The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization

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The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization
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Rome became a legacy

• Art
• Architecture
• Language
• Literature
• Engineering
• Law

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Greek influence

• By the 2nd century,
• Rome conquered Greece and admired the Greek
  culture.
• Educated Romans learned the Greek language.
• The two cultures mixed into what became known as
  Greco-Roman culture, also known as classical
  civilization.

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Roman Art

• Learned the art of sculpture from the Greeks
• Greeks were known for beauty and idealization of
  their sculpture
• Romans created realistic portraits in stone
• Roman art was practical
• Intended for public education

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Bas-Relief

• Bas-Relief artwork developed during the reign of
  Augustus.
• Artwork that projects images from a flat
  background. These images tell stories and
  represent crowds of people, soldiers in battle,
  and landscapes.

think of it as 3D
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Bas-Relief Roman Art
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Mosaics

• Pictures or designs made by small pieces of
  stone, glass, or tile onto a surface.
• Most Roman villas, the country houses of the
  wealthy, had at least one colored mosaic.
• Having mosaics demonstrated wealth and
  importance, especially mosaics built into the
  floors.

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Roman Mosaic Art
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Used scenes of everyday life
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Paintings

• Romans also excelled in paintings.
• Most wealthy Romans had bright, large murals,
  called frescoes, painted directly on their walls.
  
• The best examples are those found in the Roman
  city, Pompeii, and date back to the 2nd century.
• Mount Vesuvius erupted, covering Pompeii with a
  thick layer of ash and killed 2,000 people.
• This ash preserved the artwork.
• http//www.youtube.com/user/historyteachersp/u/36
  /1E9AL0r-uY4

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Mount Vesuvius
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Mount Vesuvius Eruption
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• Mount Vesuvius is most known for its eruption in
  79 AD, which led to the destruction of Pompeii
  and Herculaneum.
• The cities were never rebuilt
• The towns were forgotten and rediscovered in the
  18th century.

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1944

• It has erupted at least 50 times since then, 1944
  being the last.
• This is a picture of an American B-25 during
  WWII.
• The crew member is sweeping the ashes off its
  wings.

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Ruins of Pompeii
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Notice Vesuvius in the background
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• Skeleton called the Ring Lady found in Herculaneum

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Back to the artwork!

• Frescoes and murals
• Roman Bath mural

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Fresco in Pompeii
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Philosophy

• Romans borrowed Stoicism from the Greeks.
• Stoicism came from the Greek teacher, Zeno.
• Stoicism encouraged virtue, duty, moderation, and
  endurance.
• Marcus Aurelius was a noted stoic.

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Literature

• Writers used Roman themes and ideas while
  following Greek forms and models.
• The poet, Virgil, spent 10 years writing the most
  famous work of Latin literature, Aeneid, the epic
  of legendary Aeneas.
• It was modeled after the Greek epics of Homer.

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Ovid

• The poet Ovid wrote light, witty poetry for
  enjoyment.
• In the Amores, Ovid relates that he can only
  compose when he is in love.

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Livy

• Completed a volume history of Rome from its
  origins to 9 B.C.
• He used legends and myth more than a true
  history.

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Tacitus

• Ancient Roman historian
• Notable because he presented the facts
  accurately.
• Showed concern for Romes lack of morality.
• In his Annals and Histories, he wrote about the
  good and bad of Imperial Rome.

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Tacitus
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Roman Achievements

• Latin, the Language of Rome
• Architecture, Engineering, and Technology
• Roman System of Law

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Language

• Latin remained the language of learning in the
  West long after the fall of Rome.
• It was the official language of the Roman
  Catholic Church into the 20th century.
• Latin became the foundation for French, Spanish,
  Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian.
• These languages are called the Romance languages
  because of their Roman heritage.
• More than half of the words in the English
  language are Latin based.

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For example

• Baptism - English
• Bapteme French
• Bautismo Spanish
• Batismo Portuguese
• Battesimo Italian
• Botez Romanian

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• Debt slip written in Latin used during the
  Greco-Roman times

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Roman Architecture

• Arches, domes, and concrete were combined to
  build spectacular structures like the Roman
  Colosseum.
• Arches also supported bridges and aqueducts.
• Many large public buildings in the US include
  Roman architectural features, like arches and
  columns.

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Aqueducts

• Designed by roman engineers to bring water into
  cities and towns.
• When the water spanned across a river, the
  aqueduct was lifted high up on arches.

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Technology

• Besides the aqueducts, roads were also
  technological marvels.
• The army built a vast network of roads
  constructed of stone, concrete, and sand that
  connected Rome to all parts of the empire.
• Many lasted into the Middle Ages.
• Some roads are still used.

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Law

• Romes most lasting and widespread contribution.
• Believed that the law should be fair and apply
  equally to all people, rich and poor.

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Principles of Roman law

• All persons had the right to equal treatment
  under the law.
• A person was considered innocent until proven
  guilty.
• The burden of proof rested with the accuser
  rather than the accused.
• A person should be punished only for actions, not
  thoughts.
• Any law that seemed unreasonable could be set
  aside.

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• These principles formed the basis of legal
  systems in many European countries and in the
  United States.

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Immortal

• Some people say that Rome is immortal because
  Rome lived forever through its influence in
  architecture, art, law, literature, language, and
  philosophy.
• Almost everywhere we look we can find something
  that can be traced back to the ancient Roman
  empire.

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The End