The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization

1. The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization

2. Rome became a legacy • Art • Architecture • Language • Literature • Engineering • Law

3. Greek influence • By the 2nd century, • Rome conquered Greece and admired the Greek culture. • Educated Romans learned the Greek language. • The two cultures mixed into what became known as Greco-Roman culture, also known as classical civilization.

4. Roman Art • Learned the art of sculpture from the Greeks • Greeks were known for beauty and idealization of their sculpture • Romans created realistic portraits in stone • Roman art was practical • Intended for public education

5. Bas-Relief • Bas-Relief artwork developed during the reign of Augustus. • Artwork that projects images from a flat background. These images tell stories and represent crowds of people, soldiers in battle, and landscapes. think of it as 3D

6. Bas-Relief Roman Art

11. Mosaics • Pictures or designs made by small pieces of stone, glass, or tile onto a surface. • Most Roman villas, the country houses of the wealthy, had at least one colored mosaic. • Having mosaics demonstrated wealth and importance, especially mosaics built into the floors.

12. Roman Mosaic Art

13. Used scenes of everyday life

16. Paintings • Romans also excelled in paintings. • Most wealthy Romans had bright, large murals, called frescoes, painted directly on their walls. • The best examples are those found in the Roman city, Pompeii, and date back to the 2nd century. • Mount Vesuvius erupted, covering Pompeii with a thick layer of ash and killed 2,000 people. • This ash preserved the artwork. • http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/36/1E9AL0r-uY4

17. Mount Vesuvius

19. Mount Vesuvius Eruption

20. Mount Vesuvius is most known for its eruption in 79 AD, which led to the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The cities were never rebuilt The towns were forgotten and rediscovered in the 18th century.

21. It has erupted at least 50 times since then, 1944 being the last. This is a picture of an American B-25 during WWII. The crew member is sweeping the ashes off its wings. 1944

22. Ruins of Pompeii

23. Notice Vesuvius in the background

28. Skeleton called the Ring Lady found in Herculaneum

29. Frescoes and murals Roman Bath mural Back to the artwork!

30. Fresco in Pompeii

34. Philosophy • Romans borrowed Stoicism from the Greeks. • Stoicism came from the Greek teacher, Zeno. • Stoicism encouraged virtue, duty, moderation, and endurance. • Marcus Aurelius was a noted stoic.

35. Writers used Roman themes and ideas while following Greek forms and models. The poet, Virgil, spent 10 years writingthe most famous work of Latin literature, Aeneid, the epic of legendary Aeneas. It was modeled after the Greek epics of Homer. Literature

36. The poet Ovid wrote light, witty poetry for enjoyment. In the Amores, Ovid relates that he can only compose when he is in love. Ovid

37. Livy • Completed a volume history of Rome from its origins to 9 B.C. • He used legends and myth more than a true history.

38. Tacitus • Ancient Roman historian • Notable because he presented the facts accurately. • Showed concern for Rome’s lack of morality. • In his Annals and Histories, he wrote about the good and bad of Imperial Rome.

39. Tacitus

40. Roman Achievements • Latin, the Language of Rome • Architecture, Engineering, and Technology • Roman System of Law

41. Language • Latin remained the language of learning in the West long after the fall of Rome. • It was the official language of the Roman Catholic Church into the 20th century. • Latin became the foundation for French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. • These languages are called the Romance languages because of their ‘Roman’ heritage. • More than half of the words in the English language are Latin based.

42. For example • Baptism - English • Bapteme – French • Bautismo – Spanish • Batismo – Portuguese • Battesimo – Italian • Botez – Romanian

43. Debt slip written in Latin used during the Greco-Roman times

44. Roman Architecture • Arches, domes, and concrete were combined to build spectacular structures like the Roman Colosseum. • Arches also supported bridges and aqueducts. • Many large public buildings in the US include Roman architectural features, like arches and columns.