Rome's religion was originally polytheistic and the gods were based on the Greek deities.

The mixing of elements of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture produced a new culture, called Greco-Roman culture. Roman artists, philosophers, and writers did not merely copy their Greek and Hellenistic models. They adapted them for their own purposes and created a style of their own. Roman art and literature came to convey the Roman ideals of strength, permanence, and solidity.

During the reign of Augustus, the Romans further developed a type of sculpture called bas-relief. In bas-relief, or low-relief, images project from a flat background. Roman sculptors used bas-relief to tell stories and to represent crowds of people, soldiers in battle, and landscapes.

Romans excelled at the art of painting. Most wealthy Romans had bright, large murals, called frescoes, painted directly on their walls.

Rome developed a form of representative government.

Tacitus, a Roman historian, was notable for presenting the facts accurately. He was also concerned about the Romans' lack of morality. In his Annals and Histories, he wrote about the good and bad of imperial Rome.

Latin, the language of the Romans, remained the language of learning in the West long after the fall of Rome. It was the official language of the Roman Catholic Church into the 20th century. Latin was adopted by different peoples and developed into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. These languages are called Romance languages because of their common Roman heritage. Latin also influenced other languages, such as English.

Arches also supported bridges and aqueducts. Aqueducts were designed by Roman engineers to bring water into cities and towns. When the water channel spanned a river or ravine, the aqueduct was lifted high up on the arches.

The Colosseum was one of the greatest feats of Roman engineering and a model for the ages. Its construction was started by the Emperor Vespasian and was completed by his sons, Titus and Domitian. For centuries after its opening in 80 CE, spectators, both rich and poor, cheered a variety of free, bloody spectacles--from gladiator fights to animal hunts.

Because Roman architectual forms were so practical, they have remained popular. Thomas Jefferson began a Roman revival in the U.S. in the 18th century. Many large public buildings, such as the U.S. Capitol and numerous state capitols, include Roman features.

Roman roads were also technological marvels. The army built a vast network of roads constructed of stone, concrete, and sad that connected Rome to all parts of the empire. Many lasted into the Middle Ages; some are still used.

Early Roman law dealt mostly with strengthening the rights of Roman citizens.

As the empire grew, the Romans came to be believe that laws should be fair and apply equally to all people, rich and poor.

Some important principles of Roman law were: all persons had the right to equal treatment under the law, a person was considered innocent until proven guilty, the burden of proof rested with the accuser rather than the accused, a person should be punished only for actions not thoughts, and any law that seemed unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside.

The principles of Roman law endured to form the basis of legal systems in many European countries and of places influenced by Europe, including the United States of America.

The Roman Empire had racial diversity. Slavery exists throughout the empire, but not necessarily based on race.

Social classes in Rome include Patricians (nobles) and Plebeians (commoners).

Rome had a strong central government ruled by an emperor (31 BCE-476 CE)

Roman Empire conquered entire Mediterranean and expands up to the island of Britain.

Emperor Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople .

Emperor Diocletian divided the empire into two parts: Western (Rome) and Eastern (Byzantine Empire)

The Roman government provided welfare to the poor of the city of Rome.

Christianity is eventually legalized and made the state religion. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and lasted as the dominant religion of Europe.

Rome became a republic in 509 BCE. A republic is a form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders. In Rome, citizenship with voting rights was granted only to free-born male citizens.

The patricians in Rome were wealthy landowners who held most of the power.

Plebeians in Rome were the common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population.

The plebeians in Rome were barred by law from holding most important government positions. In time, Rome's leaders allowed the plebeians to form their own assembly and elect representatives called tribunes. Tribunes protected the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials.

Rome's written law code in 451 BCE carved on twelve tablets or tables and hung in the forum. The Twelve Tables would become the basis for later Roman law and established the idea that all free citizens had a right to protection of the law.

Rome had two consuls, elected by the assembly for one year: chief executives of the government and commanders-in-chief of the army.

The Roman senate consisted of 300 member, chosen from aristocracy for life--controls foreign and financial policies and advises consuls.

Praetors, eight judges chosen for one year by the Centuriate Assembly--two oversee civil and criminal courts and the others govern provinces.

