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Ch7, Sec 4 Culture of the Roman Empire
N1: Oh spirits of the ancient Romans . . .
ROMAN1: We hear you! What do you want to know?
N2: Please sum up for us why the Roman Empire was so great and lasted so long!
ROMAN1: That’s a big task but I’ll try! The 3 keys to the success of the Roman Empire were: its government &
law, its engineering,and its army. First, hear from the “Spirit of Roman Government & Law”:
SPIRIT OF GOV & LAW: I am the spirit of the Roman government & law. The government was the strongest
unifying force. There was the central government in Rome, run by the Emperor. Also each province had a governor,
appointed by the Emperor, and accountable to the Emperor. The government, both central and provincial, kept
order and enforced the laws.
N2: Tell us about the laws of Rome.
SPIRIT OF GOV & LAW: The laws of Rome were probably her most lasting and important achievement. They were
based on principles of fairness and reason. The oldest Roman laws were the Laws of the 12 Tables. New laws were
passed as needed. Trained judges decided court cases, and interpreted and applied the laws to each case. These
judges wrote down and explained their decisions. The body of law that applied to Roman citizens was called Roman
Civil Law. The laws of most of the countries of Europe today are modeled on Roman Civil Law.
ROMAN1: Let’s hear now from the “Spirit of Roman Engineering”
SPIRIT OF ROMAN ENGINEERING: Trade and transportation linked all parts of the Empire, from northern
Britain all the way to Egypt. The easiest, fastest means of transportation was by sea and rivers. The
Mediterranean linked many parts of the Empire. Also, the Roman army built over 60,000 miles of paved roads
throughout the empire, as well as many bridges. These were built to last. The top pavement was made of paving
stones which rested on deep layers of concrete and gravel. Many of these roads continued to be used for two
thousand years. Some are still in use.
N2: Was there a lot of trade in the Roman Empire?
SPIRIT OF ENG: Yes! Because there was a single government and coinage (money) system, and because there were
good roads to travel on, trade flowed freely from one end of the empire to the other.
N1: What goods were traded?
SPIRIT OF ENG: The main goods traded within the empire were grain, olive oil, wine, cloth, glassware and metals.
The main items imported from outside the empire were silk from China, pepper from India, and ivory from Africa.
ROMAN2: Now let’s hear from the “Spirit of the Roman Army”.
SPIRIT OF ROMAN ARMY: The Roman army did a lot more than fight. They kept order and peace, and built roads
and bridges. In the early Republic, it was a citizen army. But later it became a trained professional army. Recruits
served for 16-25 years in the Roman legions.
N1: How were the Roman soldiers treated?
SPIRIT OF ROMAN ARMY: They were fairly well paid, and at the end of their service they received a piece of
land. If they were not already Roman citizens, they were awarded citizenship at the end of their service. There
were large fortified army camps all around the borders of the Empire. Towns grew up around these camps. Many
European cities today were originally Roman army camps. After retirement, many veterans settled in these towns
near the army camps. This spread Roman language and culture throughout the empire.
N1: How was the army organized?
SPIRIT OF THE ROMAN ARMY: The largest division was a legion, about 4800+ soldiers; Cohort: 480 soldiers;
century: 80 soldiers; tent group: 8 soldiers. There were also auxiliary troops. There were about 30 legions spread
across the empire.
N2: Were there ever any rebellions by people in provinces ruled by Rome?
SPIRIT OF ROMAN ARMY: Not many, but there were definitely a few. There was a rebellion in Britain in 60AD,
led by a British tribal Queen named Boudica. There was a rebellion in about 70AD in Judaea, which resulted in the
destruction of the Jewish temple. The Roman army crushed both rebellions.
N1: Now, spirits, tell us more about life in the empire during the Pax Romana. What were the social classes, and
what was life like for the rich and the poor?
ROMAN2: Social classes included:
Patricians-citizens from noble families
Equestrians -rich citizens from merchant families
Plebeians -common citizens, which included both:
Middle class: merchants and artisans; farmers who owned their own land;
Poor: tenant farmers and farm laborers and unemployed people in the cities.
Freedmen: Those who had been slaves but had been freed.
Slaves: There were many slaves and Italy and the eastern provinces, but few in the Western provinces.
N1: Let’s interview some Romans. What is life like for the rich?
RICH ROMAN: We rich Romans usually have 2 luxurious houses, one in the country and one in the city. Our houses
are very comfortable. We have beautiful paintings on our walls, and our homes have central heating by means of a
“hypocaust system”, which involves a furnace under the floor. The furnace heats air which circulates under the
floor and through spaces in the walls. We have luxurious bathrooms with running water, both cold and hot. We
attend huge banquets, with exotic foods, such as jellyfish, ostrich and dormice.
CUTAWAY DIAGRAM OF A ROMAN HYPOCAUST SYSTEM
N1: What is life like for the poor?
POOR FARMER: I am a poor farmer. I work very hard and raise olives and grapes. I live in a simple hut like the
poor in all parts of the world.
POOR CITY ROMAN: I am a poor city-dweller in Rome. Sometimes I find employment but often I am unemployed.
