Section+6-5+Rome+and+Roots+in+Western+Civilization

Key Words:

 * __Greco-Roman Culture__: The mixing of Greek, Rome, and Hellenistic cultures, also known as the classical civilization.
 * __Pompeii__: A Roman village near Mt. Vesuvius, which erupted killing 2,000 people in 79 A.D., but preserved the village including frescoes dated back in 200 B.C.
 * __Aqueducts__: Designed to bring water into villages and cities from rivers or ravines through water channels.

Key People:

 * __Virgil__: A poet who spent 10 years writing the epic //Aeneid// (Latin literature) which was based off themes of Homer's epics.
 * __Tacitus__: Roman historian who presented facts correctly.

Key Terms:

 * The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization:**
 * During the Roman Empire, all cities and territories were bound together, unifying, Rome was proud in their ability to rule, they kept some Greek civilization though, including the arts, architecture, philosophy, and literature.
 * By 200 B.C. Rome had conquered Greek, but learned to love their culture.
 * Rome artists, philosophers, and writers used Greek and Hellenistic techniques and created a new way for each subject that satisfied their needs, Roman's arts show strength, permanence, and solidity.
 * Roman Fine Arts:**
 * Romans learned sculpting from the Greeks, but instead of the Greek beauty, they created realistic sculptures, art was meant for public education.
 * Under the rule of Augustus, a lot of art achievement happened, bas-relief was created, bas-relief is a flat landscape and the Romans used it to show stories in war.
 * Mosaics were also popular, at least one in each village.
 * Frescoes was another word for painted murals, very popular.
 * Learning and Literature:**
 * Philosophy was also stolen from Greeks, Stoicism was very popular and taught virtue, duty, moderation, and endurance.
 * Roman writers followed Greek forms and models, their themes, some written in praise of Rome and Rome's virtue.
 * Some writing intense, others light, the poet Ovid wrote the light poems for enjoyment, including //Amores//.
 * History also important, Livy used legends to create history.
 * Tacitus freely stated his opinion on disappointments on emperor Nero.
 * The Legacy of Rome:**
 * World greatly influenced by Rome: languages, institutions, and the thought on the Western world.
 * The Latin Language:**
 * Latin was around longer then Rome, was the official language in the Roman Catholic Church until 20th century.
 * Many languages based off Latin, called Romance languages: over half the words in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian.
 * Master Builders:**
 * Romes architect admired from all over: dome, arch, and the use of concrete.
 * Arches supported bridges and aqueducts.
 * Roman architecture very practical: Thomas Jefferson started Rome-like structures in US in 18th century, used many state capitals and Washington D.C.
 * Roman roads lasted Middle Ages, connected Rome to all parts of its empire, made out of stone and concrete.
 * Roman System of Laws:**
 * Early on, focused on rights, then on equal rights for all, their judicial system saw: all had same treatment under law, innocent until proven guilty, proof from the accuser and not the accused, thoughts are not punished, unfair laws are put aside.
 * Roman law is the basis of many European governments, including the US.
 * Rome's Enduring Influence:**
 * Because Rome cherished Greek culture, it lasted longer, Rome is very Influencial, which has made Rome immortal.
 * The Roman Empire was not the only empire of its time, however, others include India, Mauryan, and Gupta empires in other lands.