clas / hist 1061 rise and fall of ancient rome aqueduct of valens, istanbul, turkey
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CLAS / HIST 1061Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome
Aqueduct of Valens, Istanbul, Turkey
Politics• Republican Democracy:
Elective magistrates; limited terms; checks and balances
•Tri-partite government: (Polybius Bk. 6) Consuls : Senate : Plebeians > President : Supreme Court : Congress
World Empire• Size: 50,000,000
people = 1/5 world populace (compare: Han China 206 BCE – 220 CE)
• Generosity with citizenship: graded citizenship used to encourage cooperation; even slaves gain citizenship
Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
• European Unity / Mediterranean Unity: by 30 BCE Rome controls entire Mediterranean basin (compare: EU = larger land mass / populace, but less control of Mediterranean)
• National unity / Cultural pluralism: Language groups = Greek (Greece, Turkey, Middle East); Semitic (Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic); Celtic (Britain, France, Spain, Turkey); African (Egyptian, Punic, Numidian, Mauretanian); Armenian
• All are “Roman”
Empire of Cities
• Empire of cities: 3,000 cities; 10% of populace; new foundations (Lyons, Paris, London) and ancient cities (Athens, Jerusalem, Alexandria)
• Generators of culture: education; art; entertainment; production; redistribution
Architecture• Arches: Colosseum > Galleria Milano • Forms: Pantheon > Hagia Sophia > Jefferson
Monument ; US Capitals
Architecture• Arches: Colosseum > Galleria Milano • Forms: Pantheon > Hagia Sophia > Jefferson
Monument ; US Capitals
Engineering
• Highway system: paved roads network; bridges• Fresh water: aqueducts; fountains; baths
Engineering
• Highway system: paved roads network; bridges
• Fresh water: aqueducts; fountains; baths
Languages
• Romance languages (descendents of Latin: 690 mil native speakers): Spanish (329 mil native speakers; 2nd most common world language), Portuguese (236 mil; 6th most common), French (68 mil; 11th most common), Italian (32 mil; 18th most common), Romanian (23 mil; 34th most common) + non-native
Languages
• Writing system: Roman letters
Language
• English: 90 percentage of English language from Latin or Greek roots
Literature
• Drama (episode, prelude, persona)
• Novel (prose narrative, travel / adventure, mistaken identity, episodic)
Law
• European law: French Code Civile; German Buegerliches Gesetzbuch
• International law: South and Central America; South Africa; Japan; Vietnam
Time
• 365 ¼ day year; Julian / Gregorian Calendar
Christianity
• Melding of Jewish theology and Greek philosophy
• Spread in unified empire because of atmosphere of religious pluralism; triumph of imperial Christianity