I live in an apartment building in the city. The apartment building has 6 floors. I am always afraid of fires, because
fires are a continual danger, even though Rome now has a professional fire department. Because of the threat of
fires, it is illegal to have cooking fires in the apartments, and many people buy their food already cooked from
shops and vendors. Since I am unemployed, I feed my family mostly from the grain given out by the government. I
get water from a community well, which is supplied by the great aqueduct system.
N2: Do you ever take a bath?
POOR CITY ROMAN: Yes, even though I am poor, I sometimes have enough money to go to the public bathes, which
charge only a small fee. Sometimes politicians pay for free days at the public baths, to get votes.
N1: What do you do for entertainment?
POOR CITY ROMAN: I play board games with my friends. And sometimes I go to chariot races at the Circus
Maximus or the gladiatorial games at the Colosseum. Sometimes there is an admission charge, but often they are
free. The government likes to keep us poor people happy with “bread and circuses”. I especially love the chariot
races.
N2: Tell us about the chariot races.
POOR CITY ROMAN: I watch chariot racing in the Circus Maximus of Rome, which holds about 150,000-250,000
people. There are 4 main Chariot teams: Reds, Blues, Greens, & Whites. Everyone has their favorite team. There
are also theatres where the favorite plays are comedies, but these have an admission price, so I don’t go often.
N2: Tell us about the gladiator fighting.
POOR CITY ROMAN: I watch gladiator fighting in the great Colosseum of Rome, which holds about 50,000 people.
Every smaller town and city also had a gladiator arena. Gladiators fight wild beasts or each other. In the great
Colosseum of Rome, the gladiators sometimes fight to the death, although usually the looser is spared. In other
towns gladiators hardly ever fight to the death, but it is still extremely bloody. Sometimes criminals are executed
publicly in the arena, and this is also considered “entertainment”.
Colosseum (reconstructed)
Circus Maximus (reconstructed)
N2: Tell us about life for a Roman slave.
SLAVE: Some slaves, especially those who work in the mines, have terrible, short lives. Slaves who work on large
farms also work very hard. I, however, work in the house of a Senator. I am his skilled secretary. He lets me earn
money by doing jobs on the side. I am saving money to buy my freedom. Actually, it’s quite common for household
slaves to earn extra money and buy their freedom. Once I earn my freedom, I will be called a “freedman”. Then I
will be expected to be a “client” to my former owner, and he will be my “patron”. That means I will be expected to
stay loyal to my former master, vote for him and support him politically, and do other favors for him.
N1: Tell us about Roman religion.
ROMAN 3: Actually, most religious practices take place in the home, where each family has a shrine to the “lares”,
or household spirits. Public religion takes place in temples. Part of its purpose is to promote patriotism, and the
Emperor himself is the chief priest, or “Pontifex Maximus”. Jupiter, of course, is our greatest god. Juno, Minerva,
Mars, Saturn and Vesta are also very important; sacrifices are made to these gods and goddesses. The priestesses
of the goddess Vesta are the 6 Vestal Virgins. They keep the sacred hearth fire of Rome in their temple called the
Vestavia. They are very important in Rome.
ROMAN 4: Another important aspect of Roman religion is foretelling the future. Priests called augurs foretell the
future by studying the flights of birds, and the livers and entrails of sacrificed animals.
N2: Tell us about the family, and about the roles of men and women.
ROMAN WOMAN: The father is the head of the family, and is called the “Pater Familias”. Technically, he has the
power of life and death over the family members. However, we Roman women are highly respected, and we have a
fair amount of freedom. We run the household, do the shopping, entertain guests, and go to public entertainment,
like chariot racing. We often participate in family decision making. We can own property and operate businesses; in
fact some women have become successful and wealthy business owners. Upper class women often have political
influence. We cannot vote, however.
N1: What about the baths?
ROMAN4: Ah yes, the baths. Every Roman town has public baths, and many Romans, including common people, go
every day. The public baths are large facilities, often with many rooms.
N2: What do you do at the baths?
ROMAN3: First I go to the changing room. Then I go to a room where I cover my body with oil and then scrape it
off with an instrument called a strigil. This gets the dirt and sweat off. Then I go to the pools, which include hot
pools and cold pools. There are also exercise areas, as well as places to buy snacks or watch entertainment. Going to
the baths is part of the Roman way of life.
N2: Do men and women bath together?
ROMAN 4: Not usually. Large bath facilities have separate areas for men and women. Smaller facilities have
separate times. Usually women go to the baths in the morning, and men go in the afternoon and evening. Many men
go after work before going home. There are also public toilets, which have a continuous flush beneath the seats.
Diagram of a public bath
Roman girls exercising
N1: Where does the water come from?
WATER ENGINEER: Huge water systems called aqueducts bring water from springs in the mountains into cities.
Most of the course of a typical aqueduct is underground, but huge bridge-like arcades are built to cross valleys.
These bring water into the homes of the wealthy, and into public fountains which everyone uses. They also bring
water into the baths. Eleven huge aqueducts bring clean water into the city of Rome; every Roman city was plenty
of clean water. (Note: In ancient times Rome had more fresh water per person that it does today in the 21st
century).
