Download Roman Society

6th Grade UBD - Unit 7 - Roman Culture Life and Legacy

Power Relationships- Men ruled Roman society. It was very hierarchical,
traditional, and family-centered.

Roman Genius- Rome created order over a large area with many different people
and languages. Romans did this by developing roads, aqueducts, a common form
of money, a code of law. All of this allowed the spread of Rome’s cultural
achievements.

The Development of Language- Latin is a practical language and could absorb
new ideas of other cultures and still keep its own identity. Although people do not
speak Latin today, it has had a huge effect on the descendants of the Roman
Empire.
Video- Civilization or Enslavement?

“Wherever the Roman
conquers, there he dwells. —
Lucius Annaeus Seneca” In your
own words, what do you think
the writer meant when he wrote
these words? What do you think
this says about Rome’s behavior
as a conquering nation?
( 5 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
answer with theirs.
What things are
the same and what
things are
different? (3
minutes)

Power in the family rested in the hands of the paterfamilias (father of
the family). Below him were other men of the family, then the women,
children, and enslaved people.

A small group of rich men of the patrician class formed the governing
body. This was the Senate.

Plebeians were greater in number than patricians, but they could not
take part in government.

Plebeians began to fight for increased political power. This led to
posting the Twelve Tables. These were the basic codes of law in ancient
Rome.

Men still ruled society, but women had more of a life outside the
home.

Power shifted into the hands of the emperors.

The number of enslaved people increased until they greatly
outnumbered the plebeians. This put many plebeians out of
work.

Emperors used “bread and circuses” to keep plebeians who were
not working from rioting.

Slavery supported the empire. Enslaved people could buy their
freedom on occasion.

Roman culture and
influence spread
through the ancient
world and continue
to influence people
and nations today.
Video- Everyday Life in Roman Cities

The center of Roman society
was the called the familia, or
family. Family, marriage, and
duty were important to the
people of ancient Rome.

A pyramid-style hierarchy, or
order, determined the roles
of every person within the
society.

Ancient Roman society
was organized into three
classes: patricians,
plebeians, and slaves.

Patricians were the ruling
class, and plebeians were
commoners.

The center of Roman society
was the family, or familia.

Societal roles were
determined by a pyramidstyle hierarchy.

The father was the head of
the family, or the
paterfamilias, and had
absolute power.
Key Term
Paterfamilias- The
father was the
absolute ruler of the
family. Below the
father were the
other male members
of the family,
including sons,
uncles, and cousins.

The bottom of the
pyramid consisted of
women, children, and
slaves.

Women focused on
domestic chores and
managed household
slaves.
Reading Handout- Women in the Roman Empire

To make sure they were
protected and had a
greater say in the public
sphere, plebeians sought
the patronage, or
support, of a member of
the patrician class.

As clients, plebeians
pledged their
loyalty, assistance,
and even military
service to the
patron.

In return, the patron
represented the plebeian
politically and legally.

As the patricians gained
more wealth, the gap
between them and the
plebeians grew.
Video- The Divide Between the Rich and Poor

Eventually, plebeians
began to demand more
political and economic
rights.

This struggle led to the
creation of the Twelve
Tables, the first set of
written laws in Rome.
Video- Slavery in Ancient Rome

As the Roman Empire
grew, its slave
population soared.
Slaves worked in a
variety of roles, including
mining, farming, and
domestic work.
Key Term
Gladiators- Men
who fought
against one
another or
against large
animals as a form
of entertainment
for others.

Some slaves were forced
to fight to the death as
gladiators. Gladiators
were professional
fighters.

There were no laws to
protect slaves, and they
had no rights.

Because of the harsh conditions slaves lived in, Romans feared
a slave revolt.

To prevent this, they used the possibility of manumission, the
ability to buy one’s freedom, as an incentive for good behavior.

Even so, slave revolts did happen.

A famous example is a slave revolt led by the gladiator
Spartacus. After years of fighting, his rebellion was harshly
suppressed.

Because slaves did much of
the work in the Roman
Empire, many plebeians
had no jobs and fell into
poverty.

As a result, they were
forced to survive on food
handouts from the
government.

