Greek influence on Rome + Rome's achievements

Greek influence on Rome + Rome's achievements

Learn how the Greeks influenced Roman culture and their achievements in science, engineering, art, architecture, and written laws.

Greek influence on Rome

The Romans have long admired Greek achievements. Many Romans visited Greece to study Greek art, architecture, and ideas about government. Greek religion influenced the Roman religion. Like the Greeks, Romans practiced polytheism (belief in many gods) and offered prayers and sacrifices to their gods.

Multiple Choice

What is the belief in many gods called?

• monotheism

• christianity

• polytheism

• buddhism

Roman Gods

Many Roman gods and goddesses had Greek counterparts. For example, the Roman god of the sky, Jupiter, shared characteristics with the Greek god Zeus. The Roman goddess of arts and trades, Minerva, can be compared with the Greeks’ Athena. The Romans also adopted heroes from Greek mythology, such as Heracles, Hercules to the Romans. As their empire spread, Romans appealed to and adopted other foreign gods as well.

Multiple Choice

Who was the greek counterpart to the Roman god Jupiter?

• Hades

• Poseidon

• Hera

• Zeus

Roman Values

 Greeks and Romans both valued learning, but in different ways. The Greeks were interested in ideas. They sought to learn truths about the world through reason. The Romans were more interested in using the ideas of the Greeks to build things. The Romans developed outstanding architecture and engineering skills. With the skills, they built their empire.

Multiple Choice

What did Romans use in their buildings to make them larger and stronger?

• bridges

• arches

• marble

• columns

Arches

 Early Roman art and architecture copied the Etruscans. Later, the Roman studied and copied Greek sculpture and architecture. They then developed their own style.

 Roman statues and buildings were heavier and stronger in style than those of the Greeks. Using arches, Romans were able to build larger structures.

Building material

Most large buildings were built of bricks covered with thin slabs of marble. An important development was a new building material, concrete. Concrete is a mix of stone, sand, cement, and water which dries as hard as a rock. Concrete helped the Romans construct buildings that were far taller than any built before.

Multiple Choice

What was the Colosseum?

• a theatre for dramas

• an arena for battles

• a stadium for sports

• an arena for swimming

Colosseum

 Possibly the greatest Roman building was the Colosseum, the site of contest and combats between people and animals. This giant arena held 50,000 spectators. It was so well-built that the floor of the arena could be flooded for mock naval battles using real people in actual boats. Stairways and ramps ran through the building. There were even elevators to carry wild animals from dens below the floor to the arena.

Multiple Choice

What were aqueducts used for?

• bridges for transportation

• carrying goods

• transporting water long distances

• roads for walking

Aqueducts

 Romans were famous for their aqueducts, structures that carried water over long distances. The aqueducts were huge lines of arches, often many miles long. A channel along the top carried water from the countryside to the cities. Roman aqueducts tunneled through mountains and spanned valleys. Some are still in use today.

All roads lead to Rome

 Do you know the saying “All roads lead to Rome”? In Roman times, all the major roads of the empire did lead to Rome. The Roman road system covered a distance equal to twice the distance around Earth at the equator.

Roman Laws

​

 Like Roman roads, Roman law spread through the empire. The Roman Senator Cicero said that laws “cannot be bent by influence, or broken by power, or spoiled by money. "

No one is above the law!
(Rule of Law)

​The English language was built on borrowing from other languages. More than 60% of English words have Greek or Latin roots. This week, we will be looking at 4 Greek and Latin roots and words that use them.

​The Roman Language - Latin

The spread of Latin was tied directly to the expansion of the Roman Empire.

Soldiers and Settlers: As the Roman legions conquered territories, they brought "Vulgar Latin" to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Administration: Latin became the official language of government, law, and the military. To move up in Roman society, one had to speak Latin.

​The Spread: How Latin Conquered the Map

Language	Latin Origin Example (Heart)
Latin	Cor / Cordis
Italian	Cuore
Spanish	Corazón
French	Cœur
Portuguese	Coração

​Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages.

Roman numerals use specific letters to represent values and combine them to create sums.

​Roman Numerals (Numbers)

​To read or write Roman numerals, you follow two main rules: Addition and Subtraction.

​How to Read Roman Numbers

​The Rule of Addition
When a smaller symbol appears after a larger symbol, you add them together.

​The Rule of Subtraction:
When a smaller symbol appears before a larger symbol, you subtract the smaller from the larger.