Jenny Lind Elementary School

Mr. Giudici/World History/4/24/08

Architectural achievements of ancient Rome: an introduction

Whaddya think?

• Did you know that Rome was once the most advanced city of the ancient world?

• During the years of the Roman Empire, great architectural projects were completed in what is now Italy, projects that still exist today, 2,000 years after they were built.

• Can you name one of these projects? • Can you give an example of a similar project that

exists in California today?

Welcome to Rome

• Today, the class is going to be introduced to the architectural achievements of the Roman Empire.

Still in use today

• The Romans used great public projects to make the city the most advanced of the ancient world, and to create the largest empire of the era. Many of the roads, bridges, and aqueducts of ancient Rome are still used today.

All roads lead to Rome

• The Romans built many roads throughout their empire. The roads made it easier to travel, move troops, and trade with faraway provinces. It also made it easier to collect taxes. Roman roads followed an exact design. The expression, “All Roads Lead To Rome” refers to the fact that Rome was the center of ancient civilization.

We’re thirsty

• Roman engineers brought water into the city by building pipelines called aqueducts. Nine aqueducts provided the Roman people with 38 million gallons of water every day. Parts of the Roman aqueduct system still supply water to fountains in Rome.

Let the games begin

• The Romans built many huge stadiums called amphitheaters. People would gather in amphitheaters to watch shows with clowns, jugglers, and acrobats.

That’s entertainment• Some of Roman

entertainment was very cruel. People would watch fights between wild animals and gladiators. Gladiators were usually slaves or criminals who fought with swords against animals or one another. A skillful gladiator might win his freedom by defeating an opponent. More often, the gladiators lost their lives.

The Colosseum – in Rome

• The greatest Roman amphitheater, the Colosseum, still dominates the Roman skyline. Only a portion of the Colosseum remains standing. Earthquakes have destroyed some of the structure. Also, engineers used some of the stone from the Colosseum to build later Roman buildings. Some of the stone used to build St. Peter’s basilica, the church in the Vatican where the Pope resides, came from the Colosseum.

Where did all that smell go?

• Perhaps the greatest Roman engineering achievement was the sewer. Because Rome is in a valley among seven hills, there is nowhere for dirty water to go. The sewer system made it possible for Rome to become the largest city in the world. The population of Rome swelled to more than one million people at the height of the empire. Today more than six million people live in Rome.

Video time

• Now we will watch a video on ancient Roman architectural sites. This will take about 2 minutes. As you watch, please write down the three most interesting things you see. We will discuss these after the video.

A game, a game

• We will now have a question and answer game with questions derived from the points you wrote down during the video. When asked a question, you must tell about the question in 30 seconds or less. A correct answer earns one point.

A chance to write

• After reading the section in the textbook, write at least 100 words, describing what your life would be like if the architectural achievements of ancient Rome had never been invented.