Rome and Roots of W. Civ Flashcards
Main Idea-Rome + W. Civ
Rome created a great civ, whose art + architecture, language and literature, engineering and law became it’s legacy to the world.
Relevance-Rome + W. Civ
The Romans developed many ideas and institutions that became fundamental to Western civ.
Pompeii
Ancient Roman city that was destroyed by volcano eruption
What year was Pompeii destroyed? What was the volcano called?
79 CE, Mount Vesuvius
What does Pompeii now contain?
Many great examples of Roman art and sculpture
How many ft of volcanic ash in Pompeii?
13-20
Where was Pompeii?
Italian peninsula
What was preserved by the volcanic ash in Pompeii?
Many bodies, bread + pets, sculptures, paintings, mosaics
How many were killed in Pompeii?
Thousands
Where do the “Romance Languages” originate?
Latin
What are the “Romance Languages?”
French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian
How many English words are Latin based?
About half
What did Latin develop into? How?
It was adopted by different peoples and developed into the Romance Languages
Where did Latin stay active after the fall of Rome?
It remained the language of learning in the West long afterward
Latin roots to English words
vap, ast, cata, duc, audi, sal, rupt
Coliseum
Largest amphitheater in Rome
What was combined to build spectacular structures of Rome? What is the famous example of one of these structures?
Arch, dome, and concrete. Coliseum/Colosseum
What Roman architecture/engineering/technology greatly affected W. civ?
Aqueducts (bath houses!) and roads.
How much was admission to the Colosseum? What was the catch?
Free, but seating developed on social class.
What was unique architecturally about the Coliseum?
maze under the floor
Why was there a maze under the Coliseum?
It held the animals that would go up into the arena to fight
How did those in the Coliseum deal with sunlight in their eyes? What does the answer exhibit?
Retractable awning on roof. The extent Roman engineers would go to so that their people would feel comfortable while watching people kill others.
What would Romans do if it got too boring for their customers?
periodically flood the Colosseum so the Romans would battle navally
What was below the floor of the Colosseum besides the maze? Why?
Winches and elevators. Slaves would turn things so te cages would go out the elevator and go out of the cage, up a ladder, into the arena.
Aqueducts
Bridgelike stone structure that carries water from hills to cities
How did the Romans engineer their aqueducts?
To approach the city on a gradual declining angle (several inches away every 100 ft.)
How did the arch revolutionize architecture in the ancient world?
Permitted greater spans than what was previously allowed. This changed conception of Roman architecture.
Where did the water go after reaching the city via the aqueduct?
emptied into 3 holding tanks, for public drinking fountains, public baths, and emperor + wealthy Romans who paid for their own water.
How did the Roman law system improve?
The judges began to recognize certain judicial standards, influenced by teachings of many philosophers
What was Virgil’s famous quote?
“…Romans, never forget that government is your medium! Be this your art: to practice men in habit of peace, generosity to the conquered, and firmness against aggressors.”
What modern countries did the Roman law system influence?
US and European countries.
Describe apt. life in Ancient Rome
cramped, unsafe with frequent fires
Why was turning 15 in Rome an important milestone?
Half Ancient Roman children die before adulthood (age 15.)
What did most Roman boys know by age 17?
How to swim, run, fight, could speak well, read and write Latin, Greek
What couldn’t a Roman do until he was age 25?
arrange business deals
What could be seen in the Forum of Augustus?
Statues of famous Roman warriors like Aeneas or Romulus
What did the Romans perfect in the baths?
window glass, allowing them to darken and lighten the steam room.
Typical Roman bathing routine
Cold to warm to hot room, massages, oiled, scraped w strigil
Bath houses lessons
Romans cared a lot about self care. Wealthy would spend days there, to gossip and for “spa treatment.”
Self care-Bath houses
lots of oils, different temp pools of water-weathy bathed every day or every other day, showing their self indulgence
What was the Roman road network made of?
Concrete
Why did the Roman roads look like stones instead of cement?
First layers of cement, then stones on top
Why so many layers in the roads?
More durable
Why were there ditches in the road?
Drainage system
What was the lifeblood of ancient Rome?
Roads. “All roads lead to Rome.” They were masters of it, and to build an empire is to build a road system. The roads allowed one to travel anywhere in just 10 days.
How many miles of roads did Rome build? Where?
Built over 55,000m of paved roads throughout Europe, enough to encircle the globe.
What did the Roman roads ensure?
Swift movement of goods, soldiers, and info across empire.
What were the two aspects of Roman rules of law?
Civil law and Law of Nations
How many basic principles of Roman law were there?
5
First principle of Roman law
All people are equal
Second principle of Roman law
Innocent until proven guilty
Third principle of Roman law
Someone who’s accused may face their accuser and defend themselves
Fourth principle of Roman law
Guilt must be very clearly established
Fifth principle of Roman law
Decisions must be based of faireness
What did Virgil think was the most important Roman contribution to civ?
Government
How would you defend Virgil’s statement that government was the most important Roman contribution to civ?
Representative form of govt, guided by officials elected by the people, is the basis of most govts today
What was the nickname of Attila the Hun?
the Scourge of God
What group most directly caused the immediate fall of Rome?
Attila the Hun and his people
Scourge
person that causes trouble/suffering
Huns
Barbarians who burned/trashed and destroyed Rome
What other group invaded Rome at the time of its falling?
Germanic tribes
What were the contributing factors to the fall of the Western Roman Empire?
Political, Social, Economic and Military
How did political factors cause the fall of Rome?
Office seen as burden, military influence, civil war and unrest, division of empire, and moving of capital to Byzantium
How did military factors cause the fall of Rome?
Threat from non European tribes, low defense funds, problems recruiting Roman citizens, decline of loyalty/patriotism among soldiers
How did social factors cause the fall of Rome?
Low Roman confidence, disloyalty/corruption, lack of patrionism, contrast btwn rich/poor, decline in population (disease/lacking food,) decline in public affair interest
How did economic factors cause the fall of Rome?
Poor harvests, disruption of trade, no war plunder, inflation, gold/silver drain, tax burden and gap btwn rich/poor, impoverished
What was the Roman Empire’s fall linked with? How? What does this explain?
Gout and lead poisoning. They used syrup made from grape juice brewed in lead pots in their wine and as a sweetener. Lead poisoning can greatly affect the mind, explaining the erratic behavior of some emperors.
