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Roman Empire Notes
Culture: Existed throughout the 1200 year history of the Roman Empire. There were many
famous structures such as the Flavian Amphitheatre (now called the Colosseum.) The Urban
Architecture could range depending on the area, in the cities it was usually modest houses but
on the outskirts there were Country Villas which were easily accessible , and as for the Capital
there was the Palatine Hill which was a centermost of the 7 hills of rome (the word “palace” is
derived from palatine.) Almost 80 percent of all inhabitants of the Roman Empire resided in the
countryside consisting mainly of farmers and small vendors, while most landlords lived in the
city and left their countryside mansions to the caretaking of farm managers. During the Roman
Empire, Italy had the highest rate of urban societies with an average of 32% urbanization.
In ancient Rome there were many things to do. One would be watching gladiators that
would fight each other, slaves, and wild animals. These events would take place in colosseums.
Public executions would also take place in colosseums. Other entertaining events would be
things like chariot races and theatrical performances. In the Roman public areas chariots and
horses clattered along the pavement so loudly at night that Julius Caesar put a band on riding
chariots at night.
The Empire of Rome shared almost the same mythology as the Greek Empire, just the
Roman gods and goddesses had different names. For instance, Zeus in the Rome was Jupiter,
Poseidon was Neptune, and Hades was Pluto. A way they practiced their religion was by
holidays and religious celebration, it is known that during the Imperial Era that the calendar had
over 135 religious holidays or celebrations. Every time the Roman army would take over an
area, they didn’t get rid of that area's religion, they just mixed in with theirs. It wasn’t until the
early 4th century that Constantine I converted to Christianity and making the national religion
Christianity, before then, Christians were persecuted for their beliefs, often taken to the arena
and was killed by a lion.
Geography/Other Environment: Rome is located on the eastern banks of the Tiber River The
seven hills also known as Viminal, Quirinal, Palatine, Esquiline, Capitoline, Caelian, and
Aventine helped to protect the city of Rome. They farmed on the bottom of the hills and lived on
the hills. The Tiber River helped with trading to other countries. Three of the seven hills were
part of a volcanic ridge. The peninsula Rome was located in was rich in fertile soil because of all
the volcanic soil which made it great for farming. The climate of Rome was a very
Mediterranean climate. It was warm to mild in the summer and cold during the winter. Rome
gets a moderate amount of rainfall. The climate in Rome is very stable and easy to deal with.
Economic: The roman economy was primarily agrarian based, with the majority of crops being
grain, olives, and grapes. Olive oil and wine were the most popular exports, excluding direct
foods. Farmers could donate their surplus of crops to the government, as opposed to a
monetary tax. This allowed the government to gain popularity among citizens through free grain
distribution, and being able to feed the roman legion with no direct money cost.
Commerce and trade was a major portion of roman economy and connected Rome with
Spain, France, North Africa, and the middle east. Rome imported foodstuffs and materials such
as beef, corn, glass, iron, lead, leather, silver, spices, and a plethora of other materials.
State Building: (Before Rome expanded into an empire, it was a Republic which was ran by
elected representatives.) In the Roman Empire the government was an autocracy, in which one
person is the ultimate ruler, the emperor. The emperor would take on executive functions along
with absolute authority of the consul/chief magistrate and religious authority of the high priest.
(AKA the pontifex maximus) There was also an imperial council that consisted of the consuls,
other magistrates, and 15 senators. But the imperial council had no authority to make policies.
The Senate had power though, like dealing with foreign embassies, served as the highest court,
could elect magistrates, and could make binding decrees. One large thing they could do is to
name the emperor.Since the Roman Empire was so large it was split into provinces, which were
ruled by governors. Provinces with a lot of military forces were under direct supervision from the
emperor, and he would designate those governors. As time progressed the senate had less and
less power, to where eventually they held no real power. Under the autocratic rule, which was
restored by Julius Caesar's son, Augustus, there was a period of peace that lasted over 200
years.
Social: During the Roman Empire your social status was based upon heredity, property, wealth
citizenship and freedom. The new social structure was a patriarchal, which ranked men higher
in the household rather that before where they had a limited democracy where the women had a
lot of freedom, but the only thing that they couldn't do was vote. The women's social status was
based upon their father or husband's ranking in the society. The highest ranking citizens of the
Roman Empire would offer recently released slaves a job as a plebeians which was basically a
job as a slave, but they get paid, etc. The highest ranking people in this social structure where
those in the government, which they could do just about everything in the society.
Matthew Hendry, Zach Hamilton, George Dickens, Evan Onley, Noah Elliott, Trace
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