4.2 Roman society

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Test in the testweek: hst 1 t/m 4.3

This week : Group 1: 4.2 and 4.3

Group 2: final lesson assigment

Last lesson: all together :  we repeat chapter 1 till 4.3

4.2 Roman society

Success criteria

You can explain:

• How and why the Roman economy thrived
• What social differences there were in the empire
• How Roman rulers treated the people
• What the position of slaves was in Roman society

Read the text in your textbook (p. 72 till 74) and try to answer the learning goals

(10 min.)

The economy of empire

• The Roman Empire was an agrarian urban society
  
• There was a lot of production in agriculture and industry
• Consequence: a lot of trade inside and outside the empire
• The economy benefited from the pax Romana, from good roads and Roman money
  

Roman coin with the head of August

Roman trade

What is an agricultural urban society?

1. All people live from agriculture
2. All people live in the cities
3. Most people worked in agriculture, but there were also cities
4. Most people live in the cities, a small part works in agricultre

Which point was NOT a cause for the flourishing Roman economy

1. Having good roads
2. The Pax Romana
3. Using coins
4. Having a well organized army

Why was the Roman economy so successful? Give three reasons.

Wealth and poverty

• Wealthy Romans liked to show of their wealth with beautiful houses and expensive products
• Poor Romans lived in simple flats without sewage
• Many of the poor descended into the proletariat, the population of the propertyless poor
• meaning: Those who possess only children (proles)

A Roman villa

1

Een Romeins appartementencomplex

2

What are proletarians?

1. Rich romans
2. Propertyless poor people
3. Romans with a own house
4. Poor farmers

Write down a difference between rich and poor romans.

What did Caesar do to keep the public happy?

Slaves

• Because of the Roman conquests, there were many slaves in the empire
• Many (not all) slaves were treated like animals and they had no rights
• The slaves performed many tasks, such as working on farms, in the mines or at the villa's of wealthy Romans

4.3 The culture of the empire

Time of Greeks and Romans

Characteristic aspect: the spread of the Greco-Roman culture and the confrontation (clash) with the Germanic culture

Success criteria

You can explain:

1. How multicultural the Roman society was
2. How Romans dealt with their own religion and other religions
3. How the Greco-Roman culture formed and was spread
4. How the Roman justice system worked

Read the text in your textbook (p. 72 till 74) and try to answer the learning goals

(10 min.)

Does it belong to the Greeks, Romans or both?

Greeks

Romans

Both

Columns

Arches

Poseidon

Dome

Polytheism

Democracy

Roman culture

• The Roman Empire had a multicultural society
• The Romans had a polytheistic faith
  
• There were many different gods in the empire, but there were also state gods
• Throughout the empire, they built temples to worship the state gods

Jupiter

Venus

Mars

Religious tolerance

• In the Roman Empire, there was religious tolerance 
  
• As long as people worshipped the emperor and state gods, they could follow any religion they wanted
• The Romans also adopted gods from other cultures in their religion 

Such as the most important Greek gods; Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo. These gods became Jupiter, Neptune and Mars with the Romans.

They also adopted the Roman goddess Isis.

Explain the term 'multicultural society'.

What is a state religion?

What does tolerance mean?

1. To be nice
2. To believe in many gods
3. To accept other religions
4. To believe in 1 god

Explain that there was 'religious tolerance' in the Roman empire.

Following the Greek example

• The Romans were impressed by Greek culture and adopted many things from the Greeks
  
• For example, Greek art, architecture, science and philosophy
  
• Romans built Greek columns in their temples
• But they also added their own elements, such as round arches and domes

A Greek and Roman temple side by side

Arches were invented by the Romans

The dome is also a Roman invention

Greco-Roman culture

• The influence of the Greeks was so great that a Greco-Roman culture developed
• Today, this is often called ancient or classic culture

Name two examples of the Greco-Roman culture.

Which of the following options did the Romans NOT take over from the Greeks?

1. The arch constructions
2. The columns
3. Mars, the god of war
4. Science

Roman law

• Some of the men in the Roman Empire held Roman citizenship
  
• All citizens had equal rights 
  
• Citizens were not allowed to be convicted without evidence or trial
• Citizens could take their conflict to a judge
  
• They also had the right to a lawyer

Did all Romans have the right of citizenship?

1. Yes, if you were born within the Roman Empire
2. No, only men could become citizens

To work (homework)

• What? Make assignment 4 to 7, 9 and 10
• How? In your workbook
• Help? Teacher
• Finished?  Work on other subject