The document provides information about daily life in ancient Rome. It describes Roman social classes and customs, including housing, food, and entertainment that differed between the wealthy and poor. Gladiatorial contests and "bread and circuses" were used by the government to distract the poor. The rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire is also discussed, including the life and teachings of Jesus, and the early Christian church before it was officially adopted by the Roman Emperor Constantine.

1. The Glory of Ancient Rome

2. Roman Daily Life
• Rome had the most
beautiful monuments
and public buildings in
the world.
• Wealth and goods
flowed freely to all
parts of the empire.
• Merchants made their
living from tourists
who visited the city.

3. Rome took a
census every
years
Census=count

4. Roman Citizens
• To be a Roman citizen was a matter of
great pride.
• Guess who were not considered as
citizens?

5. Roman Citizens
• Mmm…

6. Roman Social Classes
• Rome had 2 social classes:
Wealthy citizens
Lower class: poor people

7. Rags to Riches??
• The poor lived in
poorly built houses or
multi-story apartment
buildings.
• They did not have
running water nor
plumbing.
• The wealthy lived in
villas and enjoyed
feasts with game or
boar.
• They would have
entertainment
including dancers,
performers and
musicians.

8. Let’s Eat at a Roman Feast!!

9. Bread and Circus
• To prevent the poor
from rioting, the
government gave
them free grain and
provided circus
entertainment in the
Colosseum.

10. Bread and Circus
• The Roman
Government gave:

11. Gladiators fought to the death.
Most gladiators were slaves,
condemned criminals or prisoners
or war. All were forced to fight in
bloody contests of strength.

12. Roman Life
• Despite the appeal of brutal combat and
executions for “entertainment”, the
Romans valued family life.
• (I did not say the rulers did, but the people
of Rome did. )
• The Roman government provided family
support.

13. Help is on the Way!
• The Roman Government provided support
to the upper classes. These measures
were designed to encourage the upper
classes to increase the size of their
families and to continue their family
names.

14. Help is on the Way!
• For families with 3 or
more….
• You get free land

15. Head of the Household
• The head of the
household was the
paterfamilias (pay
turfuh MIL ee us).
• The family included
everything and
everyone in the home
under the “head of the
household”.
Luiggi
wife
Younger
brother
mother
Child
Daughter-in-law
slaves

16. Roles of Women in Rome
• A woman’s place in
the household
depended on what
kind of marriage she
had.
• Sometimes she would
leave the family and
join her husband’s
family.

17. Roles of Women in Rome
• Some women shaped roles for
themselves outside the family.
• Some women became doctors and
worked in medicine, while others engaged
in trade.
• The women of the lower class were
usually cooks, dressmakers, and
hairdressers.

18. Slavery in Rome
• Slavery was common in Rome.
• Even poor families might employ slaves.
• Slaves had almost no rights, but a few
rose to important positions in households
of wealthy families.
• Some slaves were able to save money
and buy their freedom.

19. Christianity and the Roman
Empire
• During the rule of Augustus, Rome
increased its control over Judea, the
region that once had been known as
Canaan. Here we will be focusing on the
rise of a new religion, called Christianity.
• Christianity was just one of the religions in
the Roman Empire. The Romans were
tolerant toward the people in these lands
as long as they showed their loyalty to the
Roman Emperor and their gods.

20. Sermon on the Mount
• In the book of Matthew 5: 1-10 reveals
what Christianity was all about.
• The speaker is Jesus and he is telling his
followers what they have to look forward to
when you trust in Jesus and do the will of
His Father.

21. Sermon continued
• Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are those who mourn, for they
shall be comforted.
• Blessed are the lowly, for they shall inherit
the earth.
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst fr
what is right, for they will be satisfied.

22. Sermon continued
• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be
treated with mercy.
• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God….
• Blessed are those who are persecuted in
the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.

23. Sermon continued
• Jesus taught that God
would provide
everlasting life for
those who followed
Jesus’ teachings.

24. Unrest in Judaea
• The Romans conquered the Jewish
homeland of Judaea.
• The Romans allowed the Jews to practice
their faith, then as opposition grew to the
Romans, the Romans struck back with
harsh rules.

25. Christianity and the Roman
Empire
• As a result of the Roman rule, many Jews
became resentful and believed a messiah
or savior would come to bring justice and
freedom to the land.
• In 37 B.C. the Roman senate appointed a
new ruler of Judaea named Herod- it was
during this time that Jesus was born in
Bethlehem.

