Roman Culture Life and Legacy

6th Grade UBD - Unit 7 - Roman Culture Life and Legacy

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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.

Civilization or Enslavement?Video- Civilization or Enslavement?

Reach Into Your Background

“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)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your answer with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)

Key Ideas- Early Roman Republic

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.

Key Ideas- Establishing the Roman Empire

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 Society

Roman culture

and influence

spread through

the ancient

world and

continue to

influence people

and nations

today.

Everyday Life in Roman CitiesVideo- Everyday Life in Roman Cities

Roman Society

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.

Roman Society

Ancient Roman

society was

organized into three

classes: patricians,

plebeians, and

slaves.

Patricians were the

ruling class, and

plebeians were

commoners.

Roman Society

The center of Roman

society was the family, or

familia. 

Societal roles were

determined by a pyramid-

style 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.

Roman Society

The bottom of the

pyramid consisted of

women, children, and

slaves.

Women focused on

domestic chores and

managed household

slaves.

Women in the Roman EmpireReading Handout- Women in the Roman Empire

Patrons and Clients

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.

Patrons and Clients

As clients,

plebeians pledged

their loyalty,

assistance, and

even military

service to the

patron.

Patrons and Clients

In return, the patron

represented the

plebeian politically and

legally.

As the patricians

gained more wealth,

the gap between them

and the plebeians grew.

The Divide Between the Rich and PoorVideo- The Divide Between the Rich and Poor

Patrons and Clients

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.

Slavery in Ancient RomeVideo- Slavery in Ancient Rome

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.

Slavery in Ancient Rome

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.

Slave Revolts

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.

Slavery and the Economy of Rome

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.

Slavery and the Economy of Rome

Historians refer to

these people as

“the mob”—the

people whose

poverty,

unemployment,

and dependence

on the state led

them to riot.

Gladiator CombatVideo- Gladiator Combat

Bread and Circuses

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

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).

Entertainment for the Masses

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

Colosseum-

Erected to

entertain the

public with

spectacles such

as mock battles,

huge fights

between

gladiators or

between men

and animals.

Key Term

Circus

Maximus-

One of many

sports arenas

in ancient

Rome built for

the

amusement of

the Roman

people.

Entertainment for the Masses

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.

Sports Through the AgesReading Handout- Sports Through the Ages

Key Ideas- Roman Genius

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.

Pax Romana

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.

Roads and AqueductsVideo- Roads and Aqueducts

Moving People

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.

Moving People and Water

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.

Moving Water

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.

Art

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.

Art

The Romans used

an architectural

element called the

dome in some of

their buildings,

such as the

Pantheon, and

perfected the arch.

A Practical Art

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.

Key Ideas- The Development of Language

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

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.

Latin

Today, many modern

languages, including

French, Spanish,

Italian, Portuguese, and

Romanian, are called

Romance languages

because they

developed from Latin.

Rome Declines, but Latin Remains

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 Declines, but Latin Remains

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.

Independent Activity

What has been the

“muddiest” point so

far in this lesson? That

is, what topic remains

the least clear to you?

(4 minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)