For much of last week and during the upcoming week we will be studying the greatest western empire of
all time - the empire of ancient Rome. So much of western culture is derived
from Rome - our languages, laws and politics, and even forms of recreation. Of
course, as you've already noted, Rome was built on the heritage of other
cultures that came earlier, but nowhere else do we see all these special western
traits come together quite like the Roman empire. You might know, for example,
that the Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian languages are all
derived from the old Latin (called "vulgar Latin" because it was the language of
the common people). You might even know that half of the modern English language
is directly descended from the vulgar Latin (we'll discuss why when we talk
about the history of England). But did you know that most of the major European
cities today are built on the locations of Roman military forts? At the peak of
the Roman Empire, not only did Rome control the Mediterranean world and the
Middle East, but also North Africa and almost all of western Europe.
If
you are a native of Kentucky it is likely that you have very little Roman
ancestry, however. It is more likely that your ancestors (and mine) were
uncivilized people like the Gaelic (or Celtic) or Germanic tribes. So how did
the culture of Rome become the basis for the culture for all the rest of the
European people groups? Well, that's an important topic we'll discuss in lecture
over the next few days.
Your assignment for this week is to research life
in ancient Rome and identify ways that Romans were SIMILAR TO residents of
modern Somerset. Go to www.worldbookonline.com (choose the student section) and
find the article "Rome, ancient" (found at the link
http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar474350&st=life+in+ancient+rome
). You will have to sign in to World Book: your id is "scs" and your password is
"cougars". Identify and discuss two topics of similarities that you find.
Remember that your essay must be at least 250 words and you must leave
comments on the essays of at least two others (totally 150 words). Your essays
are due Friday evening by midnight; the responses are due Sunday evening by
midnight. Give it your best effort!
Some ways that Romans were similar to residents of modern Somerset is that we both started as a small farming community, and worked their way up to one of the greatest know civilizations before it crashed. But hopefully we will never crash, well not for a very long time. The lands are very similar to the first Romans land; it's has many hills and fertile soil and good irrigation. We also have many resources for building stuff. Somerset was first founded we had many different little villages and they all had their own ways of doing stuff and their own language and much more stuff that they did on their own, as did the Romans. In the government we have some similarities, like we both have one person who is over everyone. But in Rome they have a king and here we obviously we have a president, but I think it's good because we have check and balances. In the beginning the Romans had jus gentium, which was something that just had simple basic rules for the people common sense. But they respected the religion of people for the most part. In their army they are like us as well. Just like us they have many parts to it. Just like in most American families in Rome the dad is the head of the family. But it’s kind of different because he has control over everything until he dies. Like many people in Somerset agriculture is either their main or part of their income. So as you can see those are just some of the things we have in common today that the Romans had before they crashed, and you can see we got many of our ways from them.
ReplyDeleteabby sams. your essay was just simply amazing. i hope we dont crash ethier. not in a car nor our country. hahahahaha your essay really shows how much we have in common with rome!
Deleteabby,
Deletegreat job on your assignment this week! you did outstanding! Your essay gave me a even better perspective on our culture and how relateable it is to ours today!
Nice work on your homework, Abby Sams! Your essay was awesome! I learned several new things about ancient Rome and Somerset, KY that I didn’t know. It is neat to learn about how much we have in common with Rome, and how many things that we do today that we got from their culture thousands of years ago. Your answers to the requirements were very clear and factual. I thought you did a excellent job this week!
Deletepeople in rome are very simaliar to people in somerset in many ways some of these ways are we both started as a small farming comunity and grew into a larger cizalzation and eventuly rome crashed because their empire became too big to govern. so they split and eventully The west part of the roman empirre was invaded by the germans the east continued for centuries, another way that rome was simaliar to us is that the land had wooded mouintans kind of like the area around somerset but a little bigger, another way we are similar is that they were one of the biggest most powerful empire/country just like our country is today. and just like in the history of the U.S The 3 people groups were Citzens non-citzens and slaves. now the diffrence in the U.S is there are no slaves. and i think if rome didnt crash that they would have Eventully lost the slaves too. They were also similar in the type of governmet that they eventuly switched to.
ReplyDeleteAustin, you did a great job on your essay thiis week! I can really relate to your examples. I agree that we both have farming and agriculture in common. I can tell that you really researched this topic!
DeleteThe culture of Ancient Rome has surely influenced our culture in America today. For instance, the Romans wanted a passage for troops to continue moving swiftly on to reach their destination. So, then, they build paved roads, relateable to our highways today. In Somerset, we have numerable roads that we use every single day to reach where we need to go. Another example is from our manufacturing and mining. The Kingsford Coal production plant is located just inside Pulaski County. The Romans also used the mines to get coal for income to build their great cities and buildings. That coal could be used for fires to heat or for many numerous other options. So, the Roman culture definitley greatly impacted ours today.
