The Romans were great engineers and builders. Many of their innovations and techniques have been used in building ever since. They invented concrete to make their buildings more durable. They used rounded arches and pillars to hold up large ceilings and built huge domes on their temples. Many Roman buildings were so well built that they are still standing today, like the Pantheon in Rome. These techniques were copied in the Renaissance and still infl uence modern architecture.
Christianity
The fact that the Roman Empire became Christian meant that the Catholic Church became the world’s most powerful religion in the following centuries.
Language
Latin was the language of the Roman Empire. It is not spoken today, but many modern European languages (French, Spanish, Italian and Romanian) are based on it. English is not related to Latin (it is a Germanic language) but almost a quarter of English words are directly infl uenced by Latin.
Calendar
In 45 BC, Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar to replace the old Roman one, which was too inaccurate. His new Julian calendar had 365 days divided into 12 months and an extra day every four years. It was changed slightly by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and called the Gregorian calendar, but remains the basis for the calendar we use today.
COLLABORATE: Work in groups to fi nd out which names of the months come from Roman times and what they mean. CHECKPOINT!
1. What Roman inventions helped the development of architecture? 2. How did the Romans help the spread of Christianity? 3. What modern languages are descended from Latin? 4. What changes did Julius Caesar make to the calendar?
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I understand how the legacy of Rome has influenced our world today.
TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD In this
topic, you will learn about:
The impact
Ancient Rome had on world history
Go to page 27 of your Sources and Skills Book for an exercise on Roman architecture.
