Roman Empire Overview

Roman Empire

• Founded by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC.
• Ruled by kings until 509 BC.
• Became a Republic, conquering Italy by 270 BC and expanding to North Africa, Greece, and Spain by 140 BC.
• Collapsed in 476 after being defeated by Germanic tribes.
• Controlled Europe and Britain by 100 AD.

Roman Towns

• Walls for defense.
• Grid system of streets.
• Forum (town square) for trade, worship, and politics.
• Temples for religious worship.
• Aqueducts for water supply.
• Theaters for plays and poetry.
• Monuments (statues, arches) to celebrate victories.
• Public baths, fountains, and toilets.
• Paved streets (though dirty).
• Amphitheaters for gladiatorial contests.
• Insulae (apartments) 5 stories high.

Roman People

• Two main groups: Patricians (wealthy, ruling senate) and Plebeians (majority, farmers, tradespeople, or soldiers).
• Men wore togas; women, stolas.
• Patricians lived in villas; Plebeians, in insulae.
• No women could vote or participate in public life.

Roman Slavery

• Over 300,000 slaves in Rome itself.
• People became slaves through war, child of slaves, captures by pirates, or debt.
• Often worked on public buildings or in mines/farms, sometimes treated harshly.
• Some slaves were educated and worked as doctors, teachers, secretaries.
• Some gained freedom through manumission.

Roman Education

• Plebeians had basic education at home.
• Wealthy children followed a structured program.
• Early education focused on reading, writing (using tablets), arithmetic.
• At 12, boys studied grammar, history, and geometry.
• Older students learned oratory.
• Discipline in schools was strict.

Roman Recreation and Entertainment

• Circus Maximus (chariot racing), seating for 250,000+ people — no status-based separation.
• Theaters (semi-circular structures) — tragedy and comedy.
• Gladiatorial combats in amphitheaters, notably the Colosseum which held 50,000 spectators. — Gladiators were male and wore different armor.
• Public baths ("tepidarium," "caldarium," "frigidarium") — for social interaction and hygiene.

Roman Religion

• Polytheistic (believed in many gods).
• Gods like Jupiter (king of gods), Juno (queen of gods).
• Worshipped at shrines (e.g., lararium).
• Temples held sacrifices/offerings.
• Pantheon is a prominent surviving temple in Rome.

Roman Military

• Legionaries (foot soldiers) served a minimum of 20 years.
• Highly trained.
• Used various weapons (infantry, cavalry, artillery, catapults, ballistas).

Roman Architecture

• Developed concrete and used arches, pillars, and domes.
• Public building designs persisted throughout later centuries.

Roman Funerals

• Wealthy burials were elaborate processions.
• The body was put in a vault or urn.
• Most people were buried outside city, often cremated.

Roman Calendar and Religion

• Julius Caesar invented the Julian calendar.
• Later, the Gregorian calendar (created by Gregory XIII) was implemented as a more accurate system.
• Christianity gained popularity, eventually becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire.