Ancient Rome (Junior Cert History): Revision Notes

Ancient Rome

Rome's History

• Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus around 753 BC.
• It started as a kingdom, became a wealthy republic, and later the Roman Empire.
• The Roman Empire controlled much of Europe, North Africa, Greece, and Spain, ending around AD 476.

Roman Towns

Roman towns had several features:

1. A forum was a large town square for business, politics, and worship.

2. Temples were for worshipping gods.

3. Aqueducts brought fresh water to towns.

4. Theatres hosted plays and poetry performances.

   

5. Monuments commemorated Rome's history.

6. Public baths were places for bathing, socialising, and exercising.

7. An amphitheatre held gladiatorial games.

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Daily Life in Rome - Patricians

• Patricians were wealthy noble families who ruled Rome.
• Men wore togas and women wore stolas.
• Patricians lived in domus (townhouses) or villas (countryside houses).
• Domus had features like an atrium (central courtyard) and mosaics for decoration.
• They used oil lamps for light and some had running water.

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Daily Life in Rome - Plebeians

• Plebeians were the poor majority of Rome's population.
• They received a dole (free grain).
• Men wore tunics and women wore plain stolas.
• They lived in insulaes (apartment blocks), with the poorest living in the top wooden floors, which were fire hazards.

Insulae

Daily Life in Rome - Slaves

• Rome had over 300,000 slaves, from prisoners of war, children of slaves, captured people, or sold children.
• Slaves worked in various roles, including cooking, cleaning, construction, farming, and mining.
• Educated slaves, often Greeks, worked as teachers, secretaries, doctors, and tutors, sometimes earning manumission (freedom).

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Daily Life in Rome - Women

• Girls married by age 14 or 15 in a conferratio (wedding ceremony).
• Women managed households and children or supervised slaves.
• Women could not vote or participate in public life.

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Daily Life in Rome - Education

• Plebeian children received basic education before working.
• Patrician children (7-12) attended ludus for reading, writing, and arithmetic. Boys continued to grammaticus for advanced studies, while girls learned domestic skills.

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Entertainment

1. Public baths
2. Roman theatre
3. Chariot racing
4. Gladiators

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Entertainment - Public Baths

• Public baths were free and important for socialising, exercising, and business.
• Baths included tepidarium (medium heat room), caldarium (hot room), frigidarium (cool water room), and palaestra (exercise yard).

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Entertainment - Chariot Racing

• Chariot racing involved 2-4 horses in teams, often resulting in dangerous and deadly races.
• The Circus Maximus was Rome's arena for chariot racing, holding up to 250,000 people.

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Entertainment - Roman Theatre

• Theatres were semi-circular buildings for tragedy and comedy plays, with all actors being men.

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Entertainment - Gladiators

• Gladiators were usually slaves who fought in amphitheatres like the Colosseum, which could hold over 50,000 spectators.
• Gladiators used various fighting styles and rarely fought to the death.

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The Roman Army

• The army was central to Roman civilisation, with soldiers serving 25 years and receiving land as a reward.
• Roman legionnaires were foot soldiers, and the army included infantry, cavalry, and artillery.
• Soldiers used equipment like metal armour, swords, helmets, shields, and javelins.

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Religion in Rome

• Romans were polytheists, believing in many gods and making offerings at temples or family shrines (lararium).
• When Romans died, they were cremated, and their ashes were placed in urns, with funerals held outside town walls.

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The Spread of Christianity

• After Christ's death, Christianity spread through the Roman Empire.
• Christians, who were monotheists, were persecuted for not worshipping Roman gods.
• Emperor Constantine legalised Christianity in AD 313.

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

• The Roman Empire faced invasions from barbarian tribes and internal conflict, leading to its fall by AD 476.
• The Eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire.

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Legacy of Ancient Rome

1. Many modern languages are based on Latin.
2. Christianity became a powerful religion due to the Roman Empire.
3. The Roman calendar influenced the modern calendar.
4. Roman architecture introduced concrete, rounded arches, and pillars.

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Key Terms

1. Colosseum is a large ancient amphitheatre in Rome where gladiator fights, animal hunts, and public spectacles were held.
2. Patricians were the wealthy and powerful upper class in ancient Rome, often involved in politics and land ownership.
3. Plebeians were the common people in ancient Rome, including farmers, artisans, and merchants, who had less political power than patricians.
4. Gladiators were fighters in ancient Rome who entertained audiences by battling each other or wild animals in arenas like the Colosseum.
5. Circus Maximus was a large ancient Roman stadium used for chariot races, public games, and other mass entertainment events.

Temples	For worshipping gods.
Aqueducts	Brought fresh water to towns.
Patricians	Wealthy noble families who ruled Rome.
Plebeians	The poor majority of Rome's population.
Educated Slaves	Often Greeks, worked as teachers, secretaries, doctors, and tutors, sometimes earning manumission (freedom).
Baths	Included tepidarium (medium heat room), caldarium (hot room), frigidarium (cool water room), and palaestra (exercise yard).

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Exam Focus-Revision Questions

1. Who founded Rome?
2. True or False: Patricians were the poor people of Rome.
3. What is a forum used for?
4. Fill in the blank: Roman apartment blocks were called _______.
5. What is manumission?
6. True or False: Women in Rome could vote.
7. What did Patrician children learn at ludus?
8. Fill in the blank: The Circus Maximus was used for _______ racing.
9. What is a lararium?
10. True or False: The Colosseum could be flooded for mock sea battles.

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