Bellwork What factors ultimately caused Rome to fall? Write down at least 3 causes of the fall of the Roman Empire.

Section 3, Unit 6 Ancient Rome pt. 5 World History Section 3, Unit 6 Ancient Rome pt. 5

Objectives Identify the cultural characteristics of Rome Define “Greco-Roman” Describe and analyze how Greco-Roman culture impacted Western Civilization.

Unity under the Romans Under the Roman Empire, hundreds of territories were brought under a single state. Each Roman province and city was governed in the same way and Roman’s were proud of their ability to rule. However, the Romans not only acknowledged the Greeks, but admired their leadership in the fields of art, architecture, literature, and philosophy.

Greece and Rome When Rome conquered Greece in 2nd century B.C., Romans had come to admire Greek culture. Although the Romans conquered the Greeks, they became assimilated into the Greek/Hellenistic culture.

Greco-Roman The mixing of elements from Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture produced a new culture: Greco-Roman or “classical” civilization.

Greco-Roman Roman artists, philosophers, and writers did not only copy Greek and Hellenistic models, but adapted them to their own purposes. Roman art and literature came to convey the Roman ideals of strength, permanence, and solidity.

Roman Sculpture Romans learned the art of sculpture from the Greeks. However, while the Greeks idolized beauty and grace in their sculpture, the Romans created realistic portraits in stone. Roman art was meant to be practical in purpose– to educate the masses.

Bas-relief The reign of Augustus was a period of great artistic achievement. At that time, the Romans developed a type of sculpture known as bas-relief (bah-relief).

Bas-Relief In bas-relief, images are projected from a flat background. Roman sculpture used this style of art to represent crowds of people, soldiers in battle, or landscapes. Notice how the background is flat and the characters are carved into it.

Mosaic Roman artists were also skilled in the creating mosaics. Mosaics were pictures or designs made by setting small pieces of stone, glass, or tile in the surface. Many Roman villas (wealthy country homes) had at least one colored mosaic.

Frescoes Romans also excelled in the art of painting. Most wealthy Romans had bright, large murals– called Frescoes– painted directly on the walls. Few have survived the test of time. Many modern paintings have been found in Pompeii, the Roman town that was covered in volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius. The ash has preserved many of the buildings and works of art.

Question: Who is this to the left? You may be surprised about who it is.

Roman Art Roman art continued to inspire Western art throughout the centuries to follow the fall of Rome. Future artists would value the practical concepts of Roman art and emulate it. Entire cities, such as the Vatican in Rome, are almost entirely designed with Roman influence in mind.

Philosophy Romans borrowed much of their philosophy from the Greeks. Stoicism- the belief that a divine power controlled the universe and that people should live in harmony with natural law- was very influential in Roman life. Stoicism valued virtue, duty, moderation, and endurance– values that the Romans greatly admired.

Literature In literature, the Romans found inspiration again in the Greeks. Writers used Roman themes and ideas while following the Greek forms and models (think epics or dramas).

Literature The poet Virgil, for example, spent 10 years writing the Aeneid (ih-nee-ihd), an epic about the legendary Aeneas. While being written about roman virtues, it followed the Greek epics of Homer.

Historical Literature Romans were also skilled in writing about their own history. Tacitus (tas-ih-tus), a Roman historian, was notable among ancient historians because he presented the facts accurately. He was so concerned about the Romans lack of morality during his time that he wrote about both the good and bad if imperial Rome.

Question What was the language the Romans spoke? What languages did their language influence?

Latin Latin remained the language of learning in the West long after the fall of Rome. It was the official language of the Roman Catholic Church into the 20th century. Latin was adopted by different peoples and developed into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. Languages inspired by Latin are called the “Romance Languages”.

Latin However, Latin also influenced other languages, including English, which a Germanic language. More than half of the words in English have a basis in Latin. Accurate– from Latin “acu-” meaning “sharp” Grade– from Latin “grad-” meaning “walk, step, or go” Doctor– from Latin “doc-” meaning “teach” Direct- from Latin “rect-” meaning “straight”

Architecture Visitors from across the empire marveled at the architecture of Rome. The arch, dome, and concrete were all combined to build spectacular structures, such as the Colosseum. Because Roman architecture was designed to be practical, they remained popular.

Look carefully at these two pictures. How are they both similar? Thomas Jefferson, inspired by the Romans, began a Roman revival in the United States in the 18th century. Many large public buildings, such as the U.S. capitol building (on the left) are inspired by Greco-Roman architecture.

Law Rome’s most lasting and widespread contribution was it’s law. Early Roman law dealt mostly with the rights of Roman citizens, but as it grew, they began to believe that the law should apply equally to everyone– rich and poor. The standards of law were inspired by their beliefs in common sense and practical ideas.

Comparison Roman Laws Does America have laws like this? Yes. Americans value equal protection. All persons have a right to equal treatment under the law. A person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Yes. You are not assumed to be guilty. The burden of proof lies in the accuser rather than the accused. Yes. If someone accuses you of something, they have to have proof. A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts. Yes. Freedom of speech applies to freedom of thought. Any law that seemed unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside. Yes. Some states allow Americans to vote away laws or they will be considered unconstitutional.

Principles of Roman Law Roman law continued to endure to form the basis of law in many countries and places influenced by Europe, including the United States. In fact, the use of Roman laws may also explain why buildings, such as the Supreme Court building, has so many Grec0-Roman inspired themes: There are pillars, slanted roof, and a bas-relief in the Supreme court building.

Enduring Influence of Rome By preserving and adding to Greek civilization, Rome strengthened the Western cultural tradition. The world as we know it today may not be the same had Rome never existed. As Rome fell, a new Europe was slowly going to build itself out of the ashes of Rome. Many of these new civilizations would not fully embrace Roman ideals for hundreds of years. We will talk about them in more detail in the future.

Questions If you have any questions, please ask now.

Review Of the following three principles of Roman law, pick which one you think is the most important and why: (1) equality before the law, (2) innocent until proven guilty, or (3) unfair laws can be set aside. Do you think Greek culture would have spread even if the Romans never existed? Why or why not? What was Rome’s influence on languages? What was Greco-Roman civilization? How was the Roman view of art styles different from the Greeks (i.e. what did they value differently)? What are some architectural styles that we still use today that the Roman’s inspired?

Next Lesson We are going to move away from Europe for the next lesson and discuss the rise of Islam, including Muhammad, Islamic beliefs, and the effects of Muslims on society.