Roman Society and Culture Agenda Daily Life in the Roman

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Roman Society and Culture

• Agenda
• Daily Life in the Roman Empire
• Roles of family members
• Religion
• Entertainment
• Arts, Sciences, Literature and Language

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Roman Society and Culture

• Rome shared ideas between all cultures. Brought
  the ancient world together. (most important
  contribution)

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A Strong Empire

• To stay together Rome needed to be organized.
  Allowed conquered people to keep their traditions
  (helped prevent rebellions) but insisted on
  order. Same laws for all parts of the empire.
  Taxes were high to provide security. Penalty for
  disobedience- painful death (crucifixion)

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Trade and Transportation

• Huge empire meant that were many products
  available. Focus on trade inside the empire.
  Farming was done everywhere- but each province
  had special products
• Transportation was critical- government paid for
  and maintained ROADS that connected the empire.
  (built by the army)

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The Roman Army

• Now that they are an empire- they need a
  permanent army. Many soldiers served a career
  of 20 years. Forts in most cities- soldiers were
  very well trained and disciplined.
• Armys duty was to defend
• the borders and keep the peace-
• respected and feared- their
• presence was enough to stop most problems

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Life in the Empire

• Pyramid society
• Wealthy had spacious homes (villas) Poor lived in
  crowded wooden apartment buildings (fire a huge
  hazard)
• Empire was too large to feel a connection like
  Polis. Patriotism for Rome was strong

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Slavery

• Millions in Empire. Some conquered, others for
  breaking laws. Slavery was permanent and
  hereditary. Slaves could buy freedom, but had no
  rights in society.
• Slavery was more common in the east (Greece,
  Egypt etc) where it had a long history, than in
  the West and North (Spain, Britain) where it was
  new.
• Slavery was not essential to the Roman economy
  and slave ownership was more a status symbol than
  a necessity.

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Family structure

• Family run by the Paterfamilias (father) who
  controlled the family business and income. Wife
  had control over the home. Men were often gone
  with the army- women ran much of day to day life.
• Informal education came from parents. Fathers
  taught their sons how to be good citizens.
  Mothers taught their daughters how to manage a
  household.
• Formal education was done primarily at home with
  a private tutor (for the rich). Schools were for
  advanced learning, and focused on Greek
  literature, debate, and rhetoric.

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Religion

• Roman Republic
• Lares ancestral spirits Romans wanted harmony
  with their ancestors.
• Vesta god who guarded fire and the hearth.
• Roman Empire
• Polytheistic religion based on the family
  traditions of the Republic.
• Purpose was to advance loyalty to the republic.
• Augustus became the chief priest.
• Rituals, ceremonies and processions were a part
  of daily life.

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Entertainment

• Government paid for public entertainment to keep
  population happy. Musician, jugglers, acrobats
  could be seen most days in the forum.
  (marketplace)
• Two most famous sports
• Chariot Races (held at Circus maximus in Rome)
• Gladiators (held at Coliseum in Rome) trained
  fighters (slaves or criminals) fight to the
  death. Sometimes one on one, sometimes groups-
  even animals were popular.

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Intellectual and cultural achievement

• Discovery was not important for Rome (unlike
  Greece)
• Collected and used best of other peoples ideas-
  added on to what had been done (adaptors not
  innovators)
• Preserved and cataloged knowledge
• Learning focused on the practical and useful.

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Building/Architecture

• Loved big public building projects.
• Borrowed Greek style, more elaborate, less
  symmetrical
• Loved Arches
• Invented Concrete- buildings could be bigger,
  more open and stronger
• Aqueducts and Sewers made peoples lives better

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Pont du Gard
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Literature

• Again, copied Greeks in format (Epic poems,
  history, philosophy)
• Virgil The Aeneid (Trojan prince founds Rome)
• Plutarch Historian Parallel Lives (Compare
  Rome to other Empires)
• Cicero Philosopher/politician On the Republic
  (speeches on how government should work)

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Language

• Latin
• Alphabet came from Etruscans (who had borrowed
  idea from Greeks)
• 23 letters (J, Y, W come later)
• Latin was universal you could use it anywhere
  in the empire. Would remain language of
  education until modern age
• Modern Romance Languages come from Latin-
  Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese Romanian