2. Reasons Why Someone Would Want to
Study Ancient Rome:
• Government Structure • Class Issues
• Food • Architecture
• War • Public Health
• Empire • Urbanization
3. Government Structure:
• Republic turned into Empire
• Plebians had no say until they went on strike
• Not unlike our own Republic
• Are we (the U.S.A.) an empire?
• See Mr. Myatt’s detailed notes about the Roman government.
4. Food
• If you are really into food, you might be
curious about the differences between
modern Italian cuisine and what they ate in
ancient times.
• Food sourcing and distribution was
important then just as it is now.
• See Jennifer Lockett’s Ancient Eats podcast (if you want to)
5. War
• “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
------George Santayana
• Spoils of war made Rome wealthy (Notice how “spoil” rhymes with
“oil.”)
• Was it a war culture? (Consider Romulus & Remus fratricide.
Consider gladiator combat as entertainment.)
• Consider mythical origins of conflict with Carthage
• Consider the actual origins of conflict with Carthage (to be covered by
Mr. Myatt)
6. Empire
• What other empires have we studied?
• What commonalities do you see?
• What differences do you see?
• What are some benefits of an empire?
• What are some drawbacks?
7. Class Issues
• Patricians: wealthy with social and political
influence
• Plebians: Not slaves, and not destitute
beggars, but poor. Regular folks
• If we compare to nowadays, Patricians vs. Plebians
may be too dissimilar, and the ‘either or’ might be
an oversimplification. But we (us here you and
me) need to think about class and privilege.
8. Architecture
• Some of the most beautiful buildings known
• How does being in a beautiful space affect your mood and behavior?
• Like Greece, you find some of the most
grand architecture in temples and public
buildings
• Maybe with some of these buildings the Romans are ‘showing off’ a little?
• We start to see apartment buildings and building up ^
9. Public Health
• The Cloaca Maxima is tremendously
important
• Rules about where the dead can be buried
prevent disease
• Clean water brought in via aquaducts
10. Urbanization
• “the process by which more and more
people leave the countryside to live in
cities” dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/urbanization
http://
• The creation of cities. The development
of cities. The enlargement of and the
concentration of more people in cities. -Mr.
Connell
• Consider the problems and benefits that come from all this
