Download Christianity and Rome`s Legacies

Christianity
AND ROME’S LEGACIES
Old Religions
New Testament
MARK
MAKES HIS
MARK
NOT SO
SIMPLE
TEMPLES
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
christianity_FC.indd 1
3/6/17 3:32 PM
2
Religions in Rome
The earliest Romans saw their gods as
spirits or powerful forces of nature.
These gods did not have personalities
or emotions or act in any other way
like human beings. However, as Rome
began to build an empire, the Romans
were exposed to new ideas. Through
contact with the Greeks, the Romans’
idea of gods and goddesses changed.
The Greeks believed in gods and goddesses who behaved very much like
human beings. Their gods could be jealous, angry, passionate, kind, foolish, or
petty. The Romans borrowed this idea
from the Greeks. They even borrowed
some of the Greek gods and goddesses.
No longer were the Roman gods spirits or forces of nature. They were now
divine and human at the same time.
u THE ROMANS
honored their gods
with more than 100
festivals every year.
Quinquatria was
a five-day festival
honoring Minerva,
the goddess of
christianity_2-3_v2.indd 2
wisdom. During
Cerealia, Romans
honored the goddess of grain,
Ceres. At Saturnalia,
honoring the god
Saturn, gifts were
exchanged. On a
festival day, priests
performed rituals
and sacrifices
outside the temple
of the god being
honored. People
did not have to
work, and in par-
u THE ROMANS
honored their gods
by building temples.
Inside each temple
was a statue of a
god or goddess.
ticular, no legal
work was allowed.
Celebrations included feasting, music,
rest, and reflection.
People did not go to
a temple to worship
the god. Rather, a
temple was where
priests made
offerings of cakes
and honey, burned
sweet-smelling
incense, and sacrificed animals to
honor the god.
u UNTIL THE
300s CE, the Roman
religion was a
state religion.
The emperor was
the leader of the
government and
of the religion.
Everyone had to
observe the Roman
religion publicly. But
in private people
were free to think
and say what they
wanted to. Over
time, the emperor
came to be seen as
a god who must be
worshipped. Those
who didn’t worship
him could be punished by death.
3/6/17 3:33 PM
3
Some Roman Gods and Goddesses
Roman
Greek Counterpart
Role
Jupiter or Jove
Zeus
Chief god
Juno
Hera
Chief goddess
Mars
Ares
God of war
Venus
Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty
Mercury
Hermes
Messenger of the gods
Apollo
Apollo
God of sun, music and poetry, healing
r SOME ROMANS
participated in mystery religions. These
were secret groups
that required a
person to be initiated, or taken
into the religion,
during a ceremony.
Mithraism was a
mystery religion
that began in
Persia and spread
to Rome. In Rome,
r ROME WAS A
large empire with
people of many
different cultures
and religions. For
the most part, the
Romans allowed
conquered people to practice
any religion they
chose, as long as
they also publicly
took part in the
Roman religion.
THE ROMANS WERE A
very practical people. They believed
that religious
observances were
a way of keeping
on the good side
of the gods, who
had the power to
christianity_2-3_v2.indd 3
the god Mithras
was associated
with loyalty to the
emperor.
Except for Earth,
all of the known
planets are named
for Roman or Greek
gods and goddesses. Why do you
think people named
planets after gods?
Why do you think
Earth is not named
for a god?
help or destroy
them. Religion was
not about how
you treated other
human beings. It
was about making
sure that the gods
and goddesses
treated you well.
3/6/17 3:34 PM
4
The Jewish People
Under Roman Rule
In 63 BCE, the Roman Empire took control
of Syria and Judaea, the ancient homeland of the Jewish people. There were still
many Jews living in Judaea at the time.
However, because of past conquests and
exiles, there were also Jews living all over
the Roman Empire. Thousands lived in the
city of Rome. Syria and Egypt also had large
Jewish populations. Unlike most of Rome’s
conquered peoples, the Jews believed in
one God. Thus, the Roman belief in many
gods and goddesses directly clashed with
their beliefs. As a result, they refused to
worship Roman gods. Since they did not
discourage others from worshipping Roman
gods, they were allowed to practice Judaism
in peace for many years. Over time, however, conflicts about religion grew between
the Jews and the Roman government.
u IN 40 CE, THE
Roman Emperor
Caligula insisted
that a statue of
him be placed in
the Jewish Temple
at Jerusalem.