Historians refer to
these people as “the
mob”—the people
whose poverty,
unemployment, and
dependence on the
state led them to riot.
Video- Gladiator Combat

The increasing inequality
of Roman society led to
tensions between the
upper and lower classes.

To appease the lower
classes, patricians used a
tactic called “bread and
circuses.”

Bread and Circuses refers
to distracting the people
from their long-term
problems by offering them
food handouts (bread) and
entertainment such as
chariot races and gladiator
fights (circuses).

Chariot races were held in
a large U-shaped stadium
called the Circus Maximus.

Another stadium, called
the Colosseum (or
Coliseum), served as an
arena for gladiator fights
and other entertainments.
Key Term
The ColosseumErected to entertain
the public with
spectacles such as
mock battles, huge
fights between
gladiators or
between men and
animals.
Key Term
Circus MaximusOne of many
sports arenas in
ancient Rome
built for the
amusement of
the Roman
people.

The games were an
expensive but effective
way of keeping the poor
entertained.

Also, the state provided
free or low-cost grain to
the poor to keep them
happy.

Like sports fans today, the Romans pass through the gates and head for their
seats. Where they sit, however, depends on who they are. The emperor and his
guests are seated nearest to the field on a magnificent platform.
Reading Handout- Sports Through the Ages

Roman engineers and architects developed styles and ways of
doing things that were their own.

Public baths spread throughout the empire.

Many Roman buildings and roads throughout the empire still
exist today because of the invention of concrete.

Rome used Greek building styles. However, it built larger, taller,
and heavier buildings than the Greeks built. Romans did this by
adding their own ideas, such as vaults, arches, and the use of
concrete.

After a civil war in the Roman Republic led to the founding of the
Roman Empire, Emperor Augustus set out to organize Rome’s
territories and establish boundaries to create unity throughout the
empire. Called the Pax Romana, this period of relative peace lasted
200 years.

The Romans used a census to determine who to tax and how much to
tax each individual or family.

As the empire grew, the Roman government levied a common tax
paid with money called tributum, or tribute.
Video- Roads and Aqueducts

The Romans constructed a
vast network of roads to
hold the empire together.

These roads made it
possible for Roman armies
to control the population
in all areas of the vast
empire.
Key Term
Legionnaire- A
soldiers who fought
in the armies of the
Roman Empire.
Rome’s armies were
composed of
legions, and each
legion had about
6,000 soldiers.

The roads were built to
last—in fact, some of them
are still used today.

The Romans provided
water to their cities using
aqueducts that carried
water over long distances
for drinking, irrigation, and
baths.

Public baths were a part
of daily life in ancient
Rome.

At these baths, men
would discuss business,
politics, and local gossip.

Women had smaller, less
luxurious baths.

Roman artists adopted
techniques used by the
Greeks and applied them to
art forms such as landscaping
and portraiture.

The Romans also specialized
in making practical art, such
as jewelry, coins, fountains,
and mosaics.

The Romans used an
architectural element
called the dome in
some of their
buildings, such as the
Pantheon, and
perfected the arch.

Roman culture often
imitated what it admired
and improved on what it
needed from other
cultures.

As a result, it came up
with useful inventions,
such as concrete.

Latin became the common language of the Roman Empire.

Latin became the official language of the Roman Catholic
Church.

Latin is still used in terms for law, science, and mathematics.
The spread of Latin changed the languages of some
Europeans. This change resulted in the forming of various
Romance languages.

English contains many Latin-based words.

Latin was the common
language of the empire.

It helped unite the
diverse cultures within
the Roman Empire and
influenced the
development of many
modern languages.

Today, many modern
languages, including
French, Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese, and
Romanian, are called
Romance languages
because they developed
from Latin.

With the decline of the
Roman Empire and the rise of
Christianity, Latin became the
spoken and written language
of the Roman Catholic
Church.

Classical Latin continues to be
used in science, mathematics,
and legal terminology.

Rome’s legacy has
been ensured by the
multiple ways the rest
of the world has
recognized, admired,
and adopted aspects of
its unique character.

What has been the
“muddiest” point so far in
this lesson? That is, what
topic remains the least
clear to you? (4 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)