Roman concrete
- The Romans developed a technique for mixing lightweight but sturdy concrete
Aqueducts
Roman myth names our planets
- sometimes pots and other materials thrown in
The Appian Way
The aqueducts, and also domes, were made possible by the Roman invention of the arch
The Romans built aqueducts to supply their cities with running water
Why is concrete important?
Allowed the Romans to build immense structures including domed buildings and extensive walls with ease.
Roman myth and the calendar
The Romans built an extensive brick road network starting with their main road, the Appian Way.
- Hades = Pluto
- Ares = Mars
- Hermes = Mercury
- Aphrodite = Venus
- Cronus = Saturn
- Uranus = god of sky
Our months are named after Roman gods:
Janus = two faced god, saw both the beginning and end
Mars = god of war, wars started when weather got warmer
Aqueducts mean Roman baths
- The Romans built large bath complexes because they had running water
- The baths served not only for hygeine but for socializing among the various social classes
- Much like our modern day pools
Why was the Appian Way important?
The Roman road network allowed the Romans to rule over a large territory.
- The Roman legions could move quickly over paved road
- All roads lead to Rome?
Roman Architecture
Aphrodite = goddess of beauty and renewal (April showers)
Maia = goddess of fertility (May flowers)
Juno = queen of the gods
SEPT, OCT, NOV, DEC
7, 8, 9, 10
Pantheon
Wasn't it like the Greeks?
Religion
- one of the most remarkable architectural achievements of Ancient Rome was the Pantheon
- built in 126 CE as a temple to ALL the gods, hence the name pantheon
- Romans borrowed much of their mythology from the Greeks
- Zeus = Jupiter
- Poseidon = Neptune
- Roman gods were more "ethereal"
- more heavenly and less earthly
- The difference was that Romans focused less on this life and more on their afterlife than the Greeks
While the Romans couldn't build curved roads, they were able to masterfully create other geometric designs.
Roman soldiers, because of their bravery, thought they would go the Elysian fields after death.
Side note: Africa gained its name from the winning Roman General Scipio Africanus
New Territory
- After Rome's win over Carthage it continues to conquer new lands.
- As Rome conquers new lands it offers citizenship to its new people
- This helped create a unified territory
- kept rebellion to a minimum
Series of wars between a young Rome and Carthage
Punic Wars
A Republic is Born
Republic: Democratic government where the citizens are allowed to vote to select people to represent them and then vote on their behalf
- America and Australia are both a Republic
ROMAN ARMOR
The Romans did not wear arm and leg armor because there was simply not much of a reason to do so. Both would be very bulky and add to the already heavy load a Roman soldier would be carrying for little benefit, as most of the body was already covered by the scutum.
There were three wars between Rome and Carthage. The end result was that Rome gained all of Carthage's territory.
https://www.quora.com/Why-didnt-Roman-armour-protect-the-arms-and-legs
Rome's Republic lasts roughly 500 years
Rome's Government was ran by:
2 consuls - elected
300 member senate - elected
Roman Republic Government Structure
Republic
Politics
The Senate is Replaced
Power transitions to a triumvirate: Government ran by 3 people with "equal" power
- 1st Triumvirate
- Marcus Crassus - Richest man in Rome
- Julius Caesar - General
- Gaeus Pompeius - Military Hero
Mythical founding of Rome
REPUBLIC
- FORM OF GOVERNMENT IN WHICH CITIZENS HAD THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND ELECT OFFICIALS
Patrician - Wealthy members of the oldest Roman families; controlled the government in Rome
Consul - One of two top officials and military leaders of the Roman republic
Senate - Government body made up of wealthy important citizens who passed laws and controlled foreign policy
- Twins set on separate hills by gods.
- Romulus kills Remus and becomes first king.
How Rome was founded
- Romulus and Remus.
- Rome founded at the bend of the Tiber River.
Empire
1st Triumvirate Fails
Julius Caesar re-establishes the senate but increases its size from 300 to 900
- Filled it with friends, family, etc...
Creates the solar calendar, which bases the year by the Earth's position to the sun
- He gets a whole month to himself!
1. Crassus Dies in Syria
2. Caesar & Pompeius get locked into a bitter civil war
3. Caesar defeats Pompeius
4. Caesar declares himself emperor of Rome
Caesar starts to think of himself as a god
- This freaks out even his closest friends
- They take a vote and decide to kill him
"Beware the ides of March"
- The Roman Empire was centrally located within the Mediterranean.
- Like Greece, they had a trade advantage
- Unlike Greece, Rome had room to grow and also fields for food
Mediterranean
2nd Triumvirate is formed
1. Octavian - Caesar's grandnephew
2. Antony - Caesar's assistant
3. Lepidus - Commander of the cavalry
Geography
Ancient Rome
Other Emperors
2nd Triumvirate Falls
1. Tiberius
2. Caligula
3. Claudius
4. Nero
- Crazy
- Killed his mother
- Burned Rome to the ground
Senate still in "power" and gives Octavian a new name and title
- Augustus - The Revered One
- Imperator - Emperor (first to officially have this title)
1. Lepidus dies in battle
2. Antony & Octavian get locked into a civil war
- Antony sides with Egypt and falls in love with a famous queen
3. Octavian destroys Antony's army and becomes Rome's next emperor
Creates the power of appointment for the next emperor
- Gives each emperor the right to name his heir
- Tries to limit civil war (not that successful)
Rivers &
Natural Borders
Pax Romana
The Pax Romana meant The Roman Peace
- It was a time of peace that lasted for 200 years
- Rome expanded
- Citizens received public aid
- Executions ended
- Rome is located on the Italian peninsula,
- protected by the Alps
- on the Tiber River
The Pax Romana was headed up by the 5 Good Emperors
1. Nerva - Famous for creating a peaceful transition of power to the next emperor
2. Trajan - First non-Italian emperor, Rome was at its greatest size under his rule
3. Hadrian - Created a massive wall that stretched across the entire island of the United Kingdom to keep out barbarians
4. Pius - Conquered part of Central Asia
5. Marcus Aurelius - Wrote a famous book of meditations while watching his army crush Germanic barbarians
- Extensive road systems allowed for not only faster travel for the army, but also communication and trade throughout the expanding empire.
