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Di Roma Magazine The Roman Empire: The Beginning of a New World Order
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History Trivia...................................................................................................................................7 The Roman Emperors ................................................................................................................9 Cultural Assumptions: Values, Beliefs, Lifestyle and Stereotypes......................................13 Poem............................................................................................................................................14 A Deep Look into the Roman Gods and their Implications in Roman Life
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Government and Religion 17 Religion: No Central Belief, but a Mixture
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Arts of the Ancient Rome 22 Ancient Entertainment
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DIntroduction i Roma Magazine, the monthly magazine for culture, is proud to present a special edition dedicated only to the Roman roots, culture, identity and idiosyncratic
3Di Roma Magazine aspects of the ancient Roman Empire (27 BC-395 AD). We are delighted to promote and integrate the ancient Roman culture into this renewed version. Here you will find innovating and interesting educational articles, illustrations and trivias with new discoveries and facts about this fascinating culture. We are pleased to invite you to take a look at our magazine and experience an enriching adventure with the best magazine ever written. Authors The people involved in the creation and design of the magazine are: Cristel Hernรกndez Emmanuel Montero Hsiao Wen Hung Editorial Di Roma Magazine offers reliable articles, short biographies and concise facts related to a specific cultural group or civilization. The editorials philosophy relies on providing factual information, so that the readers can apply it for educational purposes. The editorial team is composed by experienced writers from a well know university in Costa Rica (UNA); previously mentioned. The magazine is divided into 4 main sections: Origins (History and Main Features), Cultural Assumptions: Values, Beliefs, Stereotypes, Government & Religion and Arts & Entertainment. These sections directly refer to the most important aspects of the target culture/civilization. Acknowledgements We thank the people involved in the creation and publication of this magazine. We thank people whose information was useful for the creation of the articles. Finally,
4Di Roma Magazine we also show gratitude to M.A. Mayra Loaiza Berrocal for her encouragement and help during the process. Dedication Di Roma Magazine is dedicated to the cultivated peoples of the world, the promotion of values, education and academic and non-academic purposes. The magazine is dedicated to all those people who desire to be well-informed about cultural groups and civilizations.
The Roman Empire: The
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Beginning of a New World Order
T
he Ancient Roman Empire has been known as one the greatest—perhaps most powerful—empires ever. For this reason, it is fundamental to visualize its origins, founding and antecedents from a historical
standpoint. Historians agree that before becoming an empire, Rome was first constituted as republic (early and late). However, the total decline of the preceding Roman Republic occurred when Julius Caesar rose to power and declared dictator. In fact, based on the online article “Ancient Rome: from its Founding to Decline,” the birth of the Ancient Roman Empire resulted from “far-reaching reforms” boosted by Julius Caesar. Among these reforms, Caesar granted citizenship to many, increased the number of Senators, favored the poor of the city and adopted a new calendar (Gary Edward Forsythe 3).
The new and controversial concept of the empire began to stagger since Caesar was assassinated by a group of conspirators. Again, the future of Rome was uncertain back then (44 B.C). After Caesar’s death, a series of political and social events took place as illustrated by Assistant Professor Gary Edward Forsythe: [Caesar's] eighteen-year-old grandnephew and heir, Octavian, allied himself with Caesar's chief lieutenant, Mark Antony, against the conspirators and the Senate. Although he was not a conspirator, Cicero, the renowned orator and champion of the Senate, was put to death for his hostility to Antony, and the conspirators' armies were
6Di Roma Magazine routed. Then for more than a decade Octavian and Antony exercised dictatorial power and divided the Roman world between them. But the ambitions of each man proved too great for the alliance to endure (3). Civil wars had ended and Rome was unified under Octavian’s leadership (27 B.C). He was honored with the name of Augustus (the revered one) by the Senate. He ruled for forty-five years and was considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire.
History Trivia: Roman Ancient Empire
7Di Roma Magazine In general terms, how much do you know about the Roman Empire? This is your chance to challenge your knowledge. 1. When was the Ancient Roman Empire founded? A) 30 B.C.
D) 27 B.C.
B) 27 A.D. C) 30 A.D. 2. Which ancient civilization inspired the foundation of the Roman Empire?