Although he later
withdrew this
demand, it and
other insults to
christianity_4-5_v2.indd 4
their religion
caused the Jews to
rebel against Rome
in 66 CE. Four years
later, Titus – who
later became the
emperor of Rome –
crushed the revolt
and destroyed the
temple.
u FROM 37 TO
4 BCE, King Herod
the Great was
the local ruler of
Judaea under the
Romans. He was
careful to deliver
the required taxes
to the Romans. As
a result, Rome let
the Jews practice
their religion in
peace. With the tax
money that was
left over, Herod
rebuilt the Temple
at Jerusalem,
which had originally
been destroyed by
the Babylonians in
about 586 BCE.
r AFTER THE
destruction of the
temple in 70 CE,
Jewish troops at
the mountaintop
fortress of Masada
made a last stand.
It took 15,000
Roman soldiers
almost two years
to defeat 1,000
Jewish fighters.
3/6/17 3:35 PM
5
d JEWS REVOLTED
again in 115 CE
because of their
treatment by the
Romans. This time
the revolt was not
limited to Judaea.
Jews living in
Egypt, Cyprus, and
other parts of the
empire attacked
Roman soldiers
and towns. It took
the Romans two
years to put down
this rebellion.
HADRIAN
r IN 132 CE, THE
Jews in Judaea
revolted against
the Romans for
the third time. The
Roman response
was more brutal
than ever. One
ancient writer
reported that half
a million Jews had
been killed. After
the revolt was put
down, the Emperor
Hadrian forced
the Jews to leave
Jerusalem. The
Romans changed
the name of
Judaea to SyriaPalaestina. Many
Jews moved to
other parts of the
empire.
JESUS
l AFTER THE END
of the third Jewish
revolt, missionaries
from a new religion
called Christianity
began to carry
christianity_4-5_v2.indd 5
their message
outside of Judaea.
Christianity had
begun as a sect,
or division, of
Judaism. By 135
CE,
when the third
Jewish revolt was
put down, it had
become a separate
religion.
3/6/17 3:35 PM
6
The main source
of information
about Jesus and
his teachings is
the New Testament
of the Bible, a
text sacred to the
followers of the
Christian religion.
According to the
New Testament,
Jesus didn’t preach
rebellion against
the Romans. In fact,
he told people to
pay their taxes to
Rome. The New
Testament says that
Jesus reminded his
followers of basic
Jewish beliefs,
such as believing
in one God and
following the Ten
Commandments.
He also told them
that God loved
them and would
forgive them if they
turned away from
sin. He urged them
to love God and to
love one another.
Christianity’s Beginnings
The Roman rulers of Judaea were worried. A Jew
named Jesus had been traveling around the province preaching in temples. He had started to attract
crowds so large that sometimes he preached outside. Some people were taking him seriously, and
a group of disciples, or followers, began to travel
with him. It wasn’t so much what Jesus said that
bothered the Romans. It was what others began
to say about him. Some people called him the
Messiah. For years, the Jews had been expecting
a messiah, or savior. They believed this messiah
would free them from Roman rule, and the Romans
were not about to allow that. Not all Jews believed
Jesus was the Messiah, however, so he became a
source of conflict among the Jewish people.
christianity_6-7.indd 6
u IN THE NEW
Testament, Jesus
teaches by telling
parables, simple
stories with lessons
about life. Jesus
used the parable of
the Good Samaritan
to teach people
what it meant to be
a good neighbor.
In the story, a man
is robbed, beaten,
and left lying by the
side of the road.
All those who pass
him ignore him.
Finally, a stranger
from Samaria – an
unfriendly land
– stops to help.
Jesus said that
the stranger who
stopped to help was
the good neighbor,
or Good Samaritan.
3/6/17 3:36 PM
7
d SOME OF JESUS’S
followers began
to call themselves
apostles, which
comes from a
Greek word meaning “messenger.”
They traveled to
different places in
the Roman Empire,
u BECAUSE THE
Romans saw Jesus
and his teachings
as a threat, they
looked for ways
to silence him.
Around 30 CE,
Pontius Pilate, the
Roman governor
of Judaea, ordered
that Jesus be put
to death by cruci-
proclaiming that
Jesus was the
Messiah. They talked about Jesus’s
resurrection after
the Romans had
crucified him. Many
people joined the
new religion. The
Greek-speaking
fixion. This means
tying or nailing a
person to a cross.
According to the
New Testament,
after Jesus was
buried, his disciples
said that he had
been resurrected,
or brought back to
life, and that they
had seen him.
followers of Jesus
called him Jesus
Christ, meaning
Jesus the Messiah.
