Ancient Rome Scaffolded Handout
SSWH Unit 1.2 • Rise of Classical Civilizations: Rome
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________ Period: _____
Rise of Classical Civilizations: Rome
Ancient Rome and Roman Republic Political Structure
ESL Scaffolded Edition Apoyo bilingüe & glosario
Chunk 1 Geography & Land
As in other early civilizations, geography played an important role in the development of Rome. The Apennine Mountains are less rugged than the mountain ranges of Greece and did not divide the Italian peninsula into many small isolated communities. Italy also had more land for farming than did Greece, enabling it to support a large population. The location of the city Rome was especially important to its early settlers.
Resumen en español:
Las montañas de Italia eran menos accidentadas que las de Grecia y la tierra fértil permitió alimentar y sostener a una gran población.
• Rugged = rocoso / difícil de cruzar
• Settlers = primeros pobladores / colonos
Chunk 2 Patricians & Plebeians
The Italian peninsula was settled by Greeks and Etruscans around 700 BCE, a Roman monarchy system first formed followed by the Roman Republic. Early Rome was divided into two groups or the patricians and plebeians. The patricians were the ruling class and the plebeians were less wealthy landowners, craftspeoples, merchants, and small farm land owners. Men in both orders were citizens who paid taxes, owed military service, and could vote. Only patricians, however, could be elected to governmental offices.
Resumen en español:
Roma se dividió en patricios (nobles ricos que gobernaban) y plebeyos (gente trabajadora común). Ambos votaban, pero solo patricios gobernaban.
• Patricians = Patricios (nobles con poder político)
• Plebeians = Plebeyos (comerciantes y campesinos)
Chunk 3 Equality & 12 Tables
Despite the division, In Rome, all citizens were considered equal under the law. While it wasn’t 100% consistent, and being wealthy was a great way out of trouble, it was a step in the right direction. This principle of equality under the law, first seen in Hammurabi’s Code but still in use today, is known as the Rule of Law, and it’s continued to impact legal codes all the way up to the US Constitution. The laws themselves and a set of rights guaranteed to all citizens was publicly displayed and called the 12 Tables.
Resumen en español:
El Rule of Law (igualdad ante la ley) decía que nadie está sobre la ley. Las 12 Tablas eran leyes escritas a la vista de todos.
• Rule of Law = Imperio de la ley (leyes para todos)
• 12 Tables = Las Doce Tablas (código legal escrito)
Chunk 4 The Roman Senate
The Roman Senate came to hold an especially important position in the Roman Republic. It was a select group of about 300 patricians who served for life. At first, the Senate’s only role was to advise government officials. By the third century B.C. However, the Senate’s advice had the force of law.
Though Rome was never a traditional democracy, the development of the Roman Senate from an advisory council to governing body served as an example of a form of democratic-republican government. Many modern republics today call their legislative body a senate, demonstrating the lasting impression made by this Roman institution on future republican governments.
Roman Senate. 1st century.
Resumen en español:
El Senado (300 patricios vitalicios) creaba leyes obligatorias y sirvió de modelo para las asambleas legislativas de los gobiernos modernos.
• Served for life = servían de por vida (vitalicios)
• Legislative body = cuerpo legislativo (crea leyes)
Adapted from McGraw Hill World History Page 1 of 2 • Republic to Empire & Expansion on next page →
Rise of Classical Civilizations: Rome (Part 2)
Republic to Empire, Expansion & Bilingual Glossary
Name: ______________________
Chunk 5 Republic to Empire
At the end of the Roman Republic, which allowed Patricians to vote on some issues and employed a large Senate group to make decisions, a series of emperors with absolute power over Rome, such as Julius Caesar, would use the military to expand the Roman Empire across nearly 4 continents, and take with it language, religion, architecture, law, and form the foundation for Western Society,
Resumen en español:
La República llegó a su fin cuando emperadores con poder absoluto (como Julio César) usaron el ejército para expandir el imperio y difundir su cultura y leyes.
• Emperor = Emperador (gobernante supremo con poder total)
• Western Society = Sociedad y cultura occidental
Chunk 6 Roman Expansion
Where the Romans conquered, their engineering, culture, religion, and language also diffused across the land. They paved wide, sturdy roads across the Empire, many of which are still in usable condition today, 2000 years later. Aqueducts brought irrigation so that crops would grow to support burgeoning Roman towns, fortresses, and outposts. Perhaps most importantly, once Rome was converted to Christianity, a monotheistic offshoot of Judaism, it became the official religion of the empire and very suddenly became the most widespread religion on earth. In Europe, this would later form the first Roman Catholics sects of Christianity.
Resumen en español:
Los romanos construyeron caminos duraderos y acueductos para transportar agua potable. El cristianismo (religión monoteísta) se difundió como religión oficial.
• Diffused = difundió / dispersó por la tierra
• Aqueducts = canales de piedra para agua potable
• Monotheistic = cree en un solo Dios
Chunk 7 The Latin Language
In addition to Christianity, the other cultural artifact the Roman Empire diffused that continues to influence our life today was the Latin language. The Romans borrowed the Greek alphabet, but used a language that had been spoken by a group of people who lived on the Italian peninsula before the Romans. As they conquered and their culture diffused across Europe, Roman laws, edicts, books, coins, road signs, etc…were all written in Latin.
If you learned to read in the Roman Empire, you learned to do so in Latin. Over time, Latin settled in Europe and evolved into what we know today as the Romance languages. In Spain, Latin became Spanish, in Italy, Italian, and so on. Romance in this case means ‘from Rome.”
Resumen en español:
El latín era la lengua oficial escrita de leyes, señales y libros. Con el tiempo evolucionó en las lenguas romances (español, italiano, etc.). "Romance" significa "de Roma".
• Romance languages = Lenguas romances (Español, Italiano, Francés)
• Cultural artifact = Elemento cultural que perdura
VOCABULARY GLOSSARY • GLOSARIO DE TÉRMINOS CLAVE
Términos esenciales para la lectura
Patricians (Patricios) Wealthy ruling class landowners in Rome who held government office.
Plebeians (Plebeyos) Common citizens (merchants, farmers, artisans) with voting rights.
Republic (República) A form of government where citizens elect leaders to make laws (no king).
Diffusion (Difusión) The spreading of culture, ideas, religion, and technologies across lands.
Aqueducts (Acueductos) Bridge-like stone structures built to transport fresh water to cities.
Monotheistic (Monoteísta) Believing in only ONE God (such as Judaism and Christianity).
The 4 Pillars of Roman Cultural Diffusion • Los 4 Pilares de la Difusión Romana
How Rome shaped Western Society
Law & Republic Leyes y República
Rule of Law, 12 Tables, and the Senate model for modern representative governments.
Engineering Ingeniería y Obras
Paved stone roads and aqueducts bringing clean water to support large cities.
Latin Language El Idioma Latín
Official language of laws and literature that evolved into modern Romance languages.
Christianity El Cristianismo
Official monotheistic religion of the Roman Empire, spreading across Europe and the world.
COGNATE BRIDGE • PUENTE DE COGNADOS (LATIN → ENGLISH & SPANISH)
Latin: Lex / Legis Law / Legal 🇪🇸 Ley / Legal
Latin: Aqua Aqueduct 🇪🇸 Acueducto / Agua
Latin: Res Publica Republic 🇪🇸 República
Latin: Diffundere Diffusion 🇪🇸 Difusión / Difundir
Adapted from McGraw Hill World History Page 2 of 2 • SSWH Unit 1.2: Classical Rome