A) The Trojans
D) The Greeks
B) The Hittites C) The Egyptians 3. What did Julius Caesar do that led certain senators to the point that they decided to assassinate him?
A) He carried out lots of negative
C) The Senators’ opinions were not
reforms
heard
B) He named himself dictator for life
D) The Romans had recently lost a war under Caesar’s command
4. Julius Caesar’s sole heir later became the first emperor of Rome. Who was he?
A) Marc Anthony
D) Commodus
B) Octavian C) Marcus Brutus 5. Who was the first Roman emperor who converted to Christianity?
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A) Constantine
D) Tiberius
B) Claudius C) Augustus 6. The famous expression “Ave Cesar� symbolizes:
A) The love between the Romans and
C) A common greeting among the
Senate
rabble of Rome
B) A war cry before battles
D) The greatness of the Emperor
7. This emperor defeated the Alamanni, Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. He entirely reunited the Roman Empire's in 273 A.D with his campaigns.
A) Aurelian
D) Tiberius
B) Quintillus C) Tacitus 8. In what year was the Coliseum of Rome finally built?
A) 70 A.D
D) 170 A.D
B) 65 B.C C) 80 A.D 9. According to Historians, the most fundamental reason for the decline of the Ancient Roman Empire was:
A) External factors
C) Religious conflicts
B) Economic instability
D) Internal corruption
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10. After the fall of the Ancient Roman Empire in 395 A.D, which of the following empires continued until the fifteen century?
A) The Roman Republic
D) None
B) The Byzantine Empire C) The Roman Catholic Empire
Answers: D, D, B, B, A, D, A, C, D, B
The Roman Emperors
T
here were plenty of
According to historian Edward
emperors during the Ancient
Gibbon in his book Decline and Fall of
Roman Empire, but only a
the Roman Empire, there was a
few of them were truly
prosperous time for the Roman Empire
successful, wise and powerful. Here
when “the public administration was
are mentioned the five most influential
conducted by the virtue and abilities
and well-known Roman emperors from
of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two
27 B.C to 395 A.D.
Antonines� (2). In fact, they were particularly successful because they
10Di Roma Magazine stabilized the economy of the Empire,
to the city of Rome and by his
strengthened its values and expanded
braveness during conflicting times. As
its boundaries with effective war
an illustration, Thorsten Opper suggests
campaigns. Their greatest
that “Hadrian transformed the urban
achievements contributed to the
fabric of Rome through a massive
establishment of a mighty power to
building programme” (21) and was
which no other imperium, nation or
also “a great benefactor” (25).
kingdom dared to confront by that
Emperor Hadrian was significantly
time. The period of this prosperity and
famous, benevolent and especially
military expansion was between the
successful in his own administration.
years 96 and 180 A.D. The reign of emperor Nerva was
Finally, Emperors Antoninus Pius along with co-emperors Luscious Verus
quite short (96-98 A.D.), but it was
and Marcus Aurelius intuitively
fruitful, indeed. According to Bernard
followed the path of success initiated
William Henderson; Emperors Nerva
by their predecessors. Pius governed
and Trajan “became beloved
from to 138 to 161 A.D. simultaneously,
because of [their] admirable conduct”
both co-emperors rose to power, but
(37). In the light of this, their popularity
Verus died in 169 A.D. and Aurelius
was more a moral issue, a virtue they
ruled until his death (180 A.D.).
had gained from the Senate which represented the people of Rome. Further, Emperor Hadrian was wellrecognized by his architectonic works
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Head of Emperor Nerva (Taken from The J. Paul Getty museum)
Cameo with double portrait of Emperor Trajan and His Wife (Britishmuseum.org)
12Di Roma Magazine Marble Bust of Emperor Hadrian (Britishmuseum.org)
Portrait of Emperor Antoninus Pius (Metmuseum.org)
Marble Portrait of co-Emperor Luscious Verus (Metmuseum.org)
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Marble Bust of Co-emperor Marcus Aurelius (Metmuseum.org)
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CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS: VALUES, BELIEFS, LIFESTYLE AND STEREOTYPES
R
What Characterized the Ancient Roman Lifestyle? oman people are commonly known for their excellence in military force, public administration, cultivation of arts, myths, philosophy, marked social hierarchies, road infrastructure, and extravagant customs, among other relevant aspects.