Thus, the followers
of Jesus came
to be known as
Christians and their
religion was called
Christianity.
d A JEW NAMED
Saul tried to stop
the apostles from
saying that Jesus
was the Messiah.
Then one day, Saul
had a vision of Jesus
that changed his
mind. He became an
apostle and began
to preach that Jesus
was the Messiah.
Soon, he became
known as Paul. Most
of what is known
about Paul comes
from letters he
wrote to Christians
in different places.
These letters are
called epistles and
appear in the New
Testament.
d WHEN ROME
caught fire in 64
CE, many Romans
blamed the
Emperor Nero.
He in turn falsely accused the
Christians of starting the fire. In the
following years,
many Christians
were killed.
They became
martyrs, people
who choose to die
rather than give
up their beliefs.
u THE CHRISTIANS
worried the
Romans. Not only
did they refuse to
worship the Roman
christianity_6-7.indd 7
gods, but they also
encouraged others
not to worship
them. Since the
Roman gods were
part of a state
religion, this was
seen as an act of
rebellion against
the Roman govern-
ment. This led to
the Christians being
persecuted, or
punished for having
different beliefs.
3/6/17 3:40 PM
8
Christianity Catches
On in Rome
How did a small group of Jesus’s
followers, located in a remote
outpost of the Roman Empire,
become an empire-wide state
religion? It took almost 400
years, but Christianity slowly
spread and grew in power. In
the early days, Rome’s reaction to the new religion was
mixed. Under some emperors,
Christians were persecuted for
their beliefs. Other emperors
ignored the new religion. The
Roman official Pliny the Younger
wrote to the Emperor Trajan,
who ruled from 98 to 117 CE,
asking how to treat Christians.
The emperor replied in part,
“They are not to be sought out;
if they are denounced and proved
to be guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation,
that whoever denies that he is a
Christian and quite clearly proves
it – that is, by worshipping our
gods – he shall gain pardon.”*
Despite persecution, the religion
grew, especially in the eastern
part of the empire, where it had
begun. Large cities in the western empire also had churches.
They started as small groups that
met secretly in private homes.
Even in Rome, under the nose
of the emperor, the apostle Paul
started a church in 50 CE.
*From The Romans: From Village to Empire. M.T. Boatwright, D.J. Gargola,
and R.J. Talbert, eds. Oxford University Press, 2004.
christianity_8-9_v2.indd 8
u IN 312 CE, THE
Roman Empire was
divided. Constantine
the Great set out
to conquer the
Italian Peninsula
and reunite the
empire under his
rule. Before a battle for the city of
Rome, Constantine
claimed to have
had a vision. He
said he saw the
Greek sign for
Christ, the ChiRho, appear in
the sky with the
words: “In this
sign, conquer.”*
Believing this to
be a sign from
God, Constantine
ordered his soldiers
to paint Christian
symbols on their
shields. Constantine
won the battle, and
as a result, his support for Christianity
grew.
*From Ancient History by
Philip Van Ness Myers. Ginn &
Company, 1904.
r A YEAR AFTER
his successful
battle for Rome,
Constantine signed
the Edict of Milan,
giving Christians
and all others the
right to follow
whatever religion
they chose. By 324
CE, Constantine
controlled all
Roman lands. Thus,
Christianity and all
other religions were
tolerated across the
Roman Empire.
3/6/17 3:38 PM
9
r AS EMPEROR,
Constantine
established close
connections
between the
Christian church
and the state. In
325 CE, he called
for the Christian
Council of Nicaea
to settle a dispute
among Christians
about the nature
of Jesus. The
council ruled that
u CHRISTIANITY
soon became an
important part of
Roman culture. In
391 CE, Emperor
Theodosius I made
Christianity the
state religion of the
empire. He banned
the practice of the
old Roman religion
and closed its temples. At the same
time, he made it
clear that the power
of the emperor was
greater than that of
church leaders.
Jesus was part
of a Trinity, or one
God composed of a
Father, a Son, and
a Holy Spirit. Before
he died in 337 CE,
Constantine was
baptized, or symbolically purified of
sins, in a Christian
ceremony. His support of Christianity
helped make the
Roman Empire a
Christian state.
l WHEN
Christianity became
the state religion of
the empire, the government built large
churches to replace
the temples of the
old gods. Each large
city had a church
headed by a bishop.
