First Day of R0ME.

a.) republic: a political unit that is not ruled by a monarch and in which citizens with the right to vote choose their leaders.

b.) gravitas: weightiness or seriousness

c.) pater familias: the eldest man "father of the family"

d.) toga: an uncomfortable garment, hot in the summer and cold in the winter; easy to make and did not involve any sowing

e.) patrician: specially privileged families; claimed that their ancestry gave them their authority.

f.) plebeian:  the common farmers, artisans, and merchants

1. The geography helped Rome because it occupies an ideal position from which to send out ships and armies in all directions.

2. a.) Around 1000 B.C. the Latins settled on either side of the Tiber river, a region they called Latium. Rome began as the settlement of the Latin shepherds, no more then a cluster of round wooden huts perched atop the 300 foot Palatine Hill.
b.) Between 750 and 600 B.C. settlers from Greece established about 50 colonies on the coats of southern Italy and Sicily Their numerous colonies prompted the Latin to call this area "Greater Greece."  This brought all of Italy, including Rome, into closer contact with Greek civilization.
c.) The Etruscans had a great cultural influence on the Latins. Eventually the Latin settlers of Rome adopted the Etruscan alphabet.

3. The Romans valued family ties. Throughout Rome's history, the character of of its citizens was influenced by group of values called "the ways of the fathers." The Romans emphasized discipline, strength, and loyalty.

4a.) The father of the family has complete power over the family. He controls all family property,he can even sell his own family members into slavery.

4b.) A woman in Rome had much greater freedom in Athens. She was a citizen, with the right to own property and testify in courts. she did not have the right to vote.

5.) All male citizens were required to serve in the army, and no one could old public office until he had served 10 years as a soldier.