26. Jesus
• The story of his birth is told in a collection
of books called the New Testament- the
Hebrew Bible.
• In the book of Luke- it states that an order
from Augustus decreed that a census be
taken throughout the entire empire.

27. Jesus
• Remember, a census required that all
men, and their households, had to return
where they were born so they could be
counted. So a man named Joseph and
his wife Mary went to Bethlehem- a small
town south of Jerusalem- where Mary
gave birth to a son- Jesus. Growing up
Jesus and his family lived in Nazareth
where Joseph was a carpenter.

28. Jesus
• While living in Nazareth, Jesus grew in
stature and favor with men. He astounded
people with his knowledge of the
scriptures and of God. From the age of
30, Jesus spent his time preaching,
teaching, and healing the sick. Many
believed that he was the Messiah, a
special leader to be sent from God in
order to guide the Jewish people and set
up an earthly kingdom.

29. Jesus
• Like all Jewish teachers, Jesus taught
there is one true God and that God was a
loving and forgiving God and we are to
love and worship him with all our hearts.
However, Jesus promised that people who
followed the steps to salvation- hear,
believe, repent, baptism, and live a faithful
life- will have an everlasting life.

30. The Gospels
• Years after the death of Jesus, the
disciples or followers of Christ wrote
stories about his teachings.
• Four stories of Jesus’ life were written in
the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John.

31. Roman Fears
• Some people
complained to the
Romans that Jesus
taught that God was
greater than the
emperor.
• The Romans feared a
revolt and eventually
decided to have
Jesus put to death by
being crucified.
Roman Guards and an
Emperor. (Rein actors)

32. Jesus
• Jesus spoke of a
heavenly kingdom in
which He would rule
His kingdom (the
church). The Romans
would arrest, try, and
crucify Jesus.
Crucifixion means
putting to death by
hanging form a cross.
• The Romans thought
Jesus was going to
have a physical
kingdom and liberate
all the Jews living
under Roman rule.

33. Jesus
the teachings of
• Jesus often used parables- simple
stories- that contained a message or truth.

34. Jesus
• Jesus chose 12 men to help Him spread
His word. Do you know what they were
called? The Bible says they came from all
walks of life. One named Peter was a
fisherman. Do you know anymore about
the others? Matthew 10: 2-4 has a list of
their names. Before Jesus, these men
had little in common; however, they
became united in the work of Jesus.

35. Christos
• Many educated
people of Jesus’ time
spoke Greek.
• The Greek word for
messiah was
Christos.
• After Jesus’ death
his followers began
to call themselves
Christians.
• Who was Saul?
(Paul)
• Paul persuaded
Jesus’ followers to
teach the Greeks and
Romans as well as
the Jews.

36. Jesus

37. Ways of Worship
• Christians practiced
the rites of:

38. Ways of Worship
• SingingSinging • PrayingPraying
• GivingGiving

39. A.D. 64
• In A.D. 64 a fire
started in Rome and
burned the city for 9
days. Rumor had it
the Christians started
the fire…
• This illustration was to
show Nero’s father
who died in the
blaze…

40. Revenge on the Christians
• Nero ordered the arrest, and killing of
Christians. This persecution lasted for
another 250years.

41. Section 3
• Fall of Rome

42. Constantine
• Constantine was a Roman emperor from
312-337 A.D. He strongly encouraged the
spread of Christianity.
• We will look at his battles where he was
victorious and how he handled the division
of the Roman Empire.

43. A Divided Empire

44. Rulers of the Roman Empire

45. Now Rome no
longer
persecuted
Christians.
Christianity
became the
official religion
of the empire.
He continued to
persecute
Christians.
He battled
Constantine
numerous times and
lost control of the …

46. “New Rome”
• In 330 Constantine won control of the
Eastern Roman Empire and moved
the Capital to the city of Byzantium,
in modern-day Turkey.
• Constantine renamed the city to
“Constantinople” which means the
“city of Constantine”.

47. Constantinople
• Constantinople was firmly in place as the new
capital of the Roman Empire.
Rome
Byzantium aka
Constantinople

48. Rome ends with…
• The last emperor was named ROMULUS
Augustus.
• Germanic tribes continued to invade
Rome. The Romans called these people
Barbarians.
• The Eastern Roman Empire lasted for
1000 years after the fall of the Western
Roman Empire.