Life in the Roman Empire a Roman City Typically Had a Forum

CK_3_TH_HG_P091_145.QXD 4/11/05 10:56 AM Page 133 himself. Commodus spent much of his time not governing but racing chariots and fighting as a gladiator in the amphitheater. He fought hundreds of times and Teaching Idea killed lions, panthers, and elephants—and men—by the scores. In his famous his- Roman homes were lit with terra- tory, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the historian Edward Gibbon memo- cotta or bronze lamps. Have students rably described the character of Commodus as a man more intent on pursuing his make their own lamps using the own pleasure than leading his people. directions on Instructional Master 22, Commodus was strangled to death in his bath in 192 CE. After his death, the Making a Terra-Cotta Lamp. After Senate ordered that all mention of him and his reign be expunged from the doing this activity, have students records. write a description of why it would be important to have these lamps in a Another famously wicked emperor was Nero, who ruled Rome well before Roman house. Compare and contrast Commodus, from 54–68 CE. Nero was given a good education—his tutor was the the use of these lamps to the lights philosopher Seneca—but he used his powers as emperor to suit his own purposes. that students use in their own homes. In the second year of his reign, he grew resentful of his mother’s attempts to con- What are the similarities and differ- trol him and began scheming to get rid of her. After having his mother murdered, ences? What are the advantages and he later murdered his wife and then married his mistress. In 64 CE a great fire disadvantages? You may wish to post destroyed much of Rome. A rumor circulated that Nero had lit the fire himself to each student’s writing next to his or clear ground for a new palace. Another popular story held that Nero placidly played her lamp for display in the classroom. his harp while the city burned. This last story is now generally believed to be false, but the idea of Nero “fiddling while Rome burned” has stuck in the popular imag- ination. What is unquestionably true is that Nero blamed the fires on the Christians in the city and used it as an excuse to persecute members of the sect. Christians were burned and tortured to death. Nero aspired to be a poet, a singer, and an artist. He forced people to attend concerts where he sang, played the harp, or recited poetry. Nobody was allowed to leave the theater during these performances. The historian Suetonius says even pregnant women who went into labor were not allowed to leave. Supposedly some men “played dead” in order that they might be carried out of the theater. Eventually people began to conspire against Nero. Rebellions broke out around the empire. Nero fled Rome and committed suicide. Just before he killed himself, he is said to have remarked, “What a great artist the world is losing!” Life in the Roman Empire A Roman city typically had a forum. This was an open central marketplace or public square that contained shops and government buildings, such as law courts and temples to the city’s chief deities. In addition to being the center of commer- cial activity, the forum was the center of civic participation for a city. A city usually had several temples built in honor of a variety of deities. Cities also had public baths, which featured hot and cold pools, exercise grounds, and gardens. The baths, like the houses of the rich, had running water. Most people, though, obtained their water from public fountains on the streets. They lived in Cross-curricular crowded, noisy dwellings, similar to modern-day apartment buildings of four or Teaching Idea five stories, although the wealthy few lived in luxurious villas, attended to by Teach the story of “Androcles and the slaves. Slavery was common among the Romans, and often slaves were people Lion” in conjunction with your dis- who were captured in battle. cussion of Roman gladiator fights and Favorite forms of entertainment included gladiatorial combats, wild-animal the Colosseum. 36 contests, and chariot races. Many gladiators were professionally trained slaves who fought each other, often to the death. However, if a gladiator made a History and Geography: World 133 CK_3_TH_HG_P091_145.QXD 4/11/05 10:56 AM Page 134 II. Ancient Rome particularly skillful showing, the crowd might cheer for his release. In Rome, the Colosseum, a huge arena that seated 45,000, was the site of such events. Chariot races were held in round or oval structures called circuses. Spectators sat in tiers around the sides and cheered on their teams. The Circus Maximus in Rome was the largest circus in the empire. The phrase “bread and circuses” refers to the practice of providing grain and games to the poor of the cities to keep them fed and occupied so that they would not revolt. Such welfare, warned critics of the emperors and the upper classes, only masked the growing problems caused by the uneven distribution of wealth. The massive Colosseum and Circus Maximus are typical of the Romans’ skill at engineering. The Romans used domes to cap their buildings and arches to sup- port walls and ceilings. Arches supported Roman bridges and aqueducts, the stone structures that carried water from the country into and through the cities. The Romans also used stone to pave their roads, which they laid throughout the empire. Many modern European roads are based on the old Roman roadbeds, and some aqueducts are still standing. Mt. Vesuvius and the Destruction of Pompeii Teaching Idea Mount Vesuvius, in southern Italy, is the only active volcano on continental Get an illustrated book about Pompeii Europe. Its most famous eruption occurred in 79 CE, when it buried the Roman and share pictures with students as a resort city of Pompeii and neighboring Herculaneum. way of teaching them about Roman life. The volcano shot gas, liquid rock, and ash into the air. Thick clouds of ash To extend this discussion, talk briefly descended on the city and many residents suffocated. Their bodies, along with about other famous volcanoes around their belongings and even their houses, were buried in the ash. The eruption had the world. precipitated a rainstorm. When the rains came, the ash hardened, preserving everything as it was when the volcano erupted. As a result, Pompeii is a treasure trove of information about Roman life for archaeologists. 41 42 The Persecution of the Christians The birth of Jesus took place during the rule of Augustus. Jesus was tried and executed (by crucifixion) in Palestine, which was a Roman province under the supervision of Roman official Pontius Pilate. But these events, which were to have such a profound effect on later history, remained completely unnoticed in most parts of the Roman Empire. It was only later, during the 1st century CE, that the followers of Jesus began to move out from Palestine and through the Roman Empire, preaching about Jesus and making converts. The apostle Paul travelled throughout the Roman Empire preaching the necessity of faith in Jesus as savior. For the most part, the Roman Empire was tolerant of the religious practices of its far-flung subjects. Many emperors followed the policy of the Emperor Trajan (98–117 CE), who ordered that the Christians be left alone as long as they did not disturb the general peace. However, when times were bad, it was easy to blame the Christians because they were different. They worshipped a god other than the Roman deities and, because they believed there was only one God, they refused to make sacrifices in honor of the pagan gods whom most Romans worshipped. Also, they did not wor- ship the emperor. Christians’ refusal to participate in religious ceremonies that 134 Grade 3 Handbook.

Load more