The government
gave the bishops
money to run the
churches. Because
r AT FIRST, ALL
bishops had equal
authority. The
bishop of Rome
became known
as the pope, from
the Greek word for
father. Eventually,
the pope gained
more authority than
the other bishops and became
known as the leader of the Christian
church. Peter, one
of the apostles, is
considered the first
pope. According
they controlled
church money, some
bishops amassed
great wealth. The
people looked to the
bishops to tell them
what was right and
wrong. This gave
the bishops political
power. If a ruler
displeased a bishop,
the bishop could
turn the people
against the ruler.
to Roman Catholic
tradition, Jesus
had given Peter
the “keys of the
kingdom of heaven,” making him
the leader of the
disciples.
The Spread of Christianity
r THIS MAP
shows the spread
of Christianity
throughout the
Roman Empire.
N
0
0
in e
er
Riv
D a n ube
Riv
E
er
Black Sea
Cas p ian
Sea
Constantinople
er
gus Riv
A s i a
M i n o r
Granada
Antioch
Carthage
Mediterranean Sea
Cyrene
F
R
I
C
A
Alexandria
Rive
r
Christian areas before Constantine, about 312 CE
Christian areas after Constantine, about 400 CE – 600 CE
Roman Empire, about 400 CE
Edessa
Damascus
Jerusalem
Nile
A
christianity_8-9_v2.indd 9
W
E U R O P E
Rome
Ta
500 km.
S
Rh
A TLA NTIC
OC EA N
In the United States, all
people have the right to religious freedom. Why is it important to respect the
beliefs of others when they are different from your own?
500 mi.
Re d
Se a
A S I A
Per s ian
Gu lf
3/6/17 3:39 PM
10
The Gospel of Mark
Historians believe that Mark’s Gospel was first written down
in Jerusalem sometime in the 60s CE. These pages from
the Gospel of Mark were created between 720 and 730 CE,
somewhere in the British Isles. The image shows Mark.
christianity_10-11.indd 10
3/6/17 3:41 PM
11
christianity_10-11.indd 11
3/6/17 3:41 PM
12
The Decline of
the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was at the height
of its glory in 117 CE. Its territory
stretched as far west as the Atlantic
Ocean and as far north as what is
now England. It extended as far east
as places that are now part of Iraq. A
group of leaders known as the Five
Good Emperors ruled from 96 to
180 CE. But the glory days were not
to last. In the 200s CE, there were
problems both inside and outside
the empire. Enemies from outside
attacked the borders. Clashes among
leaders led to political disorder,
corruption, and civil war inside
the empire. The trouble began
under the rule of the last of the Five
Good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius,
and continued under his son,
Commodus. Then came a period of
civil wars in which leaders fought one
another for power, with the winner
becoming emperor. In the 49 years
between 235 and 284 CE, more than
60 leaders held the title of emperor.
r SOME ROMANS
were well aware
of the empire’s
difficulties. The historian Dio Cassius,
who died in 235 CE,
wrote, “Our history
now descends from
a kingdom of gold
to one of iron and
rust.”*
*From Dio’s Annals of Rome
by Herbert Baldwin Foster.
Pafraets Books Company,
1906.
christianity_12-13_v2.indd 12
ALL CITIZENS HAD
to pay taxes. In
212 CE, to raise
more tax money,
the government
gave citizenship to
all free people living in the empire.
But soon the rights
of citizenship
became weaker.
Dishonest leaders
gave more rights
to wealthy citizens
and took rights
away from poorer
citizens. This made
people angry and
caused social
unrest. Problems in
the empire caused
news to travel
slowly between the
provinces and the
city of Rome. Many
Romans started
to lose respect for
their government.
3/6/17 3:43 PM
13
ONE PROBLEM FACING
the Roman Empire
was its vast size.
A large army was
needed to protect
thousands of miles of
borders. Citizens had
to pay taxes to support
this army. Many farmers could not afford
the heavy taxes. They
were forced to leave
their farms. Some sold
them to large landowners. Others turned
to robbery or joined
invading armies. Even
soldiers defending the
frontiers, or borderlands, felt little loyalty
Roman Empire 117
to the empire. Instead,
they supported their
generals, who often
acted independently of
Rome’s government.
CE
0
0
500 mi.
500 km.