ReplyDeleteWell MCkenzie you had a really good essay except for the fact it didnt meet the qualifications of a minimum 250 words but it was still a well done essay. I liked yopu relation withe Kingsford Coal Company and the mining that the ancient romans did.
DeleteFor this week’s homework assignment, we had to read an article about Rome and find in it similarities to little Somerset, KY. Some of the similarities I found were. Somerset we all know if full of farmers we all love to farm well maybe not all of us but anyways farming is a big asset to our community. Well guess what Rome was also a farming community. As you should know Somerset well Pulaski County is the largest county in the state of Kentucky well Rome was the largest empire, city, and capital. Somerset is a very beautiful town with a lot of tourist attractions, pretty homes, nice building etc. Rome was the same way they spent all their money to have magnificent buildings and beautiful art that decorated Rome. Rome riches also financed roads, and public work projects. Somerset does that as well with our roads and public libraries and other public buildings.
ReplyDeleteAwesom job on your essay! It was written well and full of information on the subject. I liked your list of comparatives between Rome and Somerset.
DeleteThere are surprisingly a lot of similarities between Somerset, KY and ancient Rome. More than you would think, considering the Roman Empire happened so long ago. A few similarities between Rome and America in general is that they are both Democratic Republics. This means that the people vote their leaders into power. Similarities between the Roman Republic and Somerset is that the Roman republic started out small and worked its way up into becoming an big civilization. Somerset may be small now, but it is gradually becoming larger and the economy is growing. Rome had very fertile soil that was awesome for farming. Kentucky has always been known for its very fertile soil and for farmers. In the Roman empire, religion was very, very important to them. At first, they used the Greek gods and just re-named them, but in 300 AD, Christianity became the main religion of the empire. Here in Somerset, the majority of the people claim to be Christians and religion seems to be important to them, just like the Romans. Eventually, Rome fell. This may end up being like America someday not too far from now.
ReplyDeletelexie i really enjoyed rerading your essay. It was rerally well written. Keep up the good work. I really enjoyed How you tied in the Christianity from the Romans to now. And your point about America eventually falling was very true it is not too far from its a scary thought but its closer to falling now then ever we just jhave to pray that God will take compplete controll
DeleteThe city of Rome was founded in 753 BC. It started out as a small farming community and worked its way up to become one of the greatest civilizations known before it crashed. Somerset also started out as a small farming community. No, it's not one of the greatest known civilizations but it keeps getting larger and the economy is continuing to grow. The lands in Rome had many hills, fertile soil, and good irrigation which is much like the land in Somerset. Another thing Somerset has in common with Rome is that they are both Democratic Republics. Which means they both allowed the people to vote their leaders into power. Religion was something that was very important to Rome. At first they just renamed the Greek gods, but in 300 AD Christianity became their main religion. In somerset, Christianity seems to be one of the main religions just like in Rome. The Romans also built paved roads, which is much like our roads and highways that we use every single day.
ReplyDeleteThere are many similar things about Somerset and ancient Rome. One thing would be agriculture. Somerset and ancient Rome are both farming communities. Ancient Rome of coarse evolved into a world power though. Another thing we have in common would be our governments. Both governments are run by the people. The Romans government was called a republic. Although it is different from our form of a republic it has many similarities. Another way would be that we build our roads and bridges like them. The Romans built amazing roads that still stand over two thousand years later. We try to build our roads the same way. They also made bridges in which model ours from. Another thing that is similar is the way our city is setup like theirs. The cities in ancient Rome were set up as the center of trade and culture. The engineers would design the cities to be set up the best way possible for these things. Our cities our setup in the same way so, that businesses can be noticed and people will spend their money at them. Recreation is another thing that is common between Somerset and ancient Rome. We obviously play many different games and sports here in Somerset. In Rome it was the same way. They had many different sports and competitions that they held. Although not many Romans migrated to this region of the United States we still share many similarities with them. This shows that the Romans had a large impact on future people.
ReplyDeleteReally good job on your essay this week Hunter. Im actually surprised you actually did it but that is beside the point. You had some really good points that lined up perfectly with the artle had said about your points. I really enjoyed reading what you wrote this week. Keep up the good work. If you actually do another assignment.
DeleteAncient Rome and modern Somerset could not be more different, right? Rome was a large city in Europe that ruled their part of the world, and Somerset is a small town in Kentucky with a population of not even 12,000. So these two cities couldn’t have anything in common, right? You might be surprised just how much these two cities have in common. In Rome extended families were very tight-knit, just like many families here. For example, there is an extended family I know who all five individual immediate families and their grandma still all go to church together, eat lunch after Church together, and hang out together all the time. Another similarity between Somerset and Rome is the Roman Bath, the Roman equivalent of the YMCA in Somerset. Just like the people in Somerset like to go to the YMCA to work out, swim, and play basketball, the people of Ancient Rome would go to the baths to swim and work-out. Another similarity is in the difference between the rich and the poor. While Somerset’s middle class is more prominent then Rome’s, Somerset does have both extremes. Just like Rome had rich Patricians and the poor Plebeians, Somerset also has some people who are very rich, and some people who are very poor. Don’t believe me? Just go down to Whitesboro and take a look at the large expensive homes, then go to the area just south of downtown and look at the tiny, old, rundown houses that these people live in. Even though Ancient Rome and modern Somerset might at first seem completely different, but thehave a lot more In common than might at first meet the eye.
