero that was located nearby.

• Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under Titus.

• Could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators

• used for gladiatorial contests, mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, and more!

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