Roman Empire Study Guide Roman Achievements Contributions Roman

Roman Empire Study Guide

Roman Achievements & Contributions

Roman Roads were built to help the army move quickly (so soldiers could march quickly from place to place). • they used concrete • they were designed to drain water off the roads • they also helped make communication quicker which made government and trade more efficient • they also linked ports and cities which helped supply food to inland cities

The Impact of Roman Roads on Our World: Roads are important for transportation, communication, and links between not only cities but countries. We rely heavily on cars in the United States for work, travel, and all of the above.

Roman Architecture • Arches were one of the most common features of architecture. • The Romans used concrete. Workers needed less skill to pour concrete because it was lighter than stone. • Domes were built. • They were able to build large, sturdy bridges that were supported by arches that allowed for large bridge spans.

The Impact of Roman Architecture on Our World: Concrete is used today for building all types of structures as well as sidewalks and roads. It’s durability has lasted through centuries. Our bridges are constructed with arches like the Romans’.

Aqueducts (a channel that moves water over land) • supplied clean water to towns/cities and moved water over land • Romans built arched bridges across rivers or valleys. • arches were one of the most common features of Roman architecture • made of stone or concrete • some were underground • had a sewer system to carry waster water • This allowed Rome to expand because it meant that cities could be built in places that didn’t have a natural supply of water.

The Impact of Aqueducts on Our World: Our water supply today relies on underground pipes but is modeled after the aqueduct system used in ancient Rome.

Christianity

Christianity Founder: Jesus, a Jewish man born in Bethlehem Jesus traveled and preached to teach people about what God wanted people to do. he organized a group of close followers called disciples After Jesus’ death, the disciples spread Christianity throughout the Roman world. Beliefs or teachings Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form. They also believe God the Father created the universe. Jesus taught that Christians should show compassion for the poor based on traditional Jewish beliefs, he taught about love and mercy—to love your neighbor as yourself belief in one god—monotheistic The Gospels (the first 4 books of the new testament) refer to Jesus and the Son of God in human form. Rituals or Practices Sunday is a special day of rest and prayer. Holy Communion or Eucharist is part of a Christian worship service; this may include bread or wine or grape juice. Christmas and Easter are two important holidays.

The Colosseum • The Colosseum was used for gladiator matches and public spectacles such as animal hunts, mock sea battles, re-enactments of famous battles, executions, and dramas.

Why did the Roman Empire decline? 1) Military commanders began to challenge emperors hoping to become emperors themselves. There was an Imperial Crisis and the Empire fell into civil wars. Rome was torn apart and even split into pieces. Generals quickly became emperor one after another. Each killed or defeated the previous emperor. 2) The Empire got too big for the Constantinople army to protect. This led to invaders coming into the Empire for land wealth. Diocletian divided the Empire into 2 parts. The Western Empire became poorer and poorer while the Eastern Empire became richer and richer. The Western Empire had to get food from the east and could not defend itself from invaders because they just kept coming. The Eastern Empire eventually refused to help them out. 3) The Emperor from the Western Empire was driven out of hiding. He fled and made his 6 year old son Emperor. He was captured by another barbarian and soon Rome was divided up and ruled by different barbarian kings. The lands that belonged to Rome now belonged to barbarian kings. This ended the Empire.