The culture of Roman Empire would change greatly over time from its founding to the height of its power. With Greece becoming a part of the Roman Empire, the culture of Rome and Greece would blend together creating the Greco-Roman civilization, which would influence art, writing, and archetecture in the Roman Empire. Roman society was also made up of many different social classes, and roles. Family life, and the role of men and women would have a central part in Roman society.
The Roman Empire adopted a lot of Greek styles for including adopting the Greek Gods and giving them Roman names. For example, Zeus became Jupiter, Ares became Mars, and Hades became Pluto. Rome would also adopt Greek architecture, and art styles. Roman architects would include columns on Roman buildings, writers such as Virgil and Horace wrote poetry praising Rome, and Roman artists took inspiration from Greece to create masterpieces. In the Roman Empire, men and women had specific roles to play in the family. Men were expected to be head of the household, and were in charge of making decisions for the entire family, which could include his wife, children, siblings, nieces/nephews, and grandchildren. The women of the family was expected to support their husband or father, and to oversee the daily operation of the household. Fathers and Mothers were also expected to make sure that their children were educated. This education could include learning how to read and write, and physical training in preparation for becoming a soldier. Rich Roman familes might hire a private teacher to educate their children, or even send them to a school to learn, while poorer families would mostly likely have a familiy member be in charge of teaching the children. Another big part of Roman culture was the use of slaves in every day society. With each Roman victory, hundreds of slaves were sent back to the Roman Empire, to be bought by Roman citizens. One Roman citizen could own dozens of slaves or just one slave. Some slaves would eventually earn their way to freedom, by working for their masters for a certain amount of years to buy themselves from their owner, while other slaves remained in slavery for their entire lives. Slaves were often times treated poorly, and were given jobs that no one else wanted to do, and which were usually dangerous. This poor treatment meant that slave revolts were common. The most famous slave revolt was led by a slave called Spartacus, who led 70,000 slaves to rise up against their owners, and ended with Spartacus and many of his followers being killed by a Roman army that was sent after them. At the height of Greco-Roman culture, many Roman cities would host similiar buildings and activities, many times modeling the City of Rome, which expanded as the Empire grew. One of the most popular activities was gladiatorial fights. Gladiators were fighters, and usually slaves, who fought for the entertainment of the citizens of the Empire. The most famous fighting arena was the Colosseum, a giagantic stadium located in Rome. Some gladiators became very famous for their fighting ability, and could even earn their freedom if they pleased the Emperor with their battles. During times of great unhappiness, Emperors would hold tournaments throughout the kingdom that any citizen could go to and watch the gladiators fight. These tournaments could last weeks, even months, and the Emperor would also provide free food to the people during the whole time they were going on. Roman cities would also usually have bath houses, where people could pay to use and wash themselves in. They would also have grand temples dedicated to Roman gods. These cities would also usually have Insulae, which were ancient apartment buildings that could be up to 6 stories high, and would be the home for dozens of lower class families. Many cities would also having racing tracks, where chariot races would take place. Up until the end of the Roman Empire, Roman society would contine to change and evolve. The Empire would go from mostly farmers and soldiers to merchants and artisans, and finally ending with many who weren't members of a rich family unemployed. One of the reasons many historians point to for the fall of the Roman Empire is the lack of people working. |