Roman Life
- Hannibal Crossing the Alps
- One of the greatest military achievements of ancient warfare
- Happened during the 2nd Punic War
- Took 16 days
- Many of his elephants did not survive the journey.
- Why?
- He thought that it would give him a better chance against the Romans if he came down with all of his war elephants
- The wars were fought over pure hatred by one side against the other.
Our group doesn't think it was such a grand idea. He lost much of his army and his elephants and he didn't end up with anything after all this. It was an achievement, but it didn't help him win the war.
- Trade
- Very vital to the Roman Empire
- Items: Beef, corn, glassware, iron, lead, leather, silk, timber
- Partners: Spain France, Middle East, North Africa
- Tiber River, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea were trading routes
- Two-way trade routes extended to other commercial centers in lands as far away as Egypt, Germany, and China
- The empire's location around the Mediterranean Sea helped make all this commercial activity possible
Location is important in trade because if you are on a river or sea, it makes it easier to transport goods to other communities. It is worth it to be near water because that trade can bring in more money, meaning more defense.
- Ag
- Used crop rotation
- Sometimes had to import food because of mountains
- After conquering Egypt, able to import lots of wheat
- Most of crops raised on large estates call latifundias
- Cicero considered farming the best of all Romanoccupations
- Main crop was wheat, and bread was present during almost every meal
- Majority of work done on the farm was by slaves and servants.
- Farms created main source of income for Romans
- Certain types of food were given out to the public for free (corn, wheat)
- Since Roman Empire stretched trough a lot of land, there were different climates to allow a mixture of crops produced
- Romans had 4 systems of farm management-work done by owner and family, tenant farming and share cropping forced labor (slaves) and other arrangements
I would rather be a small farmer with no slaves.- Slavery
- Ancient Romans depended on them
- Most were foreigners
- Not uncommon for desperate Romans to sell their children
- When freed, they could work the same jobs as the Plebeians.
- Debt slavery was common
- Some slaves were forced to become gladiators
- Saturnalia- a Christmas for the slaves in which the slaves and masters switched places
- This was how a master would show appreciation and respect for the slaves
- Manual Labor
- Domestic services
- Could be highly educated and skilled, worked as teachers and physicians
- Slaves tasks include working on farms- produced food and materials the city depended on
- Businesses- managed shops for store owners, in charge of shop keeping, lending of money, and selling merchandise
- Public buildings- worked on aqueduct systems, built roads and bridges and arenas
We would want to be free.
- Gladiators
- Games fought between an armed man and a criminal, wild animal, or another soldier.
- Fought in the Coliseum in front of large audiences
- Fighters risked their social standing and lives for glory
- They had costumes and scenery which had to be put up
- Thumbs up means save the gladiator that is down and thumbs down means let him die
- Order of Events at the Gladiator Games
- Animal Hunts- they had a scene and the Emperor would use a bow from his box seat and shoot them
- The Bestiarii- Gladiators trained to fight tigers and lions
- Criminals- sentenced to fight wild beasts at the games but without any skills, weapons, or armor
If I was already going to die, I would rather someone just get it over with. You could maybe survive, but would probably die from wounds anyway.
- Emperors
- Tiberius- adopted son of Augustus
- ruled for 22 years and 6 months
- possibly assassinated by Caligula
- A cruel tyrant who put men to death upon mere suspicion
- Caligula- great nephew of Tiberius
- ruled for 3 years and 10 months
- assassinated in conspiracy involving senators and Praetorian guards
- He was insane
- Wanted his horse as consul and marched an army to the beach to pic up sea shells
- Tiberius- adopted son of Augustus
- Claudius I-nephew of Tiberius and uncle of Caligula
- ruled for 13 years and 9 months
- probably poisoned by his wife
- He was a weak and foolish emperor who allowed the cruelest acts to be committed in his name, then forgot them, and invited the persons for dinner whom he had just put to death
- Nero- stepson and adopted son of Claudius I
- 13 years and 8 months
- Monster of vanity and cruelty
- suspected of setting the city on fire and allowing more than 2/3 of it to burn, in order to rebuild it finer than it had been.
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