PR-2237IRE Ancient Rome

TEACHERS
N OTE
Roads
The Legacy of Rome
The Romans left us a legacy of ideas and our world today would be a different one had they not
lived in it.
Law
Roman laws form the basis of the legal systems of many modern nations.
The legions constructed thousands of kilometres of roads throughout the Empire. Some are still used as a base
for modern roads.
Towns
The inhabitants of much of Europe were rural tribes or wandering nomads and the Romans introduced them to
the advantages of urban living. Many modern cities are sited on old Roman army camps or on excellent townsites
selected by the Romans (e.g. London, Paris).
Buildings
Many modern structures like the White House (Washington), the Arc de Triomphe (Paris) and the British Museum
(London) are copies of Roman styles of building. The Pantheon, a temple to all the Roman gods, is still one of
the largest single-span domes in the world. The Romans built the first multistorey buildings, the forerunners of
our blocks of flats. Roman builders first used cement and later, around 200 BC, developed the use of concrete.
Though they didn’t invent the arch, Roman builders also mastered the difficult techniques for building stone
arches.
Calendar
The divisions into months and weeks and the names of the months come from the Romans (e.g. Janus–January,
Augustus–August).
Language
Over half of the words we use in the English language are derived from Latin, the language of the Romans. The
languages of Spain, Portugal, Italy and France are even more closely linked to the Latin language.
Religion
The emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Empire and today the Pope, the head of
the Roman Catholic church, lives in Rome and has millions of followers.
Many of the things we take for granted today were first introduced by the Romans—a postal delivery service, a
fire brigade, public baths, scissors, door keys, weight scales, theatre curtains, milestones, glass windows, hospitals,
central heating and even the letters in the words you are reading now.
Viewing Sample
Activity Suggestion
Create your own page titled ‘The Legacy of Rome’ and use cut-out pictures from papers and magazines or
your own diagrams to illustrate some of the above ideas we have inherited from the Romans.
– 86 – Ancient Rome Prim-Ed Publishing www.prim-ed.com