Roman Accomplishments ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTS The Romans developed innovations

Roman Accomplishments

ROMAN ACHIEVEMENTS The Romans developed innovations that are still used today; what made them such influential innovators? Definition of “INNOVATION”: something new or original (such as an idea, an invention, a device, a method)

ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION Rome’s location on the Mediterranean Sea allowed for trade and cultural diffusion (blending of cultures) with other people and nations

ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION Through the cultural diffusion, the Romans were able to borrow the best ideas from other civilizations (especially the Greeks) and improve upon them

ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION The wealth of the Roman Empire, especially during Pax Romana, enabled the Romans to promote culture and invention

Roman Architecture The Romans were tremendously skilled builders; they improved upon Greek designs with two new architectural features: arches and domes

• • • One of the greatest feats of Roman engineering Colossus – gigantic Home of gladiator fights, to animal hunts Colosseum

Pantheon • A temple to all the Roman Gods

Roman Architecture ARCHES: these are curved structures over an opening that can support its own weight; arches were used to create enormous buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon

Roman Architecture DOMES: they created vast open spaces and ceilings inside buildings (like the Pantheon) and magnificent exteriors

Roman Architecture The Romans built arenas (like the famous Coliseum in the city of Rome) so thousands of people could attend “circuses” (entertainments such as gladiator battles)

Roman Law Roman laws were made by the Senate and then publicly posted for all to see in displays called the Twelve Tables

Roman Law The Roman legal system included a criminal court system (with lawyers and juries) so people accused of crimes could defend themselves; witnesses could give testimony to tell of what they saw or heard Roman law allowed anyone (including the poor and slaves) to accuse others of crimes

Roman Law • Most lasting and widespread contribution • Laws were fair and applied equally to all people. – All persons had the right to equal treatment under the law. – Innocent until proven guilty – The burden of proof lies with the accuser, not the accused. – A person should be punished for actions, not for thoughts. – Guilt must be established “clearer than daylight” through evidence. • These laws became the basis for legal systems in Europe and Latin America

Roman Engineering: Roads The Romans built the largest and longest-lasting network of roads in the Ancient World At the height of the Empire, Roman roads stretched for 56, 000 miles and included 29 major highways

Roman Engineering: Roads At first, the roads were built to move soldiers quickly, but eventually the roads served many people for many purposes, especially as trade routes

Roman Roads • • Constructed throughout the Roman Empire, over 52, 000 miles Were effective in helping to move the army from place to place, and trade within the empire. Example of how people adapt to their environment.

Via Appia All roads lead to Rome!

Roman Engineering: Aqueducts One of the Romans’ greatest engineering feats was channeling water to their cities throughout the Empire Roman engineers built the aqueducts to move the cold, clear water from springs to towns; sometimes they would be up to 250 miles long

Roman Engineering: Aqueducts Some Roman aqueducts are up and still in use today; one in Spain is 95 feet above the ground and 2388 feet long

Roman Language Roman conquest spread their language, Latin, through much of Europe; over time, different regions in Europe developed their own languages based in Latin Languages based in Latin are known as the Romance languages

Roman Language Words in the five major Romance languages often sound alike: for example, the Latin word for liberty, libertas, translates as liberta in Italian, liberte in French, libertad in Spanish, liberdade in Portuguese, and libertate in Romanian See how many modern languages come from Latin; try to figure each of the three words in the “Modern English” column ? ? ?

The Roman Calendar The Romans began using a new solar calendar that borrowed heavily from the Egyptian calendar and was improved by scholars from Alexandria

The Roman Calendar This new calendar (called the “Julian Calendar” after Julius Caesar) had 365 days and one extra day every fourth year July was named after Julius because it included his birthday

The Roman Civil Service Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, created several systems to help himself rule the enormous Roman Empire Augustus set up a civil service with skilled and salaried workers to take care of the running of the Empire

The Roman Civil Service These bureaucrats helped oversee the Empire by keeping track of such operations as grain production, the roads, mail delivery, and tax collection

The Influence of the Greeks and Romans The influence that the Greeks and later on the Romans had on Western civilization cannot be overstated Many facets of modern American life can be traced back to the innovations of the Greeks and Romans: things like government, language, religion, law, education, entertainment, literature, art, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, science, buildings, customs, traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

The US Capitol Building

Statue of Justice US Supreme Court Building

Federal Court Building in NYC

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Statue of Liberty

Literature and History • The Roman Empire was unified through language. Latin was adopted by many different people and became the basis for other languages, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and English. • Poetry – Virgil wrote the Aeneid • History – Livy – wrote The History of Rome from its foundation

Rome’s Accomplishments Science and Engineering Architecture and Art • Greek doctor Galen • Roman Architecture studied the body to copied some older improve health Greek designs and use of marble • Great builders who used cement • Engineering techniques like the • Built roads in layers vault. like we do today • Roman artists were • Created lasting known for mosaics, structure using arches, paintings and statues like in their aqueducts. • Combined arches helped in the construction of vaults Literature and Language ØVirgil was an author who wrote the Aeneid, which was about the founding of Rome ØOvid wrote poems about Roman mythology ØThey wrote in Latin which later developed into the Romance languages. ØOther Romance languages are Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Romanian.