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Roman Empire
500B.C- 500 A.D
Mrs. Birklid
Mrs. Turley
Ms. Hansen
Mr. Kelleher
Art and Architecture:
● Roman’s were master builders
● They built roads, bridges,
buildings
● Colosseum- used for entertainment
● The arch- helped to distribute weight,
made many of the building feats possible
Central Government:
● Began as a monarchy
● Became a Republic- power in the hands of
the citizens, who have the right to vote
● Julius Caesar takes power as
Emperor
○ General that had loyalty of
the soldiers
Cities:
● Major Cities
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Rome, Pompeii (Modern Italy), Gades (Spain),
Narbo, Massalia (France), Londinium (England)
● Homes of the wealthy in cities were
elaborate with many modern conveniences
(indoor plumbing)
● ¼ of the Roman Empire was made up of the
urban poor
Job Specialization:
● Farmers: 90% of the people of the empire were
engaged in farming
○ This food would make its way to Rome for trade
● Traders: There was a vast network of trade
routes that kept the empire thriving
○ Rome traded with India and China
● Soldiers: The Roman Army was responsible for
the conquest of land
○ Soldiers were more loyal to the Generals than the
government
● Politicians: The Senate was made up of more
than 300 people with a variety of duties
Public Works:
● Because of the vast land of the Roman
empire an elaborate network of roads and
bridges were needed for trade, military
movement, etc.
● Aqueducts brought water to the cities
● Knowledge of bridge building helped the
empire expand
Religion:
● Early Roman Religion was polytheistic
(worship of multiple gods and goddess)
● As Rome conquered new lands they would
acquired the gods and goddess of those
areas- this helped those people to assimilate
into Roman culture
● Emperor was often worshipped as a god-like
figure
● Later Roman Religion was Christian
Social Class:
*Education was a key part of most Romans lives
Emperor
Senators
Wealthy
Romans
Traders &
Farmers
Generals
Soldiers
Urban Poor
Gladiators
Slaves
Women
Writing:
● Roman’s had a written language- Latin
● Roman literature was mostly modeled after
Greek literature with similar themes
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History
Tragedy
Comedy
● The poet Virgil spent 10 years writing Aeneid
- based on the Greek poet Homer’s work
● Tacitus wrote elaborate histories of Rome
Strengths:
● Writing:
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Rome was able to communicate with its vast Empire
because of the common written language
Most every person in Rome had some sort of formal
education
■ Tradesmen learned to read and write before they
were taught their trade
■ Slaves that could read and write were more
valuable
Latin was used in Christianity
Many latin words and phrases are still used today
Many European languages are derived from Latin
Strength:
● Job Specialization:
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Rome had one of the most powerful and intimidating
armies
Caesar was able to build a bridge in 10 days that
allowed 60,000 men to cross into Germany and
when he was done exploring he tore down his bridge
■ Roman’s Army could go where they wanted,
when they wanted
The military conquered most of Europe and a
significant amount of North Africa
Strength
● Central Government:
Rome had a Republic that allowed the people to vote
for who they wanted to make the laws of Rome
○ This included people in all parts of the Empire
○ Their laws included
■ All people had equal treatment under the law
■ A person was innocent until proven guilty
■ People were not punished for their thoughts
○ Many modern governments model themselves after
the Roman Republic
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Works Cited
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within your presentation using quotes from
your sources.