Saturday, February 23, 2008

Roman Roads


One reason the romans were so famous was because of their roads. The Roman roads were very important to the city of Rome. They helped the Romans with trade and it helped their soldiers. They are one of the things that helped Rome be so great (Nardo 85).


Since Rome was such a big city trading was very important. The trade in Rome helped them get the money needed. The money was greatly needed for the population of Rome, which was more than one million. Since many trade routs crossed through Rome the city was able to be well supplied.



Although the Roman Roads were very useful for trading and other things, they were built for the Roman army, or legions. The Roman generals were actually the ones who supplied the money for building the roads of Rome. Interestingly, the roads were the roads were built by the some of the Roman battalions.


The Roman roads were fit for the soldiers of Rome, because they were straight, and they had very nice foundations and nice surfaces (Adkins and Adkins 172). These roads were also a benefit to the soldiers because they went around the places that would need to be climbed or things one would have trouble getting a great battalion of troops over.


The Romans were very famous for their roads their roads. The roads were very important to the city of Rome, because they helped with trade and it helped their soldiers. They are one of the things that helped Rome be so great (Szumski 85).


Adkins, Lesly, and Roy A. Adkins. Handbook to the Life in Ancient Rome. New York: New York, 1994.

Nardo, Don. Living in Ancient Rome: Exploring Cultural History. Greenhaven Press, 2004.




Daily Life in Ancient Rome


The daily life in Ancient Rome was similar, and different different in many ways. The parents went to the market while the kids attended their school.


As some of us do, the Romans had breakfast in the
morning, which was cheese, fruit, and wine. The meal after breakfast was what they called second breakfast. Second breakfast, for them is what we now call lunch, of course. The meal after second breakfast was dinner. However, the Romans throw the rest of the food left from dinner on the ground, which modern day people, hopefully, do not do.


Before the later days of Rome, a boy would stay at home and be tutored by his father. It was not until later that the Roman boys were sent to school by their fathers. The girls even able to go to school if their fathers permitted it. The children would go to a school from six to seven years old, and before becoming fourteen years of age, would have studied Latin and Greek. School would begin when the sun rose for the children.


While the children were at school their parents could have gone to the Forum, which was the marketplace for Rome. The Forum was used for many, many things. The adults would go there to get a few things done, such as shopping and banking.

The daily life in Ancient Rome was similar, and different different in many ways, to mast of our lives, they had three meals as we do and though we have that in common we don't handle everything in the meals as they do. The parents went to the market while the kids attended their school as well.









Saturday, February 16, 2008

Roman Architecture


Architecture is one of the many things the Romans are known for today. Their aqueducts were one of the very amazing things they created. The Greeks also had a great impact on the Roman arts (Boardman, Griffin, Murray 414).


The Roman Aqueduct was very important to Rome. They provided the city with the needed water. these were very important to the city of Rome, and served for a number of purposes.


The aqueducts were used for transporting water from rivers and into the cities of Rome.During Augustus' reign ( Augustus was Octavian before he called himself Augustus(Grolier25) the aqueducts of Rome were fixed. The aqueducts were used for utilizing clean drinking water. Since the towns people who drank the river water would die or become ill from the sewage which drained into them.


Aqueducts were and are very important today. Yes, the aqueducts of Rome are still used today for acquiring clean drinking water. In fact they still use the aqueducts the Ancient Romans used. The water is taken from a place East from Rome, the Alban Hills. As you can see the aqueducts were very important.


The Romans are very well known for their
architecture. The aqueducts were one of their great accomplishments, and are still used today.


Boardman, John, Jasper Griffin, and Oswyn Murray. The Oxford History of the Roman World. Oxford: Great Clarendon Street, 1986-88.


Grolier. The Classical Age 500BC-500AD: Timelines of History Volume 2. Sherman Turnpike: Danbury, Connecticut, 2005.








Saturday, February 9, 2008

The Importance of the Reign of Cesaer Agustus


Gaius Octavius was not the most likely person to become the next ruler of Rome, in fact, when he became ruler he was only an eighteen year old boy, who did not even look like the to be ruler of Rome. However, he proved his importance to Rome by doing many things that helped benefit Rome.


Cesar Augustus was able to restore peace to Rome after years of many civil wars. Rome was cast into war because of the assassination of Julius Cesar, the former ruler of Rome. This happened while Octavian, later named Cesar Augustus was severing in another area. When he returned he discovered that, as Cesar's heir, he would take his place as ruler of Rome.


Cesar Augustus Turned Rome from a Republic to an Empire, in 27BC. He spent money trying to make Rome into a glorious city, and is thought to have built the Coliseum. This ruler had many great things built during his time.


Cesar Augustus also built public baths and supplied Rome with aqueducts, giving Rome the supply of water
. Augustus soon made the Romans worship him as if he was a god, a mortal, not a man of Earth. Finally, in 14AD, Cesar Augustus died.


Gaius Octavius was not the most likely person to become the next ruler of Rome. He certainly did not have the look of a mighty ruler, but he would prove himself as one of Rome's most important.




Sunday, February 3, 2008

The Rise and Decline of the Roman Government


As Rome rose and fell many rulers rose and fell along with her. The government also underwent changes in the city's rise to power and her decline and, eventually, her fall.

Rome was first ruled by kings. Her first king was Romulus , who was supposed to have founded Rome. In total there were seven kings who were once rulers of Rome. Tarquin Superbus, the last king of Rome, also known as Tarquin the Proud, made the Romans despising the rule of monarchy (Zoch 28), and was brought to an end in509BC. The Roman Republic would then take over the rule of monarchy (Zoch 31).


Under the Roman Republic the Senate and the assembly ruled over the Roman citizens. This Republic lasted for around five hundred years. Two leaders in the Senate were the consuls, they were elected to Govern the city of Rome. They were thought to better rulers than kings by many of the Roman citizens (Bingham 9). However, the Republic began having problems before the time of the second century BC. The Roman land was expanding rapidly and it was growing more difficult to keep it from growing chaotic. While this was going on the generals were craving more power. One general in particular, Julius Caesar, would rise to power, but soon be assassinated by those he thought to be friends (Bingham 10). After the death of Caesar in 27BC the Roman Republic was ended (Bingham 11).


From Augustus, to Valentinian the first, who started the Western Empire, and Flavius Anastius, the last to rule the Eastern Empire. The first empire lasted from 14 AD to 476 AD, and was ruled by more than one hundred emperors. In 364 AD the Empire split and the Western Empire emerged. When the Western Empire split the Eastern Empire emerged, but then Rome ended after the Eastern Empire
.


Many rulers rose and fell with Rome. Rome was ruled by kings, then by the Republic, and then by emperors (Bingham 8, 9, 10, 11). Rome then fell after Eastern
Empire fell, thus, the once great city of Rome met its end.


Bingham, Jane. Ancient Civilizations: Ancient Rome. World Almanac Library: Milwaukee, WI. 2006.

Zoch Paul
A. Ancient Rome: An Introduction History. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman. 1998.