HISTORY - Ancient Rome: Life and Achievements in - Ch. 3

Achievements

Successes, attainments

Amphitheatre

Large, circular or oval-shaped building used to host gladiatorial contests such as the Colosseum

Aqueduct

Bridge for carrying water in Ancient Rome

Century

A unit of the Roman Army, composed of 100 soldiers

Classical

Term used for culture, art and architecture of Ancient Greece and Rome

Dictator

A ruler with full power

The Dole

A free supply of grain given by emperors to 200,000 poor citizens every month to keep them happy and prevent unrest.

Forum

Marketplace in Roman towns

Fresco

Painting style in Ancient Rome and in the Renaissance where painting is done on damp plaster

Gladiators

Trained fighters who took part in contests in amphitheatres such as the Colosseum

Historical era

A period of history with common features

Insulae

Roman apartment blocks, often five or six storeys tall, where most plebeians lived.

Legend

A fable, folklore

Legion

A unit of the Roman Army, composed of 5,000 soldiers (legionnaires)

Patrician

Noble person or upper class in Ancient Rome

Plebeians

Commoners in Ancient Rome. They were majority of Roman citizens, ranging from well-off craftsmen and shopkeepers to very poor laborers.

Renaissance

Time of revival of interest in learning of Ancient Greece and Rome, begun in Italy in 14th century

Stola

A long robe or garment worn by women in Ancient Rome

Strigil

A curved instrument to scrape oil and dirt off the body

Toga

A long robe for men in Ancient Rome

Tunics

Short-sleeved, knee-length clothes worn by men and women

Pompeii and Herculaneum

Towns situated on the bay of Naples that were buried in ash after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD.

Over time, the location of the towns were forgotten but letters by Pliny the Younger described what happened during the eruption.

Pliny the Younger

A witness of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79AD. He saw the eruption from across the Bay of Naples, at Misenum. In his letters he describes the eruption and how his uncle, Pliny the Elder was killed by the volcano.

How does the towns being covered in ash help Archaeologists?

Since both towns were and some of their people were covered by layers ash of ash and lava, the towns were frozen in time. These layers of ash and lava protected all the evidence of how Romans lived during 79 AD.

How do Archaeologist see the lives of the people?

They use photography and computer reconstruction with 3-D models as by the 20th century, a lot of the town had been excavated and conservation became a problem.

The Story of Rome

In the 8th century BC (799-700), when villages on the seven hills along the banks of the River Tiber joined to form the city of Rome in 753 BC.

Legend of Rome

The twins Romulus and Remus had been left to die in the River Tiber by their evil uncle. They were found and raised by a she-wolf. They decided to build a city at the spot where they were found. They had a dispute over the wall of the city, and Romulus killed Remus. The city was named after Romulus, who was its first ruler.

When did Rome conquer all of Italy?

By 250 BC

How far did Rome stretch at its largest? When?

From Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England to Turkey and all of North Africa. In 117 AD

How were Roman Towns Built?

In a grid pattern with walls surrounding the town.

List the Main buildings

-Forum

-Amphitheatre

-Public Baths

Forum

A marketplace where people met and shopped

Amphitheatre

Large, circular or oval-shaped building used to host gladiatorial contests.

Public Baths

Where many Romans bathed daily and met friends

The Senate

The senate made the laws for Rome and it was controlled by the patricians

Domus

The type of house occupied by the upper classes (patricians) in the city during Ancient Rome

Domus features

• The domus looked plain from the outside, with blank walls facing the street

• Shops called often occupied the front of the house

• The domus had an atrium, which was an open courtyard with a pool in the middle to catch rain water

• The main rooms were the bedrooms, kitchen and the dining room (tricilinium)

• At the rear of the house was the peristylium, which is a garden surrounded with columns

Villa

A house owned by a patrician in the countryside. It had a farm which was run by a manager and worked by slaves.

Who was in Charge of a Patrician Family?

The father was fully in charge, and the children were expected to obey they father even after they grew up

Job of the Mother in a Patrician Household

The main job of the mother was to run the household. She gave order to the slaves, who did the work

Marriages in Patrician Families (and for plebians too)

Marriages were arranged to increase families’ wealth and influence. Girls were allowed to be married at 12 years old and boys at 14. A dowry was provided to the girl’s husband. This dowry could be money or property and it gave the wife some influence over their husband as the dowry had to be returned if a divorce were to occur.