In a time of crisis, the Roman republic could appoint a dictator--a leader who had absolute power to make laws and command the army. A dictator's power only lasted 6 months. Dictators were chosen by the consuls and then elected by the senate.

Roman soldiers were organized into large military units called legions. The Roman legion was made up of 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers (infantry) and a group of soldiers on horseback (cavalry) supported each legion.

Rome's location gave it easy access to the riches of the lands ringing the Mediterranean Sea. Roman merchants moved by land and sea.

Rome and Carthage went to war in 264 BCE. This was the beginning of the long struggle known as the Punic Wars. Between 264 and 146 BCE, Rome and Carthage fought three wars. Rome's victories in the Punic Wars gave it dominance over the western Mediterranean. The Romans went on to conquer the eastern half. By about 70 BCE, Rome's empire stretched from Anatolia (modern day Turkey) in the east to Spain in the west.

Julius Caesar was appointed dictator in Rome in 46 BCE and in 44 BCE, he was named dictator for life. Caesar governed as an absolute ruler, one who has total power. He started a number of reforms: granted Roman citizenship to people in the provinces, expanded the senate, helped the poor by creating jobs, started colonies where people without land could own property, and increased pay for soldiers.

Agriculture was the most important industry in the empire. About 90% of the people were engaged in farming.

In Augustus' time as emperor, a silver coin called a denarius was in use throughout the empire. Having common coinage made trade between different parts of the empire much easier.

Rome had a vast trading network. Ships from the east traveled the Mediterranean protected by the Roman navy. Cities such as Corinth in Greece, Ephesus in Anatolia, and Antioch on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean grew wealthy. Rome also traded with China and India.

A complex network of roads linked the empire to such far-flung places as Persia and southern Russia. These roads were originally built by the Roman army for military purposes. Trade also brought Roman ways to the provinces and beyond.

Slavery was a significant part of Roman life. The Romans made more use of slaves than any previous civilization. Numbers of slaves may have reached as high as 1/3 of the total population. Most slaves were conquered peoples brought back by victorious Roman armies and included men, women, and children.

By the time of the empire in Rome, wealth and social status made huge differences in how people lived. Classes had little in common. The rich lived extravagantly. They spent large sums of money on homes, gardens, slaves, and luxuries.

The city of Roman has a central location in Italy and the Mediterranean. It is far enough from the sea to prevent Naval invasion and surrounded by fertile land. The empire spans the entire Mediterranean and Black Sea and goes as far north to include much of Britain

Most people in Rome barely had the necessities of life. During the time of the empire, much of the city's population was unemployed. The government supported these people with daily rations of grain.

The government provided free games, races, mock battles, and gladiator contests to distract and control the masses of Romans.

The Pax Romana (Roman Peace) made travel and the exchange of ideas fairly safe and provided the ideal conditions for Christianity to spread in the empire.

The widespread appeal of Christianity was due to a variety of reasons: embraced all people-men, women, enslaved persons, the poor, and nobles, gave hope to the powerless, appealed to those who were repelled by the extravagances of imperial Rome, offered a personal relationship with a loving God, and promised eternal life after death.

Christians were persecuted in the Roman empire. Romans exiled, imprisoned, or executed Christians for refusing to worship Roman deities. Thousands were crucified, burned, or killed by wild animals in the circus arenas.

Christianity faced harsh opposition, but eventually became the official religion of the Roman empire.

Many ethnic groups exist in the Roman empire, but some minorities, such as the Jews, rebelled against Roman rule.

Rome established the first Christian Church. The pope was the father or head of the Christian Church. Since Rome was the capital of the empire, it was the logical choice to be the center for the Roman Catholic Church.

Emperor Diocletian believed that the empire had grown too large and too complex for one ruler. He divided the empire into the Greek-speaking East (Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt) and the Latin-speaking West (Italy, Gaul, Great Britain, and Spain).

The Colosseum was one of the greatest feats of Roman engineering. Elevators and ramps led from the cells and animal cages in the Colosseum basement to trapdoors concealed in the arena floor.

Rome had a patriarchy system where men were the head of the household and government. Women were not considered citizens in Rome. When women got married, they became the property of their husband.