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Roman Culture and Society

+The Wealthy

Had a city home and a country home Had running water and baths Spent most of their time in politics,

which was an unpaid position A Roman Villa

+The Poor

Lived in crowded apartment buildings High risk for fire because torches

were used for light and charcoal used for cooking

+The Poor

To please the poor, free food and entertainment was provided by the government

All classes shared a few interests…

+Public Entertainment: Circus Maximus All classes enjoyed the circuses (chariot races, not

clowns) The Circus Maximus was a racetrack that held 250,000

spectators Viewers loved the crashes What does this compare to

today?

+Public Entertainment:Gladiators Gladiators were usually slaves Had to fight other gladiators, and sometimes animals

like tigers and lions Very violent and gruesome Aspects of theater Took place in the Colosseum,

which sat over 50,000 people Google Earth Time!

+Public Entertainment:Baths Understood hygiene and the need for daily bathing Offered both hot and cold baths Place to relax and socialize Also had steam rooms, exercise rooms, and meeting

rooms What is this like today?

+Family Life

Paterfamilias: father of the family Father was the head of household Family values included simplicity, obedience, and

religious devotion Importance of adoption: keep the family name going Women could own and inherit property, but upper class

women had little freedom Poor women had more freedom because they worked

outside of the home

+Education

Upper class valued education and literacy Children taught at home by their parents Some wealthy families hired a tutor Very few girls attended school or had a tutor Studies subjects like Latin, Greek, law, math, and public

speaking

+Science and Engineering

Greeks learned for the sake of knowledge, while Romans learned to apply it to life and be practical

Used researched knowledge to plan cities, build aqueducts, build sewage systems, and improve farming

These allowed Roman cities to grow as large as they did

Built bridges, amphitheaters, and public buildings Possible why? Developed concrete! This material

made it possible to build large, lasting buildings

+Aqueduct at Nimes, France

+Amphitheater: Lyon, France

+Architecture

Round arch Vault Dome Keystone Roads…some are still used today

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+Language

Roman spoke Latin Latin developed into French, Spanish, Italian,

Romanian, and Portuguese Do you know what these languages are called?

English developed from these languages and many words have their origin in Latin

http://www.ielanguages.com/romlang.html

+Literature

Virgil’s Aneid is the Roman version of Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey. It discussed the Trojan warrior Aeneas, whose descendents founded Rome.

Latin Literature also introduced the use of satire Livy wrote a multivolume history of Rome, which was

mixed with legends Tacitus wrote truthfully; The Annals and Histories Wrote many dramas

+Visit Rome!

You’ve just taken a tour of Rome through pictures and knowledge. Now it is your turn to be the tour guide.

Create a brochure inviting travelers to visit Rome. Fold a piece of paper in thirds to make the brochure. Also include: A front page and a back page Use the remaining four panels to focus on the attractions of

Rome (this means choose four things we have learned about and put them in the brochure to show me what you learned)

Use words and pictures

Make sure it is colorful and neat, that the information is correct, and that you are speaking from the perspective of the ancient world!

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