ReplyDeleteYou did an exceptional job on your homework assignment, Bobby! I liked your use of questioning at the beginning of your essay. It really captures the attention of the reader and gets them involved in wanting to read your writing. I also liked how you compared how Somerset like ancient Rome both have wealthy people and poor people who live and work in the same community. Your essay was simply superb this week!
DeleteAwesome job on your essay! It was written well and full of information on the subject. I liked how you compared Rome and Somerset differently from every one else, like the YMCA.
DeleteThe Roman civilization is one of the most known civilizations in the world. Believe it or not Rome is not much different from the place we live today, Somerset, Kentucky. Rome started of as a farming community, which allowed them to provide for themselves amazingly well. Somerset also started out the same way and grows everyday like Rome did. Government is also shared between our cultures. The Romans laid the cornerstone for a republic democracy. We share moral law and code and also many ways of daily life. The Romans built roads and structures that we build in modern day. Of coarse there are some differences, Rome became a huge empire unlike us, but we are definitely growing.
ReplyDeleteRome was one of the greatest empires of all time. Their creativity and unique workmanship was astonishing. The foundational ideas they created are still being used today in many societies. For instance, the people and way of life in Somerset, Kentucky in 2012 have many similarities with those of ancient Rome. In ancient Rome the majority of citizens came from the lower class and were farmers, city workers, and soldiers. That is a lot like the people of our city today. In Rome there were also many non-citizens that lived there, and we see that today with Hispanics and other immigrants who come to settle in America. At the hearth of the Roman city there was a forum, like downtown Somerset to us, were people, rich and poor, could go for business and to mingle with others. In ancient Rome there were places called palaestra where people could go to exercise and workout. A similarity to the palaestra would be like the YMCA or a local exercise facility. The Romans enjoyed exercising and sports just like we do when we workout or go and watch a local sports team. Another similarity between ancient Rome and Somerset, Kentucky is that most of the Romans lived and worked by farming and agriculture. The Romans knew that you needed to rotate the crops to maintain good, fertilized soil for the coming seasons. There are tons and tons things that we do today that came from ancient Rome thousands of years ago, and we have a lot to thank them for the ideas and way of life they had that we modal after in are way of life currently.
ReplyDeleteRome is now a very popular big city that, most of know of it as the capitol of Italy. I distinctly remember Mr. Akers saying that Rome was a lot like Somerset, Kentucky. First off the agriculture of the two cities is very similar. They have rich soil and good for farming and in Somerset there are a lot of Farmer’s and rich soil that they farm on. Also, how the structure of the lands are the same. In Somerset it has hills and little mountains and similar as in Rome. Rome has similar markings and land as Somerset. Rome and Somerset has beautiful architecture. In downtown Somerset, which is old but the buildings are very pretty and rustic looking and antique. Same as is Rome, They also have old little pretty buildings and beautiful things. The last thing is that both are small little communities. The towns itself may be large but the people stay connected and always stay with the families. The families are close and they spend a lot of time with each other just like we do here in our little community. I guess they have a lot of Family Time. I hope through reading my essay you have learned some simple similarities between the great cities, Rome and Somerset.
ReplyDeleteBobby, I was really surprised at your essay! It is very very great! The questions at the beginning just make you want to read more and more of your essay! I thought you did wonderful and I also agree on a lot of the things you said! Yours was great to read! Great Job Bobby!!
ReplyDeleteSarah Strehl Great job on your essay also! I thought first it was well written and you could tell that you had researched a lot on the topics. I loved how you put that Somerset and Rome build a lot of roads and beautiful buildings because they do! Great Job Sarah!
There are many ways in which ancient Rome is similar to the modern citizens of Somerset. The Romans had a Democratic Republic just like we do here in Somerset and in the entire United States. The Romans also were real big on agriculture just like we are here because everyone knows that its basically impossible, or actually it is impossible because of the cattle that are in the fields as you come up the drive way every morning and when you are leaveing, to come to school every day without seeing some type of agricultur thats how popular it is here in Somerset. The average Roman family was very similar to ours today that the father, or the paterfamilias as the Romans called it, is the head of the home. The ancient Romans were real big on mining. Mining became the leading industry in the country. The reason it became the leading income was because Rome was starting some many new building projects they needed marble and other material to make all their building and stuff. And as we know mining for coal is one of the biggest sources of income here in Kentucky and it all relates back to the Roman Empire. There are just a small portion of the great influence that the Romans have had on us so many years later. Its kinda amazing to think that we have some of the sam things the Romans had over one thousand years ago.
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