Roman Culture and Society

1. Roman Culture and Society

2. The Wealthy • Had a city home and a country home • Had running water and baths • Spent most of their time in politics, which was an unpaid position • A Roman Villa

3. The Poor • Lived in crowded apartment buildings • High risk for fire because torches were used for light and charcoal used for cooking

4. The Poor • To please the poor, free food and entertainment was provided by the government • All classes shared a few interests…

5. Public Entertainment: Circus Maximus • All classes enjoyed the circuses (chariot races, not clowns) • The Circus Maximus was a racetrack that held 250,000 spectators • Viewers loved the crashes • What does this compare to today?

6. Public Entertainment:Gladiators • Gladiators were usually slaves • Had to fight other gladiators, and sometimes animals like tigers and lions • Very violent and gruesome • Aspects of theater • Took place in the Colosseum, which sat over 50,000 people • Google Earth Time!

7. Public Entertainment:Baths • Understood hygiene and the need for daily bathing • Offered both hot and cold baths • Place to relax and socialize • Also had steam rooms, exercise rooms, and meeting rooms • What is this like today?

8. Family Life • Paterfamilias: father of the family • Father was the head of household • Family values included simplicity, obedience, and religious devotion • Importance of adoption: keep the family name going • Women could own and inherit property, but upper class women had little freedom • Poor women had more freedom because they worked outside of the home

9. Education • Upper class valued education and literacy • Children taught at home by their parents • Some wealthy families hired a tutor • Very few girls attended school or had a tutor • Studies subjects like Latin, Greek, law, math, and public speaking

10. Science and Engineering • Greeks learned for the sake of knowledge, while Romans learned to apply it to life and be practical • Used researched knowledge to plan cities, build aqueducts, build sewage systems, and improve farming • These allowed Roman cities to grow as large as they did • Built bridges, amphitheaters, and public buildings • Possible why? Developed concrete! This material made it possible to build large, lasting buildings

11. Aqueduct at Nimes, France

12. Amphitheater: Lyon, France

13. Architecture • Round arch • Vault • Dome • Keystone • Roads…some are still used today

17. Language • Roman spoke Latin • Latin developed into French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Portuguese • Do you know what these languages are called? • English developed from these languages and many words have their origin in Latin • http://www.ielanguages.com/romlang.html

18. Literature • Virgil’s Aneid is the Roman version of Homer’sIlliadand Odyssey. It discussed the Trojan warrior Aeneas, whose descendents founded Rome. • Latin Literature also introduced the use of satire • Livy wrote a multivolume history of Rome, which was mixed with legends • Tacitus wrote truthfully; The Annals and Histories • Wrote many dramas

19. Visit Rome! • You’ve just taken a tour of Rome through pictures and knowledge. Now it is your turn to be the tour guide. • Create a brochure inviting travelers to visit Rome. Fold a piece of paper in thirds to make the brochure. Also include: • A front page and a back page • Use the remaining four panels to focus on the attractions of Rome (this means choose four things we have learned about and put them in the brochure to show me what you learned) • Use words and pictures • Make sure it is colorful and neat, that the information is correct, and that you are speaking from the perspective of the ancient world!