 Romans borrowed cultural elements from Greek and Hellenistic cultures  Under Roman Empire hundreds of territories unified into a single state  Every Roman province and city was governed in the same way  Proud of their Greek leadership in the areas of art, architecture, literature, and philosophy  Once Rome had conquered Greece, many Romans learned Greek language  Mixing of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture is known as Greco-Roman culture or classical civilization

 Romans owed a great debt to the Greeks in regards to literature  Many Romans imitated Greek writers but the greatest Roman writers used Latin to create their own literature  Poet Virgil spent ten years writing the Aeneid, epic of legendary Aeneas › Tried to show Rome’s past was as heroic as Greece › Attempted to promote patriotism and unite Rome after years of civil war › Linked his epic to Homer’s work

 Other poets used satirize to make fun of Roman society  Romans also borrowed a lot of their philosophy from Greeks  Stoicism was the philosophy from Greek teacher Zeno  Encouraged virtue, duty, moderation, and endurance  Marcus Aurelius was a notes Stoic who wrote the Meditations

 Romans learned the art of sculpture from Greeks  Roman sculptures differed from Greeks in that they created realistic portraits while Greeks were known for beauty and idealization  Reign of Augustus was known for great achievements  Skilled in creating mosaics or pictures were small pieces of stone, tile, or glass were set together  Many wealthy homes had at least one mosaic

 Excelled at paints  Wealthy Romans had large murals called frescoes painted on their walls  Best remaining frescoes are found in Roman town of Pompeii  Pompeii was a city that was buried by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 killing close to 2,000 people  Ash left from eruption helped preserve many buildings and works of art

 Latin was the language of Rome  Latin continued in the Western World long after the fall of Rome  Official language of Roman Catholic Church into the 20 th century  Latin was adopted and developed in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian – called Romance languages  More than half the words in English have a basis in Latin

 While Greeks aimed for simple elegance, Romans emphasized grandeur  Large palaces, temples and stadiums represented Rome's power and dignity  The arch, dome and concrete were combined to create grand structures such as the Colosseum  Using concrete they developed the rounded dome as a roof

 Most famous domed structure in Pantheon, a temple that honor Roman gods  Excelled at engineering which applied science and math to develop useful structures and machines  Roman engineers build roads, bridges and harbors  Engineers build aqueducts or bridge like stone structures that carried water from the hills into Roman cities

 Almost every city had public baths were people would gather to wash themselves and exchange news and gossip  Wealthy would have water pumped into homes  Most Roman settlements had toilets that were flushed by clean running water  Developed sewage systems to carry waste away from populated areas and homes  Developed the forum which was the center for roman social and political life  Contained the market place, business center, and civic center  Eventually expanded to include the senate house, law courts, and temples  Many public buildings in U.S. include Roman features such as the U.S. capitol and numerous state capitols

 Almost every city had public baths were people would gather to wash themselves and exchange news and gossip  Wealthy would have water pumped into homes  Most Roman settlements had toilets that were flushed by clean running water  Developed sewage systems to carry waste away from populated areas and homes  Developed the forum which was the center for roman social and political life  Contained the market place, business center, and civic center  Eventually expanded to include the senate house, law courts, and temples  Many public buildings in U.S. include Roman features such as the U.S. capitol and numerous state capitols

 Romans usually left scientific research up to the Greeks who was citizens of the empire  In Alexandria the astronomer- mathematician, Ptolemy proposed his theory that the Earth was the center of the universe  This theory was finally accepted in the Western world 1500 years later

Roman Baths, cleanliness was extremely important

 Greek doctor Galen used experiments to prove a conclusion  Compile a medical dictionary summarizing his findings which remained a standard text for more than 1,000 years  Applied geography to make maps and medical knowledge to help doctors improve public health  Created new medical schools

 Greatest legacy of Rome was it commitment to the rules of law and justice  Laws fostered unity and stability  Roman law would eventually influence many legal systems throughout the world including the U.S.  Laws should be fair and apply equally to all people, rich and poor  Twelve Tables of Roman Law include “innocent until proven guilty” among others  Guilt had to be established using clear evidence  Judges could interpret the laws using fair judgments  Penalties were varied according to social class

 You are a scholar from a local university and you must write a eulogy to the Roman Empire.  A Eulogy is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something. Often the word eulogy refers to the praise given the character and services of a deceased person.

 Section 1: A brief summary of the fall of the Roman Empire. Provide at least 3 supporting details in this section.  Section 2: Highlight the legacies of the Roman Empire. Discuss at least 5 important accomplishments in this section.  Section 3: Discuss the ways in which the accomplishments of the Roman Empire influences the community today. Provide at least 3 examples in this section.