N1: What are other examples of Roman architecture?
ROMAN BUILDING ENGINEER: We Romans build large public buildings: Courthouses called basilicas, palaces,
temples, etc. We use arches and vaulted domes to hold up the ceiling in large building. One of the most famous
Roman buildings is the Pantheon, the Temple to all the Gods, in Rome. It was built in 125AD, during the time of the
Emperor Hadrian, and has been in continuous use since then. It has a portico with columns in front, and a huge
concrete dome on top. (Note: it is still in use today, in almost perfect condition).
N1: Now tell us a little bit about Roman literature.
ROMAN TEACHER: Rome has many great writers and poets. Virgil, who lived during Augustus’s reign, was the
greatest of the Roman poets. His epic poem, the Aeneid, tells the story of Aeneas, a prince of Troy who escaped
and settled in Italy. Another poet is Horace, who wrote of human emotions in his poems, and coined the famous
phrase “carpe diem” (seize the day). My favorite is Ovid, who wrote beautiful and scandalous love poems, including
The Art of Love a poetic book of tongue-in-cheek instructions in how to seduce a woman. For this work he was
exiled by the Emperor Augustus, who was quite strict in his morals. Ovid also wrote the Metamorphoses, a
collection of myths in verse.
ROMAN HISTORIAN: We Romans also have great historians. One is Livy, who wrote the early history of Rome.
Another is Tacitus, who wrote the history of Rome under the Julio-Claudian Emperors. Tacitus was actually quite
critical of the Roman Empire. He said of the Romans, his own people, “They created a desert, and called it peace!”
Tacitus was concerned about the growing gap between rich and poor, and called for a return to the simpler life of
the early Republic. Another historian, Plutarch, was actually a Greek. He wrote Parallel Lives, a collection of Greek
and Roman biographies, in which each description of a famous Greek is followed by a description of a Roman whose
life was similar or comparable in some important way.
N1: What about the Roman language?
SPIRIT of the LATIN LANGUAGE: The Roman language was Latin, of course. The Romans got their alphabet from
the Etruscans, who had gotten it from the Greeks, who had gotten it from the Phoenicians. The alphabet used in
English today is almost the same as the Roman, or Latin, alphabet, with the addition of J and W.
N2: Could ordinary Romans read and write?
SPIRIT OF THE LATIN LANGUAGE: No one knows exactly what the literacy rate in ancient Rome was. However,
we know that many ordinary and even poor people could read and write, because of all the graffiti found in ancient
Roman towns, including Pompeii.
N2: Did people stop using Latin after the Roman Empire fell?
SPIRIT OF THE LATIN LANGUAGE: No. It continued to be used by educated people, and in government, law, and
universities through the Middle Ages, Renaissance and even after. Most educated people in Europe and America
learned Latin at least up until about 1950, and many still learn it today. It was used by the Catholic Church until the
1960s. It is the “mother tongue” of Western Civilization. The languages of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese,
and Romanian come directly from Latin, and are called the Romance languages. They evolved from Latin during the
Middle Ages during the time when most people were illiterate.
SECTION 4
1. What were the 3 keys to Rome’s success?
2. What is often said to be Rome’s greatest and most lasting achievement?
3. Who decided legal cases, and what principles were used to decide legal cases?
4. What were Rome’s earliest laws called?
5. What was the law that applied to Roman citizens called? What legal systems are based on it today?
6. What large body of water lay in the middle of the Roman Empire, and connected many parts of it?
7. Describe Roman roads. What materials were used to build them? What role did the roads play in the
success of the Empire.
8. What kept the peace in ancient Rome?
9. How long did a professional soldier sign on to serve? How was a Roman soldier compensated?
10. What role did Roman army camps play in the development of Europe?
11. Who was the head of a Roman family, and what special term describes him?
12. What rights did Roman women have? What right did they not have?
13. What was the favorite Roman public entertainment? What was the name of the largest race course in
Rome?
14. Describe gladiator fighting. What was the largest arena in Rome?
15. How did wealthy Romans live? How were their homes heated?
16. How did ordinary city-dwelling Romans live? In what kind of homes did they usually live? Where did the
poorest get food?
17. Where did ordinary Romans bathe? Describe these facilities.
18. What is the term for the big systems that brought water to Roman cities? How many led into the city of
Rome? Where did the water go?
19. What were the most important architectural features that Roman builders used? What special substance
did Romans use that hardened into a stone-like material?
20. What is the name of the “Temple of all the Gods” in Rome? Describe it.
21. What is the Aeneid about? Who wrote the Aeneid? Who coined the term “carpe diem”? Who wrote The Art
of Love and the Metamorphoses?
22. What famous historian wrote the early history of Rome? Name two other Roman historians.
23. What was the Roman language? What role did this language continue to play through the Middle Ages and
Renaissance?
24. What are the Romance languages?
Roman Roads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu94sFmNwMw short
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_cLnMwbI_8
short
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-rome/videos/ancient-roman-superhighway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdm0Ykgv1WI full length
CONCRETE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lND7_c6my30
Baths: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-32UWMCrtE
Due Jan