In spite of being—perhaps—the most powerful empire ever built, the Romans
were the most civilized people in the world back then. The reasons for this are varied. To illustrate Roman identity, essayist Janet Huskinson points out an illustrating idea: Romans defined themselves in a way which was potentially more inclusive of outsiders. Yet because it depended on the continuation of certain social codes and institutions, this self-definition could be jeopardized by the same outsiders if they brought too much cultural change with them. In the context of the Roman empire, with its many peoples, this was a very real threat to the traditional sense of identity originally formulated in the small community of the early city of Rome (12). It was—indeed—this new cultural perspective towards foreigners what finally determined the multicultural diversity of the Roman people at all levels; an outstanding feature. When government policies propitiate legal status for slaves, workers, new comers and new conquered inhabitant; the entire civilization is influenced. Essentially, their cultural practices, perspectives, linguistic wealth, identity, arts and lifestyle are influenced by the cultural heritage from outsiders. Mainly, the cultural peak of the Roman civilization was due to the territorial expansion and constant immigration and migration of people. This is how; the famous expression “all roads lead to Rome” makes absolute sense.
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Poem to the Empire Oh dear Mother of twins who once founded the city admired was your power beloved your empire your army feared by kings so the greatness achieved. Inspiration and hope you brought to a new world needed of light that only you sought. But after all, eternity awaits only for those righteous before God. You have corrupted thus the time has come to put an end to all your wrongs. Composed by Emmanuel Montero
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A Deep Look into the Roman Gods and their Implications in Roman Life F
or many years, the Roman religious cults, rituals and traditions were based upon polytheist beliefs and ingrained to Ancient Greek deities. There was never a single Roman religion; however, their religious practices had always been strongly tied to their identity. As stated by
essential to highlight that this
James Rives in “Religion in the
aspect did not implied significant
Roman Empire,” “Since private
religious tensions among Romans.
religion was largely uncontrolled,
On the contrary, this freedom of
individuals in a sense had the
religious expression created bonds
freedom to construct their own
of harmony and peace among the
religious identities [and] were not
common citizens of Rome.
obligated to worship any particular
Furthermore, some other
set of deities or adhere to any
repercussions can be linked to the
particular doctrine” (257). It is
political scope since “The Roman People would gather to observe the consuls perform the annual
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vows to Jupiter Optimus Maximus
In conclusion, the uniqueness
not because their attendance was
of Ancient Roman religious
necessary, but ‌ an opportunity to
perspectives demonstrate values
take pride in their identity as
such as respect, tolerance, honor,
Romans� (Rives 257). In this case,
open-mindedness, high spirituality
the religious traditions of Romans
and devotion that were also
were rooted to their cultural
reflected in the way they behaved.
assumptions as well.
An example of their tolerance is when they used to let Jews worship God and put into practice the laws of Moses when they were under the Roman rule. With further research, it can be proved that their religious beliefs truly influenced the Roman lifestyle.
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GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION HThe Role of Consul in Ancient Rome: No President but Consul ave you ever imagine who took the power to rule the ancient Roman Empire? If we compare the politic system of ancient Roman Empire to nowadays, the biggest difference is that they did not have President or King but consulship. The power of consul was divided by two men elected by Comitia Centuriata. According to a definition provided on a website, the “Comitia centuriata was two assemblies, the assembly of centuries (comitia centuriata) and the assembly of tribes (comitia tributa)” (Gill). The consuls were selected every year for preventing corruption. Both consuls had the power to interfere with aediles, quaestors, and praetors’ decisions. Something important to be mentioned is that, censors, tribunes and dictators did not exist on ancient Roman Empire time.
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The Roman Senate (Ushistory.org)
What do they mean?
