Cultural Achievement
(1) Philosophy • Stoicism 斯多葛学派 • virtue is sufficient for happiness • a sage was immune to misfortune. • Cicero • divine providence(天道）; morality; duty
• Universe was al and reason had to be the basis for society and law.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
• A man of courage is also full of faith. •
A home without books is a body without soul.
Horace: lyric poet and critic, famous for his poetic forms.
Book of Satires, Odes and Epistles
• (4) Architecture
• The architecture of ancient Rome adopted the Greek style for its own purposes, but the Romans also developed a new kind. They were more utilitarian and showed an interest in grandeur and scale.
The Colosseum(罗马斗兽场,圆形大剧场）
Baths of Diocletian
Baths of Caracalla
• Romans used the arch, the vault and the dome, and discovered how to make concrete.
• (3) Literature
• Virgil (October 15, 70 BC – September 21, 19 BC) was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works—the Eclogues (or Bucolics), the Georgics, and the Aeneid.
• They constructed many public edifices which still existed today and became the famous key point of interest for the world.
the Basilicas 最初是市政厅，最后成为天主教堂的主 要建筑风格
• Oratory was an art to be practiced and learnt, and good orators commanded respect.
• To become an effective orator was one of the objectives of education and learning.
• These styles still have impact on modern architecture.
• （5）Sculpture and painting • well-preserved figures • paintings were typically colorful
and decorative • wall paintings, mosaic ceiling
• According to the law of nature it is only fair that no one should become richer through damages and injuries suffered by another.
• Lucretius: poet and philosopher • On the Nature of Things • Matter is eternal • The universe is made up of atoms and the void • Death is nothing to us. It’s only the natural
• At 6
• Both boys and girls were taught the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.
• From the age of twelve, they would be learning Latin, Greek, grammar and literature, followed by training for public speaking.
and floor work
Education
• Boys: Roman law, customs, and physical training to prepare for eventual recruitment into the Roman army.
• Girls :received instruction from their mothers in the art of spinning, weaving, and sewing.
fulfillment of life. A rational and proportional enjoyment of life is all that matters. Sorrow and anxiety come from but an ignorant emotionalism.
(2) History • Roman Historians: Sallust and Livy • History of Rome • Concerns for justice and morality
Religion
Roman deities Polytheists
The Pantheon （万神殿）was dedicated to the worship of all Roman deities.
• Imperial Cult • Judaism • Christianity
• By the 5th century Christian hegemony had rapidly changed the Empire's identity even as the Western provinces collapsed. Those who practiced the traditional polytheistic religions were persecuted, as were Christians regarded as heretics by the authorities in power.