N
BRITAIN
E U R O P E
Danube
AT L ANTIC
O CEA N
Riv
Caspian
Sea
Black Sea
Rome
iver
E
S
er
P S
A L
R
Ta gus
W
A S I A
Byzantium
GREECE
Athens
Ti g
Zama
M e d i t e r r a n e a n
Alexandria
Jerusalem
EGYPT
rat
es
er
Persian
G u lf
Nile
Riv
er
Roman lands
ph
v
Cyrene
Eu
S e a
Ri
A F R I C A
Carthage
ri
sR
Antioch
ive r
New Carthage
(Cartagena)
Red
Sea
INDIA
THE BERBERS, WHO LIVED IN NORTHERN
Africa, had become part of the
Roman Empire a few centuries
earlier. They began to raid Roman
cities all along the coast of northern Africa, where the Roman army
was weak.
OCEAN
christianity_12-13_v2.indd 13
THE GOTHS, A GERMANIC PEOPLE,
repeatedly claimed lands along
the northern borders of the Roman
Empire. Once Germanic peoples
had coexisted peacefully with the
Romans. Some even fought in the
Roman army, and some became military leaders. Still, the Romans called
these Germanic people “barbarians”
because they were not educated
in Roman ways. Today, the word
barbarian means a person who is
considered to have rough manners.
IN 256 CE, KING SHAPUR I OF PERSIA
attacked the Roman Empire
from the east. He captured the
Emperor Valerian in 260 CE and
put him in prison. The emperor
died the same year.
3/6/17 3:43 PM
14
Christianity and
the Two Empires
How many Roman Empires were there?
One? Two? None? The answer to that
question depends on what year you are
talking about. As early as 253 CE, the
Emperor Valerian thought the empire
was too large for him to rule successfully.
He divided it into western and eastern
halves, and gave the western half to his
son to rule, while he ruled the eastern
half. When Valerian died in 260 CE, his
son ruled the entire empire. In 284 CE, a
general named Diocletian became emperor. He too thought the empire was too
large to be ruled by one person. He gave
control of the western half to a trusted
officer. When their rule collapsed, civil
wars again divided Rome. But in 324 CE,
Constantine the Great, the first Christian
emperor, managed to reunite the whole
empire. In 395 CE, almost 60 years after
Constantine’s death, the Roman Empire
again split in two, with the Eastern Roman
Empire based in Constantinople and the
Western Roman Empire based in Rome.
This time the division was permanent.
christianity_14-15.indd 14
u IN 330 CE,
Constantine
moved the capital of the unified
empire eastward
from Rome to
Byzantium, which
was renamed
Constantinople in
his honor. Today,
the city is known
as Istanbul, Turkey.
Constantinople was
an ideal location
for a capital city.
Almost surrounded
by water, it was
a good spot for
trade. The location
also made the city
easy to defend.
Constantinople
soon replaced
Rome as the most
important city in
the empire.
u BEGINNING IN THE
300s CE, Germanic
tribesmen, whose
own lands were
being taken by
Huns from the east,
invaded both western and eastern
parts of the Roman
Empire. In 410
CE, the Germanic
tribe known as the
Visigoths, led by
Alaric, captured
Rome. In 455 CE,
Rome was attacked
again, this time
by the Vandals.
They destroyed
monuments and
stole items of value.
Today we use the
word vandal to
describe someone
who destroys property on purpose.
3/6/17 3:44 PM
15
r IN 476 CE, A
Germanic chief
named Odoacer
captured Rome,
defeated the last
emperor of the
Western Roman
Empire, and
became the first
Germanic king
of Italy. The date
is considered by
many to mark the
end of the Western
Roman Empire.
u AS GERMANIC
kingdoms spread
in Europe, the
Christian church
grew. Because
of its charitable
work among the
poor, the church
attracted converts, people who
changed their religion, to Christianity.
Missionaries were
also able to convert
christianity_14-15.indd 15
u VARIOUS
Germanic people invaded and
conquered lands
that had been part
of the Western
Roman Empire.
some rulers. Clovis
became a Christian
in 496 CE, bringing
all of Gaul into the
church. As the only
organized institution in Europe, the
Christian church
grew in power. It
preserved some
Roman culture,
including Latin, the
language of Rome.
r AS THE WESTERN
Roman Empire
crumbled, the
Eastern Roman
Empire prospered.
It continued for
almost 1,000 years.
Historians now
refer to it as the
Byzantine Empire.
Justinian I, who
became emperor in
527 CE, used many
Roman ideas to
build the empire.
Roman laws were
the basis for the
Justinian Code,
which is the foundation of laws in many
countries today.
With money from
taxes and trade, he
constructed public
buildings, roads, and
aqueducts to make
Clovis, leader
of the Franks,
conquered Gaul,
which came to
be called France
in honor of the
Franks.
Constantinople a
new Rome. His
wife, Theodora, was
a trusted adviser.