Clothes Worn by Patricians

Men and women wore short-sleeved, knee length tunics tied at the waist.

Men wore a toga which was a long robe over a tunic

Women wore a stola which was a long tunic over the undertunic

Patrician meals

• Two simple meals were eaten for breakfast and lunch

• After a visit to the baths, the evening meal which was the main meal was served

• The main meal was called the cena and has three courses. The food served included eggs, sea urchin, oysters, pork, fruits and dormice, which were rare and expensive

• Men and women lay on couches around a central table while eating

• Slaves served the food and musicians entertained during the cena

• Sometimes, people ate so much in order to get deliberately sick and eat more.

Patrician Daughters

Daughters of richer families went to primary school, here they learned to read and write using wooden tablets coated in wax. After primary school, the girls stayed at home to prepare for marriage

Insulae (Street Level)

The ground floor of apartment blocks, which was usually rented out as shops.

Insulae Living Conditions

Better-off families rented well-furnished rooms on the lower levels of an insula. The poorest families lived in the upper floors with bare rooms and bad conditions.

Roman Public Toilets

Facilities used by most plebeians because their apartment blocks (insulae) lacked toilets.

Aqueducts

Channels that supplied water to public fountains, where plebeians collected their water as there was no water supply in the insulae.

What hazard did the insulae have?

A fire hazard was prominent in insulae due to the use of wood-burning stoves for heat in crowded spaces.

Rubbish Disposal for Insulae

Rubbish was thrown from the windows to the street

Plebeian Diet

Breakfast/Lunch primarily consisted of bread, wheat biscuits, or a type of porridge made from wheat and barley

They couldn’t cook in the insulae, so their evening meals were either cold or bought from inns or take-away shops known as thermopolia

Thermopolia

Take-away shops found on Roman streets that sold hot food to plebeians who couldn't cook at home.

Women in Roman Society

In Roman society, a women’s place was in the home. She was under control of her husband. She was encouraged to have many children because many children died at a young age. Richer women were also encouraged to have children who would inherit the property of the family.

Ideal Roman Woman

The ideal roman woman was hard-working and obedient to her husband. Also, the mother was to pass on the same ideas to her daughters.

Plebian Women

Her main job would be to run the household. Poorer women also worked in the markets, shops and baths.

Patrician Women

The main job of the mother was to run the household and give orders to slaves. The only work she did was spinning or weaving.

When was Julius Caesar born?

100 BC to an influential family

What is an "orator"?

A skilled public speaker.

Which areas did Caesar add to the Roman Empire?

Gaul (modern-day France), Belgium, and Britain.

What was the title of Caesar’s book about his wars?

De Bello Gallico (The Gallic Wars).

How many soldiers were in the Roman Army in the 1st century AD?

150,000 soldiers, divided into 30 legions.

What was a "Legion"?

A group of about 5,000 soldiers (called legionnaires).

What was a "Century"?

A group of 100 men within a legion.

Who led a Century?

A Centurion.

How did soldiers pay for their uniforms?

It was deducted from their wages.

How far were soldiers expected to march on "fast route" marches?

30 kilometers (18 miles).

What was "Decimation"?

A strict punishment where every tenth man was executed if mutiny was suspected.

How much did a soldier's total weapons and tools weigh?

About 40 kilograms.

What weapons did a Roman soldier typically carry?

Two spears, a short sword, a dagger, and a shield.

List three types of Roman siege weapons.

Catapults, missiles (ballistae), and battering rams.

What happened to a Soldier if they were Disobedient?

They were flogged

Who did Caesar Defeat in a Civil War and

when?

Caesar defeated Pompey and marched on Rome in 49 BC

What did Caesar do When he defeated Pompey?

He made himself consul and dictator of Rome

Reforms Caesar Made

• He redistributed land to the poor (before dictatorship)

• He changes the year from 355 days to 365 days and added the month July, which was named after him (during dictatorship)

When was Caesar Assassinated?

15 March 44 BC (the Ides of March)

Why was Caesar assassinated?

Caesar ruled without consulting the Senate and some senators feared that it would be abolished, so they killed him.

How many slaves were there in Ancient Rome?

1.5 - 2 million (~20%) of the population

Who owned slaves?

