Indiana Wilson Humanities/Mrs. G Per.

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Ancient Rome Under Republic 40 Facts

Facts from Ancient Civilizations Textbook: 1.) pg. 427- Most of Rome's people were plebeians; this group consisted of artisans, shopkeepers, and owners of small farms. (social classes) 2.) pg. 427- Plebeians could not marry patricians and could not hold public office. (social classes) 3.) pg. 427- Both patrician and plebeian men were Roman citizens. They had the right to vote and the duty to pay taxes and serve in the army. (social classes) 4.) pg. 427- The patricians were wealthy landowners. (social classes) 5.) pg. 428- Two consuls, both patricians, were chosen each year. They headed the army and ran the government. (government) 6.) pg. 427- Rome had a tripartite, or three-part, government. One group of people ran the government, another group made laws, and a third group acted as judges. (government) 7.) pg. 424- They reorganized their soldiers into smaller groups called legions. Each legion had about 6,000 men

and was further divided into groups of 60 to 120 soldiers. (government) 8.) pg. 427- Rome's government had checks and balances so that one group could not get too strong. (government) 9.) pg. 428- In the Roman Republic, the top government officials were the consuls. (government) 10.) pg. 428- The consuls also kept each other in line because each could reject the other's decision. (government) 11.) pg. 431- The legal system of the United States owes much to the Roman system. (contributions) 12.) pg. 439- Caesar also created a new calendar with 12 months, 365 days, and a leap year. (contributions) 13.) pg. 429- Before Rome became a powerful empire, Romans ate simple meals of porridge, dried vegetables, and greens. People rarely ate meat or seafood. (stable food supply) 14.) pg. 437- Sulla changed the government by weakening the Council of the Plebs and strengthening the Senate. (government) 15.) pg. 428- The Senate was a select group of 300 patrician men who served for life. (government) Facts from http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel/html/religio n.html

16.) -The early Romans believed in a simple animism that there were spirits/powers, or numina, which surrounded all men. (religion) 17.) -The Etruscans were believed to be the first to set up temples and statues of gods. (religion) 18.) -Before the end of the Republic, most people turned away from religion to philosophy. (religion) 19.) -Emperor worship became the State religion. In the end, Christianity replaced all religion. (religion) Facts from http://rome.mrdonn.org/senate.html 20.) -The Assembly was composed of all the plebeian citizens of Rome, the common man. (government) 21.) -In the beginning, the Assembly could vote for or suggest laws, but the Senate could block their decisions. (government) Facts from http://rome.mrdonn.org/dinner.html 22.) -Romans ate mostly vegetables, and dined very simply. Meals were prepared by the mother or by female slaves under her direction. (daily life) 23.) -In the last two centuries of the Republic, this simple style of living changed a bit. A separate dining room was designed. In place of benches or stools, there were dining couches. (daily life) Facts from The Oxford History of Italy Edited by

George Holmes 24.) pg. 5- Romans were good at using religion to impose and foster their power. (religion) 25.) pg. 6- For the Roman state propitiation of the gods was also a serious business. (religion) Facts from http://rome.mrdonn.org/families.html 26.) -Mothers who could read and write taught their children how to read and write. She taught her girls how to cook and sew and care for a family. (specialized labor) 27.) -Slaves were treated well, in most cases, because they were property. They had food to eat, jobs to do, and clothes to wear. But they were not free to look for a better family. They were slaves. They were owned. (specialized labor) 28.) -The ruler of the family was the oldest male. That could be the father, the grandfather, or perhaps even an uncle. (specialized labor) Facts from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index? qid=20081008152519AAEfG1U 29.) -From the Romans, we get the symbols x, +, -, and /. (contributions) 30.) -The Romans contributed greatly in the field of language. It is from them that we get Latin, a written language that is not spoken very often anymore. (contributions)

31.) -The Romans made many architectural contributions to future generations. They include arches, vaults, columns, and concrete. Columns, however were not pioneered by the Romans. It was actually a Greek development. The Romans simply took it and used it profusely. (contributions) 32.) -Concrete is also another invention that had been previously invented that the Romans borrowed and used quite a bit. They not only borrowed it how it was, they improved upon it, by creating a concrete that could set underwater. (contributions) 33.) -It is from the Romans that we have the Roman Numeral System. (contributions) Facts from http://rome.mrdonn.org/dailylife.html 34.) -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. (daily life) 35.) -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. (daily life) 36.) -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. (daily life)

37.) -Down in the Forum, courts were in session, and the great Senate orators met and argued. (daily life) Facts from http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/republic.htm 38.) -An Assembly was a gathering of Roman citizens. At these gatherings the citizens discussed new Laws and voted on them to decide whether or not they should become Law. (government) 39.) -The rich had more votes than the other citizens so power was not shared equally. (government) 40.) -Rich citizens had more political power. Those without vote- women, slaves and those people born in the provinces- had the least power. (government)