THE CHRISTIANS IN THE
Byzantine Empire and
those in the Germanic
kingdoms had different
ideas about church and
state. The Byzantines
felt the state had the
highest powers in
matters of government,
while the Germanic
kingdoms gave
greater power to the
church. This caused
divisions between
Christians living in
the two places. In
1054 CE, the conflicts
caused the Christian
church to split in
two. The church in
the Byzantine Empire
became the Eastern
Orthodox Church. The
church in the Germanic
kingdoms became
the Roman Catholic
Church.
Some Roman
emperors thought the
empire was too large
for one person to rule.
Do you think the size of
the Roman Empire was
the main reason that
it did not last? Or do
you think other factors
were more responsible
for its end?
3/6/17 3:44 PM
16
Rome’s
Legacies
Language
Latin, the language of ancient
Rome, is often called a dead
language because no one has
spoken it for centuries. But in
one sense, millions of people
speak Latin every day. Do you
ever play video games? Do
you go to your doctor for an
annual physical exam? Do you
try to solve problems? Do you
study science? If so, you are
using words with Latin roots.
The Latin language is just one
of many legacies the modern
world has from ancient Rome.
SEVERAL
countries in
Europe speak
Romance languages, which
are based on
Latin, the language of Rome.
French, Italian,
Portuguese,
Government and Law
d ROMAN LAW
is the basis of
legal systems in
many parts of the
world. The Roman
judge Ulpian
wrote, “Justice
is a steady and
enduring desire
to give every man
his due. The basic
principles of law
are these: to live
honorably, not to
injure any other
person, and to
render to each his
own.”* Modern
ideas of equal
rights for all and
justice are rooted
in these ideals.
*From Why We’re All
Romans by Carl J. Richard.
Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, Inc., 2010.
CICERO
Spanish, and
Romanian are
all Romance
languages. The
Roman, or Latin,
alphabet is the
most widely
used system of
writing in the
world today.
THE EARLY ROMANS
created a form
of government
known as a
republic, in which
power is shared
among different
leaders and
u MANY ROMAN AUTHORS HAVE HAD
a big influence on modern world
literature. A small sample:
• CICERO – speeches
• TACITUS – history
• VIRGIL – an epic poem about the
founding of Rome
• HORACE – odes, or poems of praise
• OVID – myths, love poems
groups. The word
republic comes
from the Latin res
publica, meaning
“public matters.”
The United States
and other modern
republics owe
their form of government to Rome.
The Romans even
had a governing
body called the
Senate, as does
the United States.
ROMAN EMPEROR
CONSTANTINE
GEORGE
WASHINGTON
LADY JUSTICE
christianity_16-17_v2.indd 16
3/6/17 3:53 PM
17
Science
PANTHEON
JEFFERSON
MEMORIAL
SCIENTISTS,
engineers, and
architects living in
the Roman Empire
left a lasting legacy
of discoveries and
inventions.
PTOLEMY WAS A
Greek living in
Alexandria, Egypt,
under Roman
rule. His insights
about astronomy
guided sailors
for 1,500 years.
Galen, also a
Greek living in the
Roman Empire,
was a doctor who
understood that
blood circulated in
the body. Doctors
followed his
teachings for hundreds of years.
Art
ROMAN EMPEROR
ANTONINUS PIUS
u MANY ROMAN
artists made
sculptures of the
emperors. These
christianity_16-17_v2.indd 17
ROMAN ENGINEERS
devised new technologies to make
cities cleaner
and safer. Their
aqueducts brought
clean water to
cities, and their
sewers removed
wastes. Some
Roman roads and
bridges are still
used today. The
Romans invented
concrete as a
building material. It
is still made much
the same way
today as it was in
ancient Rome.
ROMAN ARCHITECTS
adopted styles from
other cultures and
passed them on to
future generations.
From the Etruscans
they took arches,
which they used in
new ways. From the
Greeks they adopt-
ed columns and
developed them
into new forms. The
Jefferson Memorial
in Washington, D.C.,
uses a hollow-dome
design, as seen
on the ancient
Pantheon in Rome.
THE ROMANS
learned the art of
mosaics from the
Greeks and passed
it on to modern
artists.
statues encouraged patriotism,
or loyalty to one’s
home country.
3/6/17 3:53 PM
18
Activities
MAKE A TABLE
Roman Gods and Goddesses
There were so many Roman gods
and goddesses! It can be hard
to keep track of the powers and
areas of influence connected to
each one. A table can help organize the information. Create a
table of the important Roman
gods and goddesses. Include
columns for their power and areas
of influence. Then, choose one
god or goddess to research
further. Make a poster using your
table and research findings.
