SH+P4+2016+Ancient+Rome+Republic,+and+Dictator

Aim - Isabelle Acree

Ancient Rome’s leaders over the years had the purpose of creating an expansive and powerful empire. It started out as a monarchy, and shifted to a republic, until finally becoming an empire at the height of it’s reign. This purpose could not be stated more explicitly, “ Through conquest and assimilation, it came to dominate Southern and Western Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, and parts of Northern and Eastern Europe. Rome was preponderant throughout the Mediterranean region and was one of the most powerful entities of the ancient world” (Wikipedia). The success of Rome with it’s culture, inventions, and modern government allowed it to grow as much as it did, and become such an influence on the rest of history after it. Another part of Rome that allowed them to achieve the purpose of becoming the most powerful empire in the land was how great their military was, “Though the Gauls sacked and burned Rome in 390 B.C., the Romans rebounded under the leadership of the military hero Camillus, eventually gaining control of the entire Italian peninsula by 264 B.C.” ( A&E Television Networks ). Tactical, resourceful and strong military leaders allowed Rome to get out of some of the toughest situations of it’s history, and helped push for it to expand. While Rome did have good leaders at times, some were considered dictators. Julius Caesar is the most famous of those leaders, and despite his successes, has been labeled as a dictator by some.

"Ancient Rome." // Wikipedia // //.// Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.

"Ancient Rome." // History.com // //.// A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.

Historical-Emily Weatherwax Ancient Rome held more power in its time than almost any other civilization, and the greatness and vast reaches of Rome could be attributed to its government. The government of Rome had a large impact on the history of Rome and Rome has a large impact on the history of today. In an article about the history of the Roman dictator, the author explains, “The word dictator originally meant "the one who dictates" or "gives orders". The negative connotation is a later development” (Dictator). Dictators were supposed to be appointed in ancient Rome in only times of complete crisis. They had power over everything. Rome gave us many useful goods and services that are still in use today. Adam Hart-Davis confirms this with “The Romans brought with them a whole way of life that in due course the Britons adopted with enthusiasm” (Discovering Roman Technology). If it wasn’t for the Romans, roads would not be as good as they are today. They possibly wouldn’t even be straight. The military, food, and even the wheel would not be as diverse as they are today. We would not have any spices from the Mediterranean or cotton for our clothes, which Rome got from the Silk Roads. Romans were great at inventing new things and advancing civilization. The Roman Republic lasted a very long time. If it wasn’t for the first dictators, the civilization would not have lasted as long as it did. However, dictators like Julius Caesar almost brought the Empire down. Rome had many different governments in its time, like an empire, a republic, and a monarchy. The versatility of Rome and its sheer size helped it survive from truly ancient times. It started on April 21, 753 BC and lasted until 476 AD. Rome took over most of the other civilizations in its time (over a thousand years) and traded with many societies. That means that Roman ideals were spread all over the world. Some of the culture and ideas from ancient Rome has managed to last until today. We would be scientifically behind without people like Ptolemy, one of the great Roman philosophers. Ancient Rome, while being literally ancient, has still influenced most aspects of our society. That vast, awesome empire changed our lives.

Hart-Davis, Adam. “Discovering Roman Technology” //BBC//. BBC, 17 July 2011. Web. 5 Jan. 2015. Lendering, Jona. “Dictator” //Livius//. Livius, 2002. Web. 5 Jan. 2015

Cultural (Anna Gabrielsen)



Ancient Rome is one of the most impactful civilizations of all time. Many things in modern culture came from the Ancient Romans. One contribution they made was in architecture,  “The chief Roman contributions to architecture were the [|arch]  and the [|dome] ” ( Roman Republic ). The advanced architecture carried over from Rome into surrounding nations because other nations were amazed by the beauty people saw in it. Another architectural feat surrounding nations eventually adopted were the aqueducts which were used to transport water over ravines and valleys. These were used for getting water to places that had less than others so they were useful in larger nations. Aqueducts resemble modern day pipes that move water quickly throughout a certain region. This was one of many influences the Romans had on modern day life. Another example is the current calendar. When he was in power,  “Caesar began a programme of social and governmental reforms, including the creation of the [|Julian calendar] ” (Julius Caesar). Caesar was a dictator who came into power in 49 BCE. HE changed the calendar the country used to his own calendar. This is the calendar that is used today. Many of the names of the months used came from the names of officials while Caesar was in office. After the calendar was first made “August”, was named after [|Augustus] , a Roman emperor. July was called Quintilis but was renamed July in honor of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was one of many dictators that shaped the Roman Republic which would in turn influence many countries around the world. Ancient Rome has had a large impact on the way things are today.

 "Julius Caesar." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 6 Jan. 2016.

 "Roman Republic." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.

Roman Republic

Emiley Ala Audience: Who is the intended audience of the term (how does the term affect the particular audience in mind).



Early Rome not only was a prime time for politics and rule, but was it also a huge step forward for literature. Up until the late 3rd century BCE, written records weren’t common, much less regularly updated. Rome started to record not only government records, but also stories of battles and glory. The prime audience these works were aimed towards the Roman citizens to inform them about Rome’s accomplishments. Not everyone was educated or had the authority to say what went each work. Education mostly took place at home, where it was reported, “ rich Romans preferred to employ private tutors to educate their children at home. It was usually cheaper to buy an educated Greek slave to teach children than to send them to school” ( [|John Simkin] ). Due to the education gap, the power of the government fell into the laps of upper class citizens. The laws and stories that came from the head leaders were intended to shape the lower class's morals and beliefs. Not every story was historically accurate, however. Some records were reported to have “facts about early Rome … involving exaggerations of the truth, the suppression of embarrassing facts, and invention” (Roman Republic). These stories were either meant to serve the reader as either entertainment: like plays and fables, or to educate and inform such as seen in: myths, legends, or religion.

[|John Simkin]. "Education in the Roman Empire." //spartacus// educational. September 1997. Web. 6/01/2016

Mansur G. Abdullah //et al//. "Roman Republic." //britannica//,11/12/2015. web. 05/01/2016.

Boundless. “Art and Literature in the Roman Republic.” //Boundless// World History I: Ancient-1600. Boundless, 23/07/2015. web. 06/01/2016