The Highway System
Patrician, Plebian, Slave
Inflation leads to the downfall of Rome
- Increased amount of money leads to higher prices for everday goods.
- Less precious materials (less expansion)
Why would this be an important change?
Eventually, Roman coins lose their value.
More Money = More Problems
Inflation
Originally depicted famous ancestors, until Caesar printed coins with his image on them.
Economics
Made of precious metals, like bronze or silver.
Social Structure
- Free born women were citizens but could not vote or hold office.
- Women were expected to marry and bear children at a very young age
- Some women held special religious significance.
Currency
the great emperor, Trajan, was a peregrini
- Vote
- Hold Office
- Private Property
- Protection from foreigners
- Paterfamilias (kids were citizens)
- Could move and still have same rights
- Could sue and be sued
- No torture
- No death penalty (unless for treason)
- No Roman citizen could be put to death on cross
- Cives Romani - people from the city of Rome
- full rights
- Latini - people from outside Rome but inside Italy
- all rights except a legal marriage
- Federati - people from places which surrendered to Rome or had a treaty
- limited rights if they served the military
- Peregrini - foreigners from conquered land
- could get equal rights, case by case basis
Citizen's rights
Foreign Citizenship
Why are people like "The Situation" popular?
Women
Why was the census so important to Ancient Rome? Today?
- The Romans and Greeks developed a unique idea:
- "citizenship" - simultaneous rights and duties of a person to their state
- this is in contrast to other civilizations (like China or Egypt) where people were considered "subjects."
- Also determined taxes, number of soldiers, and the Empire's budget
- Social standing determined by size of land/property.
- Carried out every five years to determine population and the property of citizens.
From the Latin word "Censere", to estimate.
Citizenship
We will look at the Colosseum and how the gladiators represented a popular but complicated social structure.
Census
Gladiators
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/wall-painting/v/villa-of-mysteries
- Gladiator fights helped give Romans their identity
- Numbed them to constant war.
- Their passion is like the passion we have for some of the more violent movies
- Only difference is reality
THE GREAT ARCHITECTURE OF ROME
Why? It seems cruel to us
- If the defeated gladiator was wounded, he could ask for mercy by raising an arm; then the audience shouted to the emperor
- Thumbs up Thumbs down
- A person would come around and make sure that all the wounded were dead
Then what happened?
Who won the battle?
Another Battle
Originally the Flavian Amphitheater
Flavius was the name of emperors Vaspasian and Titus
Built in about 10 years
Originally could seat 80,000
The Colosseum
“Sigh and awe of all the girls”
Gladiator Types
14,000
- **The gladiator fights were carefully orchestrated
- like pro wrestling.
- Gladiators didn’t all get the same weapons
- Gladiators didn’t get to pick what they liked best
- The audience liked consistent characters
- Like we like to root for the same team
- 12 Gladiator Types
- Gladiators entered and walked to the emperor and said Cesare morituri te salutant
- Caesar, we who are about to die salute you.
- Why would the gladiators do that?
The Main Event
62,000
The Main Event
Georgia Dome – 75,000
Audience loved the gladiator events the most
Why?
There was a break when they removed bodies and got new sand
Gladiators then entered to Trumpets and audience screaming
What do we have that is like this today?
- The emperor who fought in the Colosseum
- Fought the helpless
- Amputees
- Defenseless animals
- Was considered a huge weirdo
- Why?
- Eventually was assassinated
USC Coliseum – 85,000
Commodus
115,000
Roman Social Structure Paradox
Gladiator comes from the word for sword
*Rarely were they people who had to fight against their will
*Prisoners of war given a choice
They had great popularity
Women paid large sums of money to spend a night with them
Who were the gladiators?
Let’s get ready to rummmmmmmbllllllllllllllllllllllllle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Venationes – fights between exotic animals and with animals
Martyrs
2. Gladiatorie – fights between human gladiators
Most popular of all the events
3. Naumachie – simulated sea battles
Accounts vary the accuracy
Events in the Colosseum
4. Sylvae – hunts and elaborate execution
Backdrops brought in, animals hunted, criminals executed as characters
5. Less cruel and unique events
Famous writing elephant
Gladiators
*Shows were link b/t emperor and citizens
How?
Distracted them from problems
Who is them?
What kind of problems?
Events in the Colosseum
Why are Colosseum events important to history?
Roman government did not approve of Christians until Constantine
Many Christians were fed to the lions as punishment for treason
What is treason?
Why treason?
Colosseum voted as one of the new 7 wonders of the world in 2007
Has religious use
Christianity and the Colosseum
The Colosseum Today