Consul: The original meaning of consul
official or someone that relates to the
was judge or iudice. It was Roman
army.
magistrate. As its original meaning, role of consul was justice’s administration. Aediles: It has many possible answers for its definition. First, if we just look at its morpheme, it may mean “aedes” which means shrine. So people guess the aediles have to do with a religious ritual or activity. However, according to Greek translation “agoranomos” means a market superintendent. Quaestors: The meaning of Quaestors is “the man who asks a question.” It is because the person in this position was responsible to investigate murder cases and report to his superior. In other words, police inspectors were called quaestors on ancient Roman time. Praetors: Praetor means “the men that go before others”. Similarly, it is a civil
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A praetor and a soldier, from the US Supreme Court building
I
Religion: No Central Belief, but a Mixture
n the sense of religion, ancient romans were quite open-minded because they believed there were unknown gods around the world. Before Roman became a big city, its villagers called that place Latium. Latin people believed in distinct gods and spirits. The Latin people were very romantic. For example, they used their imagination to create many myths to give explanations to all nature phenomena. The Latin believe they had contact with Greeks after this group of people became
21Di Roma Magazine powerful. Greeks had a very complex pantheon. As result, Roman mixed two gods who worshiped for the same things of Latin and Greeks religions. Since empire expansion, Roman had more contact with another cultural belief. Instead of changing or rejecting new believes, Romans learned and adapted all new believes. The most interesting thing is that every time they knew about a new god, they built a new temple for it. Following is a chart that best illustrates their ancient rituals and beliefs. Examples of common Gods: Ancient Latin and Greek Religions Illustration of Deity
Latin
Greek
Function or responsibility
Pluto
Plouton
Its earlier name was Hades. The
god
who
rules
underneath or who presides over the afterlife.
Bacchus
Bacchanalia/
The
god
of
the
grape
Dionysus
harvest. It also knows as god of wine. This is not a wellknown god.
22Di Roma Magazine Mercuriu
Mercurial
s
The god who guides the souls to the underworld. He is also the god of economic prosperity.
In
the
myth
Seven Pomegranate Seeds, he
was
the
one
who
transmited Plato’s message to
Proserpina’s
Jupiter.
Besides
Mercurial
also
father that,
represents
luck. Luppiter
Jovial / Jove
He is the king of gods and goddess; as well as the god of sky and thunder. Usually, people call him Zeus.
A Myth: Seven Pomegranate Seeds
P
23Di Roma Magazine roserpina was daughter of Jupiter (Zeus) and Ceres. Plato fell in love with her, but Proserpina did not want to live in the underworld. However, Plato stole her and took her there. When Ceres noticed that he had stolen Proserpina, she got angry, so she did not let the plants
grow and a lot of human beings and animals died because of that. Jupiter forced
Plato to return Proserpina to her mother. However, she could not come back to live in the earth because she ate food of underworld—seven pomegranate seeds they say.
24Di Roma Magazine Arts of Ancient Rome
The ancient Roman art is mostly related to the Etruscan kings and the formation of the republic in 509 BC. Its art is mainly divided into the Republic art and the art of the Roman Empire. The Roman art includes architecture, paintings, sculpture and mosaic work. The Roman art not only includes emperors and the aristocracy, but also middle-class business men, freedmen, slaves and soldiers. Even though the ancient Roman art has been a mystery, and one of the most recognized arts, the article “Art in Ancient Rome” expose that “In general, Roman monuments were designed to serve the needs of their patrons rather than to express the artistic temperaments of their makers” (“Art in Ancient Rome”). Traditional head- and – shoulder bust— has been well known because of its oil colors and mathematically accurate form. Paintings— Ancient Roman paintings were lost, however, some relics were preserved and studied to understand how the paintings were made. Nevertheless, a mural painting has been persevered after the eruption of Vesuvius. This painting was done using the secco (dry) method, but some fresh paint was available at the time. It is said that many of the Roman paintings were copies of Greek works, and that most of the makers were tradesmen. The most common themes of the paintings were love or erotic scenes, portraits, temples, landscapes, and mythological subjects. Tomb Painting — Ancient Romans used their painting skills to decorate tombs. “The portraits were attached to burial mummies at the face, from which almost all have now been detached. They usually depict a single person, showing the head, or head and upper chest, viewed frontally. The background is always monochrome,
25Di Roma Magazine sometimes with decorative elements” (“Art in Ancient Rome”). Decorative tombs came from GrecoRoman traditions, and showed the artistic abilities of Romans. Pottery — Ancient Romans created fine wares not as a symbol of opulence, but of necessity. The crocks were decorated, and were used to carry water or food. Triumphal Paintings— Triumphal paintings were created to show military victories in conquering cities and regions. Soldiers wanted to glorify their actions, and these moments were painted to perpetuate the glories for the Romans. Sculpture — Ancient Roman sculpture show portraits, historical events, reliefs, funerary traditions, and copies of Greek works. Sculptures show very much about Romans, and their daily life. Wealthy Romans decorated their exotic homes with sculptures of personal portraits, of their ancestors, gods and goddesses, or important and recognized philosophers.