WRITE AN EXPOSITORY ESSAY
The legacies of Rome are all around us,
affecting the way we live and speak every day.
Select several of Rome’s legacies to write
about. Then, draft an essay explaining how
they affect your life today. Be sure to write
an introductory paragraph and a paragraph
about each legacy. In your conclusion,
summarize your main points and name the
legacy you think is the most important.
christianity_18-19.indd 18
3/6/17 3:58 PM
19
MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE RELATED TITLES
Roman Empire
Early Romans
Ancient Hebrews
Ancient Rome may be long gone,
but its legacy lives on in the Western
world in just about every area of life.
From the birth of law to major contributions in engineering and language,
the Roman Empire’s influence
endures today.
It began as a collection of farming
villages and grew to become a city that
ruled over a vast empire. Along the
way, a king was overthrown, a republic
begun, and a government of checks
and balances created. Learn the details
behind Rome’s early people and the
empire’s extraordinary place in history.
Much of what we know about the
Ancient Hebrews comes from the
Hebrew Bible, or the Torah. Follow the
journey of Abraham from Mesopotamia
to Canaan, the birthplace of Judaism,
and meet heroes like King David and
Deborah, who paved the way for a
storied religion that lives on today.
CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS
HSS 6.7 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious,
and social structures during the development of Rome.
LEARN MORE ONLINE!
• Many philosophies started in
Greece and were
borrowed by the
Romans. Stoicism
was founded by
Zeno of Citium in
the late 200s BCE.
• Four main sources
tell about the life
of Jesus and the
beginnings of
Christianity. They
are the first four
books of the New
Testament, and
they are called the
Gospels.
christianity_18-19.indd 19
• Life became much
harder for ordinary
citizens during the
decline of Rome.
Without new lands
being conquered,
wealth no longer
flowed into the
empire.
• The Roman
custom of minting
coins with images of leaders on
them continues
around the world
today.
6.7.5 Trace the migration of Jews around the Mediterranean region and the effects
of their conflict with the Romans, including the Romans’ restrictions on their right
to live in Jerusalem. 6.7.6 Note the origins of Christianity in the Jewish Messianic
prophecies, the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New
Testament, and the contribution of St. Paul the Apostle to the definition and
spread of Christian beliefs (e.g., belief in the Trinity, resurrection, salvation). 6.7.7
Describe the circumstances that led to the spread of Christianity in Europe and
other Roman territories. 6.7.8 Discuss the legacies of Roman art and architecture,
technology and science, literature, language, and law.
HSS 7.1 Students analyze the causes and effects of the vast expansion and
ultimate disintegration of the Roman Empire.
7.1.1 Study the early strengths and lasting contributions of Rome (e.g., significance of Roman citizenship; rights under Roman law; Roman art, architecture,
engineering, and philosophy; preservation and transmission of Christianity) and its
ultimate internal weaknesses (e.g., rise of autonomous military powers within the
empire, undermining of citizenship by the growth of corruption and slavery, lack of
education, and distribution of news). 7.1.2 Discuss the geographic borders of the
empire at its height and the factors that threatened its territorial cohesion. 7.1.3
Describe the establishment by Constantine of the new capital in Constantinople and
the development of the Byzantine Empire, with an emphasis on the consequences
of the development of two distinct European civilizations, Eastern Orthodox and
Roman Catholic, and their two distinct views on church-state relations.
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills:
Chronological and Spatial Thinking
3. Students use a variety of maps and documents to identify physical and cultural
features of neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries and to explain the historical
migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires, and the growth of
economic systems.
3/6/17 3:58 PM
hmhco.com
EDITOR: Jennifer Dixon
ART DIRECTION: Brobel Design
DESIGNERS: Ian Brown, Ed Gabel,
David Ricculli, Jeremy Rech
PHOTO RESEARCH: Ted Levine,
Elisabeth Morgan
ACTIVITIES WRITER: Marjorie Frank
PROOFREADER: Margaret Mittelbach
FACT-CHECKER: David Stienecker
AUTHOR: Lois Markham
AUTHOR TEAM LEAD: Barak Zimmerman
PRESIDENT AND CEO: Ted Levine
CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER: Mark Levine
GRADE 6 TITLES
World’s Early People
Ancient India
Mesopotamia
Indian Empires
Ancient Egypt
Ancient China
Archaeology
Early Romans
Language
Roman Empire
Ancient Hebrews
Christianity and Rome’s Legacies
Early Greeks
Olmec and Maya
Golden Age of Greece
Civil Rights
Ancient Persia
ON THE COVER: St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by the Via della Conciliazione. Shutterstock:
TTstudio.