Slaves were mainly owned by patricians. They were also owned by the government.

Where were slaves sold in Ancient Rome

Slaves could be bought or sold at markets.

Where did they get the slaves from?

Many were brought from foreign wars or were captured by pirates or slavers (people in slave trading business). Some were born as slaves to slave women.

What work did slaves do?

They did most of the work on farms and in the towns, especially in the domus of patricians. The government used slaves to maintain public buildings and to work in the public baths.

Slaves treatement

Their treatment varied from owner to owner. The owners had the power of ‘life and death’ over them. Many were treated very harshly and some got their freedom.

Slaves rebellion

Slaves rebelled many times against their harsh treatment. Spartacus lead one of those rebellions, but he was eventually defeated. Over 6,000 rebel slaves were captured and crucified.

Education In Ancient Rome

Most poor children (the majority) did not learn to read and write because they had to work.

The sons and daughters of richer families went to primary school, called ludus at age 7.

Boys from richer families went to secondary school, where they were taught history, philosophy, geometry and the writings of Greek and Latin authors by a Grammaticus (specialist in language)

Girls from rich families ended their education at primary school as they were married off at 12 or 14 years old

Religion in Ancient Rome (before the spreading Christianity in Rome)

Religion was important to Ancient Romans. They believed that success or failure in life depended on the support of the gods, so they offered them gifts.

They also celebrated many religious festivals, e.g. Ludi Romani which was a major state-sponsored games including chariot races, gladiatorial fights, and theatrical performances in honor of Jupiter.

Where were their main Temples located?

Forums

Roman God Statues

The Romans used bronze and marble to make statues of gods and goddesses. In their houses and apartments, there were statues to their household gods, e.g. Vesta

Burial Customs

Some Romans believed that their spirit was carried across the River Styx to the underworld by Charon, the ferryman. They placed a coin in the mouth of the dead person to pay the ferryman.

Other Romans wanted to be remembered with death masks (a cast or impression in plaster of a dead person’s face) and inscriptions (engraving) on tombs

Funerals for Patricians

When rich Romans died, they were dressed in a toga for their funeral. They were carried in a procession of relatives, musicians and mourners before they were cremated.

Their ashes were placed in urns and buried in cemeteries outside the town or city walls

Funerals for Plebians/Poorer Romans

Poorer Romans had processions too. They were then cremated and their ashes were buried in simple graves.

Christianity

Jesus of Nazareth founded Christianity in Palestine. Christians believed in one god only.

Christianity in Ancient Rome (before it was introduced)

The Romans were tolerant of most religions, but they saw Christianity as a threat to the Roman system, so they were persecuted.

The Christians’ Secret Life

Around Rome, the Christians led a secret life and used catacombs (underground tunnels) to hold ceremonies and bury their dead.

Christian Burials

Christians were always buried, not cremated. During their secret lives, their bodies were buried in holes dug out of the sides of the catacombs

When did Christianity become the State Religion?

At the end of the 4th century AD, after Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity

How Were Romans Entertained?

Romans had very little free time, but Rome was well known for its public entertainment, which was paid by the government to keep the people happy.

They were entertained by:

• Gladiators

• Chariot Racing

• Theatres and Plays

• Public Baths

Gladiators

Gladiators were slaves or criminals. They trained specially for these contests.

They usually fought other gladiators, but sometimes they fought animals such as bulls, bears and lions. They fought in amphitheatres. Sometimes they fought to the death

Gladiators were very valuable so over time the contests became more organised with referees who could stop the contest

What did Gladiators use to Fight?

Swords, nets, tridents, shields and daggers

The Colosseum

The Colosseum in Rome was the largest amphitheatre in Ancient Rome that could hold between 50,000 - 80,000 spectators.

It had a wooden floor covered in sand in the central arena, which hid animal pens and space for the gladiators underneath.

It also had a sun canopy (a canvas that could be extended to shade the spectators from the sun)

It was also used for animal hunts, re-enactments of land battles and some sea battles when the central arena was flooded.

Chariot Racing

The most popular sport in Ancient Rome. Chariot races were held in the Circus Maximus, which could hold 250,000 people.

Four teams (red, white, green and blue) raced seven times around a central spine.

The champion teams had a great following. The champion charioteers became rich and famous, even though their lives were short.