Ancient Entertainment A
26Di Roma Magazine ncient Rome had many activities for its
themes were religious and around 2oo
people, and the citizens had many
plays were performed along the year.
options to choose from. The most
The plays were offered to the Gods by
common events were baths, theaters,
wealthy people, and the actors
events at the Colosseum, races,
received a small fee. During the plays,
games at The Campus, weddings,
the crowd was very noisy, and the
festivals, and holidays. All Romans
actors
had to do pantomime.
were able to assist to any of these
This
technique is based on
events; the poor and the rich since
facial
expressions, gestures and
they were free. However, the poor
no
words, so people could
had to leave the event as soon as it got dark and go back to their homes because they could not afford oil lamps (“Entertainment in Ancient Rome”). Baths— The baths were popular for the ancient Romans. There were separate rooms for woman and men, and were timed. The baths were large pools with hot or cold water that could hold 300 people, the smallest, to 1500 people, the biggest. At these public places, the Romans could find reading rooms, saunas, and stores selling fast food for the comers. Theaters— Romans enjoyed plays during the whole year. The plays’
understand the play (“Entertainment in Ancient Rome”). Amphitheaters — The amphitheaters were big arenas where warriors fought against other warriors or animals, and the crowd watched the show. These shows were violent and bloody. The Campus— The Campus was a big track where men played games, competed and exercised. Famous people like Caesar and Augustus used this place to exercise, and some of the common sports were wrestling, archery and foot racing. The athletes usually competed and went directly to the baths to relax and rest. The Forum— The forum “was the main marketplace and business center where the ancient Romans went to do their banking, trading, shopping, and marketing” (Entertainment in Ancient
27Di Roma Magazine Rome�). At the forum, Romans spoke to each other; and orators gave important announcements to the
Holidays, Festivals
townspeople.
and Weddings— Romans enjoyed having many holidays along the year to prepare the celebrations. Every day of every year they spend their day planning the coming event. In terms of weddings, this event was carefully planned since the idea of getting divorce did not exist. A Roman could get married to more than one person and the ages were between 12 and 14 years old. Getting married was a delicate matter and several steps had to be taken before the actual ceremony. First, consent had to be shown; second, the couple got engagement. Third, dowries were offered to the bride, the dowries were the good that the bride was going to bring to the household. Fourth, the wedding preparations started. Fifth, the wedding ceremony occurred. Sixth, the family had the wedding dinner, then the bridal procession, and lastly the arrival of the bride to her new home.
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Work Cited “All Romans could enjoy the spectacles. Admission was free! ”Entertainment in Ancient Rome. Web. June 7th, 2013. “Art in Ancient Rome.” Web. June 9th, 2013. Gary Edward Forsythe. “Ancient Rome: from its Founding to Decline” International World History Project: World History from the Pre-Sumerian Period to the Present, 1992. Web. 1 June 2013. Gibbon, Edward. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Ed. David Widger. Gutenberg.org. Web. 4 June 2013. Gill,, N. S. "Comitia Centuriata." Weblog post. About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2013. Henderson, Bernard. Five Roman emperors: Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, Nerva, Trajan, A.D. 69-117. New York: Barnes & Noble, Incorporated, 1969.Web. Google Books. 4 June 2013. Huskinson, Janet. “Looking for Culture, Identity and Power” Experiencing Rome: Culture, Identity and Power in the Roman Empire. Ed. Janet Huskinson. London: Routledge, 2000. 257. Web. Google Books. 9 June 2013. Opper, Thorsten. Hadrian: Empire & Conflict. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2008. Web. Google Books. 5 June 2013. Rives, James. “Religion in the Roman Empire” Experiencing Rome: Culture, Identity and Power in the Roman Empire. Ed. Janet Huskinson. London: Routledge, 2000. 12. Web. Google Books. 9 June 2013.