Roman Empire

500B.C- 500 A.D

Mrs. Birklid Mrs. TurleyMs. HansenMr. Kelleher

Art and Architecture:● Roman’s were master builders ● They built roads, bridges,

buildings● Colosseum- used for entertainment ● The arch- helped to distribute

weight, made many of the building feats possible

Central Government:

● Began as a monarchy● Became a Republic- power in the hands

of the citizens, who have the right to vote

● Julius Caesar takes power as Emperor

○ General that had loyalty of the soldiers

Cities:

● Major Cities○ Rome, Pompeii (Modern Italy), Gades (Spain),

Narbo, Massalia (France), Londinium (England)

● Homes of the wealthy in cities were elaborate with many modern conveniences (indoor plumbing)

● ¼ of the Roman Empire was made up of the urban poor

Job Specialization:

● Farmers: 90% of the people of the empire were engaged in farming○ This food would make its way to Rome for

trade● Traders: There was a vast network of trade

routes that kept the empire thriving○ Rome traded with India and China

● Soldiers: The Roman Army was responsible for the conquest of land○ Soldiers were more loyal to the Generals than

the government● Politicians: The Senate was made up of

more than 300 people with a variety of duties

Public Works:

● Because of the vast land of the Roman empire an elaborate network of roads and bridges were needed for trade, military movement, etc.

● Aqueducts brought water to the cities ● Knowledge of bridge building helped

the empire expand

Religion:

● Early Roman Religion was polytheistic (worship of multiple gods and goddess)

● As Rome conquered new lands they would acquired the gods and goddess of those areas- this helped those people to assimilate into Roman culture

● Emperor was often worshipped as a god-like figure

● Later Roman Religion was Christian

Social Class:

Emperor

Senators

GeneralsWealthy Romans

Traders & Farmers

Soldiers

Gladiators

Urban Poor

Slaves

Women

*Education was a key part of most Romans lives

Writing:

● Roman’s had a written language- Latin● Roman literature was mostly modeled

after Greek literature with similar themes ○ History○ Tragedy ○ Comedy

● The poet Virgil spent 10 years writing Aeneid - based on the Greek poet Homer’s work

● Tacitus wrote elaborate histories of Rome

Strengths:

● Writing:○ Rome was able to communicate with its vast

Empire because of the common written language

○ Most every person in Rome had some sort of formal education ■ Tradesmen learned to read and write

before they were taught their trade■ Slaves that could read and write were

more valuable○ Latin was used in Christianity○ Many latin words and phrases are still used

today○ Many European languages are derived from

Latin (Spanish, French, Italian)

Strength:

● Job Specialization: ○ Rome had one of the most powerful and

intimidating armies ○ Caesar was able to build a bridge in 10 days

that allowed 60,000 men to cross into Germany and when he was done exploring he tore down his bridge ■ Roman’s Army could go where they

wanted, when they wanted○ The military conquered most of Europe and a

significant amount of North Africa

Strength

● Central Government:○ Rome had a Republic that allowed the people

to vote for who they wanted to make the laws of Rome

○ This included people in all parts of the Empire

○ Their laws included■ All people had equal treatment under the

law■ A person was innocent until proven guilty ■ People were not punished for their

thoughts○ Many modern governments model

themselves after the Roman Republic

Works Cited

You must have this page and cite information within your presentation using quotes from your sources.