The Roman Way of Life

1. The heart of the Roman Empire was on the Italian Peninsula in the city of Rome.

• 2. About 1 million people lived in Rome in A.D. 1. • 3. The emperor lived in Rome in a splendid palace on

the top of a hill.• 4. At the bottom of the hill the “Forum” was located.

This was the marketplace for food and luxury items. Games were played there as well as a chat area for friends to meet.

• 5. Wealthy Romans lived in large homes on the hilltops. They were made from marble, tiled floors and running water.

• 6. Homes were built around a courtyard called an “atrium.”

• 7. Wealthy Romans also had homes called villas on large farms outside the city.

• 8. Most Romans were very poor. Many did not have jobs. Others were unskilled laborers.

• 9. They lived in crowded, noisy, dirty neighborhoods in wooden apartment buildings sisx or seven stories tall. These buildings often collapsed or caught fire.

• 10. People tossed garbage into the streets, and thieves prowled the areas at night.

• 11. Political leaders offered “bread and circuses,” to the poor.

• 12. Crowds watched gladiators fight each other to the death or battle wild animals in stadiums such as the Colosseum.

• 13. Most gladiators were enslaved people, criminals, prisoners of war, or poor people.

• 14. Many families lived in extended family homes. (grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles)

• 15. The law even allowed fathers to sell children into slavery or have them put to death.

• 16. Fathers in upper class families were responsible for the education of their children.

• 17. Wealthy boys and girls learned from from private lessons at home.

• 18. Reading, writing, math, public speaking were learned.

• 19. Poorer children could not go to school but did learn how to read and write

• 20. At 15, a Roman boy celebrated becoming an adult. He would burn his toys as offerings to the household gods.

• 21. At 15, the boy might work at the family’s business, join the army, or get a job in the government.

• 22. Men tended to marry later, but women usually married around the age of 14.

• 23. Women were not full citizens and had few rights. They often advised their husbands in public.

• 24. The wives of emperors began to have power. Whenever the emperor was off to battle, the wives were in charge of political affairs in Rome

• 25. By the A.D. 100’s wealthy women had more independence. They could own land, run businesses, and sell property.

• 26. Outside the home, they could go to the theater or attend races and fights, but they had to sit in areas separate from men.

• 27. Poorer women were allowed to as hairdressers, priestesses, and even doctors.

• 28. Slavery was a part of Roman life from early times.

• 29. Roman soldiers took conquered peoples as prisoners.

• 30. By 100 B.C, about 40% of the people in Italy were enslaved.

• 31. For most slaves, life was miserable.

• 32. They worked long hours and could be sold at any time. They were punished for poor work or running away.

• 33. In 73 B.C., a gladiator named Spartacus led a slave rebellion. His army grew to about 70,000. But the Roman army crushed the revolt. Spartacus was killed in battle and 6,000 of his followers were crucified.

• 34. Romans believed that gods controlled all parts of life.

• 35. Greek gods and goddesses were given Roman names. For example, Zeus became Jupiter, the sky god, and Aphrodite became Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Every Roman home included an altar for its household gods. Families made offerings of incense, wine, honey, and the family meal.

• 36. The Romans were greatly influenced by the Greeks.

• 37. A Greek doctor named Galen introduced many medical ideas to Rome.

• 38. He emphasized the importance of anatomy. • 39. To learn about inner organs, Galen cut open

dead animals and recorded his findings. • 40. Another important scientist was Ptolemy (TAH-

luh-mee). He lived in the city of Alexandria in Egypt. He studied the sky and mapped over 1,000 stars.

• 41. The Romans created the first major road, “The Appian Way” which connected Rome to southeastern Italy.

• 42. Aqueducts were created to bring fresh water to the cities.

• 43. Another Roman adoption of Greeks were statues. Greek statues showed perfect looking people with beautiful bodies. Roman statues were more realistic and included wrinkles, warts, etc.

• 44. The Romans also mastered the use of cement. By mixing volcanic ash, lime, and water.

•

Rome’s Decline

• 1. During the Pax Romana, a time of peace and progress, Rome’s government grew weak, while the army became very powerful.

• 2. To stay in office, an emperor had to pay higher wages to the soldiers who supported him.

• 3. In a span of about 50 years, Rome had 22 different emperors. Most were murdered by the army or by their bodyguards.

• 4. Dishonest government officials took bribes, Interest and support for education declined and many wealthy Romans stopped paying taxes.

• 5. People had less money to spend so they bought less.

• 6. Stores saw profits decline, forcing many out of business.

• 7. Workers lost their jobs.• 8. Romans began to barter, or to exchange goods

instead of money.• 9. A general named Diocletian became emperor in

A.D. 284. He introduced reforms.

• 10. His reforms were:• A. Remain on the job until you die. • B. He set maximum prices for wages and goods in

order to prevent prices from rising further.• C. Eventually this did not work.• 11. A general named Constantine took over control

but he also could not control the falling empire.

• 12. Like the Romans, we believe that everyone is equal under the law. We believe that everyone is equal under the law. We also believe that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty.

• 13. The Roman road system allowed the early Christians to travel. As a result, Christian ideas were easily shared with other groups of people.

The Byzantine Empire

• 1. In A.D. 395, The Roman Empire divided. The eastern half eventually became known as the Byzantine empire.

• 2. Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roam Empire from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium and renamed it the city Constantinople.

•