Standard of Learning Enrichment
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? Upon completion of this enrichment you will meet (and hopefully exceed) the requirements for the History and Social Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools, adopted in January 2008, by the Board of Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Specifically, you will: History 3.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Rome have influenced the present world in terms of government (representative democracy), architecture, and sports. Civics 3.10 The student will recognize the importance of government in the community, Virginia, and the United States of America by a) explaining the purpose of rules and laws; b) explaining that the basic purposes of government are to make laws, carry out laws, and decide if laws have been broken; c) explaining that government protects the rights and property of individuals.
The History of Ancient Rome The city of Rome grew from settlements around a ford on the river Tiber, a crossroads of traffic and trade. The village of Rome was founded sometime between the 8 th and 10 th century BC, by members of the Latin tribe of Italy. By the late 6th century BC, this tribe developed a government by creating a republic, with restraints on the ability of rulers to exercise power.
The History of Ancient Rome The Roman Republic was established around 509 BC, under Lucius Junius Brutus, based on annually elected magistrates and various representative assemblies. A constitution provided a series of checks and balances, and a separation of powers. The most important magistrates were the two consuls (rulers), who together exercised executive authority. The consuls had to work with the senate, which was an advisory council of the ranking nobility, or patricians.
Ancient Roman Government Consuls Senate Rule the People Senators Senators Senators Senators
Ancient Roman Government Rome became a republic, which is a form of government with elected officials. Senators were elected to represent the interests of the ruling nobility or patricians. The Senate is derived from a term meaning elder, because the Roman Senate consisted of the oldest and wisest of the patricians. The senate selected two people to rule. The new patrician rulers were known as consuls. Select two senators in the classroom. Think of a new law for 3 rd grade. The plebeians were the merchants, farmers, and craft workers of Rome. In 491BC, Romans were at war, but the plebeians refused to fight for their city unless they were give the right to elect their own leaders. The plebeians elected tribunes, who represented the plebeians against any mistreatment by the consuls or the Senate. Select two tribunes in the classroom.
Ancient Roman Government The senate met in the Forum. The senators would rule on military and foreign affairs, but tribunes attended the meetings in order to protect the rights of the plebeians. Senators: Pass the law. Tribunes: Accept or veto the law. When a tribune objected to a law, he would shout "veto." Veto means "I forbid" in Latin. If enough tribunes objected, they could stop the law from passing. The Roman government was considered bicameral because it had two "houses." The upper house consisted of the patricians in the senate, while the lower house was composed of plebeian tribunes.
The United States Government The Constitution of the United States organized the American Congress with two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Two senators represent each state. The number of congressmen in the House of Representatives is determined by the population of a state. Each state has at least one of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Florida has twenty-five seats in the House of Representatives. Why does Florida have so many Congressman of Representatives?
Roman Architecture The Romans brought a lot of new ideas to architecture, of which the three most important are the arch, the baked brick, and the use of cement and concrete.
To support the weight of the arches, it was necessary to transmit the force (weight of building) to massive piers and then to the foundation of the arch. The Romans used a Keystone block; the force was directed down onto the top of the keystone. The shape pushed the force to the voussoir blocks of the arch to the impost and to the piers. During construction, the voussoir's were supported by a temporary wooden frame until the keystone was inserted.
Roman Architecture The Romans also made a lot of improvements to their city: aqueducts and roads and sewers.
Roman Architecture The Romans built the first major public bath building in the city of Rome. The Pantheon, built by the Emperor Hadrian as a temple to all the gods, used brick and concrete as the materials for its huge dome. Nobody would build a bigger dome for more than a thousand years.
Roman Sports The Olympic games of today are modeled after the games of ancient Greece. The Romans developed Gladiator games that were held in large arenas open to the public.
Roman Gladiators MURMILLO PROVOCATOR TRACIO RETIARIUS
Standard of Learning Enrichment
Student Life Applications Leadership Values History 3.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Rome has influenced the present world in terms of government. What is a representative democracy? A government that has elected officials. Who were the Senators? Senators were elected to represent the interests of the ruling nobility or patricians. Senators were the oldest and wisest of the patricians. Who were the Tribunes? The plebeians were the merchants, farmers, and craft workers of Rome. The plebeians elected tribunes, who represented the plebeians against any mistreatment by the consuls or the Senate.
Student Life Applications Leadership Values History 3.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Rome has influenced the present world in terms of architecture. What three important contributions did the Romans make to architecture? The arch, the baked brick, and the use of cement and concrete. What other improvements did the Romans make to their cities? Aqueducts, roads, and sewers. What did the Romans build to improve personal hygiene? The first major public bath.
Student Life Applications Leadership Values History 3.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Rome have influenced the present world in sports. What was the name of the arena where Roman gladiators fought against one another? Coliseum What type of sports are played today in a similar type of structure? Football, soccer, and the Olympics
Further Study Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. The National Archives, Washington, D.C. Sources Dowling, Mike. "Patricians and Plebeians at mrdowling.com" www.mrdowling.com. Updated August 8, 2011. http://www.mrdowling.com/702-patricians.html Köhne, Eckart and Cornelia Ewigleben. Familia Gladiatoria: The Heroes of the Amphitheatre in The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome: Gladiators and Caesars, ed. (Berkeley and Los Angeles, 2000). http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/gladiatr/index.htm Savard, Stewart. Ancient Rome: from the Republic to the Empire, May 2005 - Rebuilt October 2009. http://elibrary.sd71.bc.ca/subject_resources/socials/ancient_rome.htm
Sources US Department of Veteran Affairs http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp http://www1.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/ US Archives http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html US Senate http://www.senate.gov/visiting/common/image/korean-war.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/world_war_i