PICTURE CREDITS: Alamy: Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo Library: p.2 bottom left (Roman
festival); Archivist: p.3 center (Rome’s conquered peoples worshipping); The Print
Collector: p.5 lower right (Second Jewish Revolt), p.7 right (Paul); FineArt: p.5 upper
right (Jesus); David Barnett: p.6 (Jesus and disciples); Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo
Library: p.6 middle right (The Good Samaritan); Peter Horree: p.7 top left (Christ on the
cross); Mary Evans Picture Library: p.7 center (apostles); Sonia Halliday: pp.10–11 (The
Lichfield Gospels, 720–730 CE); INTERFOTO: p.12 lower left (Dio Cassius); Ivy Close
Images: p.13 lower right (King Shapur I of Persia); Oldtime: p.13 lower left (Berbers);
North Wind Picture Archives: p.13 lower center (Goth); Mary Evans Picture Library:
p.14 lower right (Germanic tribesman), p.15 lower right (Justinian I and Theodora);
Lanmas: p.15 middle left (Odoacer); Edwin Mullan: p.15 upper right (Clovis invades);
robertharding/Godong: p.15 lower left (page of Latin text from an old manuscript); Ira
Berger: p.17 center right (modern mosaic, NYC subway); Erin Babnik: p.16 lower center
(sculpture of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius [r. 138–161 CE]); ACTIVE MUSEUM:
p.19 top center (Cincinnatus receiving the ambassadors); Classic Image: p.19 bottom
(Zeno of Citium). Getty Images: Cris Foto: p.2 lower right (Ceasar Augustus); Leemage
/ Universal Images Group: p.3 right (Mithras); Fototeca Storica Nazionale.: p.7 lower
right (Nero and the burning of Rome); Lefteris Papaulakis: p.8 lower right (Constantine);
UniversalImagesGroup: p.9 left (Theodosius I). Granger Collection: Gustave Doré:
p.19 top right (Moses at Mt. Sinai). iStock: stevenallan: p.4 lower right (aerial view of
Masada, Israel). North Wind Picture Archives: p.12 lower right (Roman opulence); p.12
top right (Roman poverty); pp.4–5 (Herod’s Temple). Shutterstock: takepicsforfun:
p.2 top right (Roman temple); PLRANG ART: p.4 right (Caligula); Gilmanshin: p.5
lower left (ancient Roman sculpture of Emperor Hadrian); Renata Sedmakova: p.9 top
right (Council of Nicaea); photoshooter2015: p.9 center (Santa Maria in Trastevere);
Luis Santos: p.9 lower right (St. Peter with keys); Seqoya: p.14 upper right (Istanbul,
Turkey); TTstudio: p.15 top (St. Peter’s in Rome); Dimos: p.14 top (Saint Sophia in
Constantinople); Fedor Selivanov: p.16 upper center (ancient Roman inscription);
StudioPortoSabbia: p.16 top center (Romance language – French); Cris Foto: p.16 top
right (Cicero); Patrick Poendl: p.16 bottom left (statue of Lady Justice); M DOGAN: p.17
top left (Jefferson Memorial); Viacheslav Lopatin: p.17 top right (Pantheon in Rome);
steve estvanik: p.17 lower right (example of Roman mosaics ); Vladimir Korostyshevskiy:
p.17 lower left (sculpture of Roman emperor); Zack Frank: p.16 lower right (sculpture
of George Washington); stoyanh: p.18 top (table icon); GraphicsRF: p.18 bottom (girl
writing); vvoe: p.19 top left (Colosseum).
ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS:
Brobel Design: Some Roman Gods and Goddesses, p.3; Map of Rome from 274 BCE,
p.9; Map of Roman Empire 117 CE, p.13.
Michael Kline Illustration: Cartoons, cover.
Copyright © by Kids Discover, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording,
or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal
copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be submitted through our Permissions website at https://customercare.hmhco.com/
contactus/Permissions.html or mailed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Intellectual Property Licensing, 9400 Southpark Center Loop, Orlando,
Florida 32819-8647.
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN 978-1-328-80190-6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 XXXX 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17
4500000000 A B C D E F G
If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not
be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.
christianity_BC.indd 2
Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this
publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.
6
1686990
3/6/17 3:31 PM