ROME

There were three main groups of people who settled Rome. The Etruscans came from the north-central part of the peninsula and were metalworkers, artists, and architects. The Greeks had many colonies around the Mediterranean Sea. The Romans borrowed ideas from them like religious beliefs, alphabet, art, and military techniques and weaponry. The first settlers were the Latins. They were the descendants of the Indo-Europeans. They settled on the banks of the Tiber. They were situated so that only trading ships could go as far as Rome, but no further. The had a commercial ports that wasn't susceptible to attack. They built Rome on 7 hills. Tarquin the Proud's grandfather built the largest ancient drain called the Cloaca Maxima, which channeled swamp water into the Tiber. Tarquin the Proud was the 7th and last king of Rome. He was also called Tarquin the Arrogant. He was a tyrant. That's what we learned today on Rome.

CHI CAGO

I think that this song was amazing. I didn't know what was going on until I pulled up the lyrics as the song was playing. I wish we all could have been in class to actually witness a concert by Chi Cago. The song really hit on all of the things that we were learning about Rome. I loved this song so much that I showed it to my brother, who started dancing to it. Today would be one of those days where you really miss not being in the actual school building. I think you should have made a music video with this song instead of just the audio. Even though we're not going back to school this year, you should definitely sing this song live to us when we come back.

Twelve Tables

The Twelve Tables weren't a constitution, they were a group of customary laws that reflected the rural aspect of living in Rome. They were originally carved on wooden tablets and on display for everyone to see. Then, they were upgraded to bronze tablets. The Romans would memorize what was on them. The laws that were on the Twelve Tables were proposed at Tribal Assemblies. Someone would propose a law, then they would discuss the law, finally they would vote on the law. There were many different types of laws. The Twelve Tables were basically the first written down laws in Rome. They also became the basis for other Roman laws.

Ancient Roman Architecture

This is the ancient Roman aqueducts. It transported fresh water to heavily populated areas in Rome.

Patricians VS Plebeians

I think that the main difference between the patricians and plebeians is their wealth. The patricians all come from rich and wealthy families while the plebeians come from working class families. If I lived back then I would guess that the patricians are the rich, snobby, self-absorbed people. They probably only cared about themselves and their rich friends. I would guess that the plebeians are the nice, friendly, hardworking, helpful people. There are more plebeians than patricians. The plebeians have to actually work hard for what they have while the patricians are just born into their wealth. Of course there were probably some mean plebeians and nice patricians. The Greek versions of the patricians would be the aristocrats and other wealthy people involved in politics. The Greek versions of the plebeians would be the anyone below the top class, so they would be the working class and lower.

Important Terms

Republic : a form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders

Patrician : wealthy landowners who held most of the power

Plebeian : common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population

Tribune : elected representative that protected the rights of plebeians

Consul : commanded the army and directed the government

Senate : the aristocratic branch of Rome's government

Dictator : a leader who had absolute power to make laws and command the army

Legion : a large military unit

Punic Wars : three wars fought between Rome and Carthage

Hannibal : a brilliant military strategist who wanted to avenge Carthage's early defeat. He led a sneak attack through the alps where a bunch of his men and elephants died before reaching their target.

Essay Question

My essay question is : Describe the two dramas in Ancient Greece and make connections to modern day movies or plays. The first paragraph will mention the two dramas (comedies and tragedies) and will say where they were performed. The second paragraph will talk about comedies. It will define them and have some other information on them. The third paragraph will be like the second one only instead of talking about comedies it will talk about tragedies. The fourth paragraph will make connections to modern movies and plays and Ancient Greek plays. The fifth paragraph will wrap everything up and make sure everything is explained properly in the other paragraphs and conclude the essay.