ANCIENT
ROMAN CIVILIZATION
Carter,
Christian, Leo
LEGENDS
The ancient Romans loved
to hear the story of Romulus and Remus. In their eyes, this story explained why
Rome had the right to rule.
According to the legend,
Romulus and Remus justified their right to rule because their mother was a
princess and their father was the war god Mars.
The legend of Romulus and
Remus
Rhea was married to Mars,
the Roman god of war. Rhea had twin sons. She loved her boys, but there were
plots afoot by other gods and goddesses to harm her father, herself, her
husband, and her children. To protect the boys, she set them adrift on the
river, hoping someone would find them. Who would not love such beautiful boys?
Sure enough, first they
were found by a she-wolf who fed them. Then a shepherd and his wife adopted the
boys.
As the twins grew older,
they decided they did not want to take care of sheep. They wanted to be kings.
They decided to build a city on the shores of the Tiber. They both wanted to be
the only king. They quarreled. In a fit of rage, Romulus picked up a rock, killed
his brother, and made himself king.
That’s how Rome started.
DAILY LIFE
We know quite a bit about
Roman government, which was famous for power and law, and a great deal about
Roman religion with its many Roman gods and festivals.
Rome grew from an
important city into a huge, crowded, noisy, smoky, dusty city, with beautiful
temples and public buildings. The rich had gracious homes, each with an
entrance atrium, which was the center of family life. For those who were not quite as rich, there
were apartment buildings, some quite nice ones, and there were shabby tenements
for the poor. Narrow streets wound between the seven hills.
Some people walked around
Rome. Some were carried in covered litters, with curtained couches carried on
poles by slaves. Soldiers strode though town in chain mail or leather armor.
Workmen hurried in belted tunics of dark wool. Before daylight, boys hurried to
school. Later in the day, Roman citizens strolled around town in white wool
tunics. Shops lined the streets.
Down in the Forum, courts
were in session, and the great Senate orators met and argued.
Even for the poor, life in
the city was lively. There was always something going on, like the many
religious festivals with entertainment paid for by the rich, and chariot racing
with an open track that ran between the seven hills. These were free spectacles
that all the people could enjoy.
GOVERNMENT
Julius Caesar was a great
general and an important leader in ancient Rome.
During his lifetime, he
had held just about every important title in the Roman Republic including
consul, tribune of the people, high commander of the army, and high
priest.
He suggested new laws,
most of which were approved by the Senate.
He reorganized the
army.
He improved the way the
provinces were governed.
The Romans even named a
month after him, the month of July for Julius Caesar.
When Julius Caesar said he
had something to say, the people flocked to the Forum to hear his ideas. His
ideas had been good ones. The people trusted him. Julius Caesar told the people
that he could solve Rome's problems.
After the people of Rome
had chased away the last of the Etruscan kings, the people declared Rome to be
a republic. What is a republic? A republic is a government run by elected
officials.
The new government of the
Roman Republic ordered the letters SPQR to be chiseled on public buildings, armor, coins, and even
park benches. The letters SPQR were chiseled on anything that belonged to the
state.
Under the Republic, the
state was composed of the Senate and the People of Rome. That's what SPQR stood
for - ‘Senatus Populus Que Romanus’ - the Senate and the People of Rome.
It was a publicity
campaign, and it worked! Every time the
people saw the letters SPQR, they were reassured that things had changed. The
kings were gone. It was a time of new leadership and new government. It was the
time of the Roman Republic.
CULTURE & ARCHITECTURE
The ancient Romans loved
chariot racing. In early Roman times, young nobles used to race their chariots
around the 7 hills of Rome. People had to scatter to get out of the way. They
stopped for no one.
In the 6c BCE (about 2,500
years ago!), the ancient Romans built the Circus Maximus in the city of Rome.
Basically, the Maximus was a race track. It was designed to race chariots.
Women could attend the races. They could sit with men. That was very
unusual.
The original Circus
Maximus was built out of wood. It burnt down a couple of times. During the
Roman Empire, the Circus Maximus was rebuilt using marble and concrete (an
ancient Roman invention!).
The Circus Maximus was not
the only circus in the Roman Empire. The Romans built circuses (outdoor
racetracks) all over the Empire. The Circus Maximus was the most well known
race track.
It could seat over 250,000
people! Admission was free. Anyone could attend the races, including Rome's
poor. There were races every day. It was the height of success to race in the
Circus Maximus.
The Colosseum was a huge
public entertainment center.
The Colosseum could seat
45,000 spectators. Some people were not lucky enough to have a seat in the
Colosseum. If you didn't mind standing, the Colosseum could hold up to 70,000
spectators!
This is where the ancient
Romans gathered to watch bloody combat between gladiators, and battles between
men and wild animals. This is where they threw people to the lions! To see men
being killed was very entertaining to the ancient Romans. On occasion, they
flooded the Colosseum with water, to hold naval battles. During the battles,
many competitors died.
The ancient Romans were
great builders. They built things to last. The Colosseum was built of concrete,
faced with stone, as were most amphitheaters. It was built in the early days of
the Roman Empire, around 70 CE. It was designed to host huge spectacles. Anyone could attend the events in the
Colosseum. Admission was free.
There is an old
expression, "All roads lead to Rome." In ancient Rome, Rome was the
heart of the empire. Each time a new city was conquered, a road was built from
that city back to Rome.
Roads were built in
straight lines. Many had gutters. Along the side of road, the Romans built road
signs called milestones. Milestones did not give any information about other
towns in the area. Milestones told how far it was back to Rome.
