Giada's Honors Human Geography Blog

Etruscans settled in Rome: metalworkers, artists, architects Etruscans from north-central part of the peninsula Foundation myths: Virgil’s Aeneid and story of Remus and Romulus Greeks settled in Rome: had many colonies around the Mediterranean Sea Romans borrowed Greek religious beliefs, alphabet, much of their art, military techniques and weaponry Latins were the first settlers of Rome; settled on the banks of Tiber Latins= descendants of Indo-Europeans Latin trading ships could navigate to Rome but no further - commercial port, built on 7 hills including Palatine Streams flowed into the Tiber Marshy area called the Forum,  between Palatine and Capitoline Hills Cloaca Maxima was largest ancient drain which channeled water into the Tiber: built by Tarquin the Proud’s grandfather Washington DC was built on a swamp (urban legend) but only about 2% was actually swampland Constitution Avenue located on what used to be called Tiber Creek (like Tiber River) Lucius Tarq...

   Today, Mr. Schick sent us a rap by Chi Cago about Rome, along with the lyrics. To be honest, I thought that it was going to be a really bad song, but it turns out that it actually sounded pretty good. Also, I think that it had some really great information in there pertaining to Rome. A few things we have read about, but a lot of things we haven't covered. Nevertheless, it made it very easy to understand, even if the things being said were unknown. I liked that about this rap. Some of the things mentioned in this rap that we have learned about include the patricians and plebeians, the Roman Republic, Legion, Punic Wars, Hannibal, and Roman senators. I feel like this rap built on my knowledge of Rome and it was fun to listen to.

   At first, the plebeians really didn't get a say in Roman government or the making of Roman laws. These plebeians were not only on a lower social class than the ruling patricians, but the plebeians made up most of the Roman population. Therefore, their lack of say in Roman government started to anger them. In 490 BC, the plebeians had a chance to speak up and demand power, and they did. However, the patricians were refusing to give any of their power to the plebeians. This caused what is called Conflicts of the Orders, which was a political struggle over power and say in Ancient Rome. The plebeians decided to have huge protest in mass numbers where they left Rome, threatening the patricians with their very large, armed force of plebeians. The patricians finally gave in and gave the plebeians some power. The Tribune of the Plebs was created, which were only for the plebeian class, and gave them a say in legal matters and magistrates. In 451 BC, ten officials physically wrote ...

THEN NOW These images shows the Roman Forum and what it looked like then vs. what it looks like now. The Forum was like a Greek agora; because it was where people could meet up and talk, trade, do business, learn about laws, or go to school in some cases! The architecture of the Forum is interesting because over time, it was reconstructed multiple times. Therefore, the architectural style, along with the materials it was constructed with, changed as well. The Forum was first built in the seventh century BCE between the Capitoline and Palatine Hills of Rome. Stone and marble made up the Roman Forum, but over time, through all the reconstructions, concrete was also used. The Romans were influenced by Greek designs and architectural styles when building the Forum, but they had many designs of their own that they incorporated. Some of these structures include basilicas, domes,  triumphal arches, domes, and amphitheaters. The architectural details of the Roman For...

   In Ancient Rome, there were two groups/classes of Roman citizens. One group was called the patricians. The patricians were the people who held most of the power. To be a patrician, you had to be born into a patrician family of wealthy landowners. They only made up a small percentage of the Roman population. The other group of Romans were the plebeians. The plebeians made up most of the population and had few rights. They were farmers, artisans and merchants. Plebeians were not allowed to hold important government positions like the patricians. Plebeians had the right to vote, but did not have many rights. Therefore, they made their own assembly with tribunes, who were people helping to protect plebeian rights from the laws of the patricians. The patricians in Ancient Rome could be compared to the aristocrats in Ancient Greece, while the plebeians in Ancient Rome could be compared to the common people in Ancient Greece. This is because aristocrats were wealthy and had all of...

Republic  - A form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders. Patricians  - Wealthy landowners who held most of the power in Rome. Plebeians  - The common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population. Tribunes  - Representatives who protected the rights of plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials. Consul  - Officials who, like kings, commanded the army and directed the government (Rome had two consuls). Senate  - The aristocratic branch of Rome's government, which had both legislative and administrative functions in the republic. Dictator  - A leader who had absolute power to make laws and command the army (would be appointed in time of crisis) Legion  - A large military unit which was made of 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers (infantry). Punic Wars  - Rome and Carthage fought in a war between 264-146 BC. The Punic Wars con...

   My essay question would be this: Describe the life of Alexander the Great. In your opinion, was he really "great"? Why or why not? In the first paragraph, this essay would talk about Alexander's early/child life. The next paragraph would include his goals ( wanting to seize the Macedonian throne, unite Greece, defeat the Persians and conquer Asia), along with his early years as King of Macedon (and a ruling  member of the Argead dynasty). The third paragraph would talk about Alexander  continuing  to expand his  empire,  which would include taking over Persia (and all the over regions he conquered). The fourth paragraph would talk about Alexander's death and his  influence on his people, along with Ancient Greek culture (talking about the Hellenistic Age). The final paragraph would then answer the question, in my own opinion, on whether Alexander the Great was really "great" or not, and an explanation describing why.