Roman reading Section one questions and definitions.

Define

1. Republic- A political unit that is not ruled by a monarch and in which citizens have the right to vote for leaders. The word Republic came from the Latin Phrase res publica which means public affairs. 
2. Gravitas- having weightiness or seriousness. Gravitas was a virtue that contained discipline strength and loyalty. 
3. Pater Familias- " Father of the family" or the eldest male in the household. He was the leader of the household and had complete power. He controlled all property and could even sell family to slavery or kill them. He usually acted as the protector of the family though. He spoke for families at assemblies and in court. 
4. Toga- It was an uncomfortable garment the Romans wore. It was cold to wear in winter and hot in the summer. It was clumsy and not practical. It was good because it was very easy to make and no sewing was needed. It was basically a big wool sheet. It could also represent social status by what you wore with it. 
5. Patrician- a small group of upper class families who dominated Rome. They claimed their ancestors were the fathers of Rome. They claimed that they had the authority to make laws. 
6. Plebian- The common farmers, artisans, and merchants. They were free citizens with the right to vote. The had far less power than Patricians though. 
7. Legion - A massive military unit consisting of 4000-6000 men. They had heavily armed infantry and the calvary( soldiers on horses). 
8. Century- One of the sixty smaller groups that the legion was divided into. This allowed the Roman legion to be more flexible and able to move around more than the Greek Phalanx. The Romans could flank and surround enemies with the Centuries. 

Questions. 

1. Geography helped Rome in a few ways. For one the Italian peninsula was near the middle of the Mediterranean and divided the sea in half. Rome was the center of Italy and was therefore the center of a peninsula in the middle of a sea. Their position allowed them to easily send out ships and armies in all directions. Rome was also built near a crossing place for the Tibus river and became a key trade place on routes between Northern and Southern Italy. These are some advantages for the Romans. 
2. The Latins contributed to Rome by being one of the first people to settle there. They settled on both sides of the Tiber River and created Rome. Rome started as a bunch of Latin shepherds living on a hill. They lived very simply though and had little trade. The Greeks advanced Rome more when they came to Italy. They established 50 colonies on the coast of Southern Italy and Sicily. They had good trading cities and brought Italy into contact with Greece. Finally the Etruscans were the most civilized group and came around the same time as the Latins. They had a writing system adapted from the Greek alphabet which the Latins didn't have. Also they had a cultural influence on Rome and many Roman kings were of Etruscan descent.
3. Early Rome had many values many regrading family. The values were called the ways of our fathers and emphasized loyalty, strength, and discipline. A person that held this quality had the virtue of gravitas or weightiness. The Romans were a practical society. They liked strength more than beauty, power over grace, and usefullness over elegance. The family was the heart of Roman society and family ties were important values. 
4. The Roman household had an obvious leader. The leader was the pater familias or the father of the family. This was the eldest male in the family and he had all the power. He owned all the property and could even sell or kill other members. His main job was to protect family though and not do those things. He also spoke for the family in public places. The women in the family ran the household though and had more freedom than a Athenian woman. They could own property and testify in court. She could eat with her husband and often provided business or political advice. She could not vote though and stayed in the background. 
5. The army was a big place in the Roman family because of how the family lived around it. Every man in Rome had to live a double life as a farmer and a soldier because of a constant threat of war. All male citizens, plebians and patricians, had to serve in the army. You couldn't hold public office until you had served ten years. Basically to get anywhere in Roman society you had to serve and you had to join either way. 
6. We could compare Roman values to Greek values. Both cultures believe in being great and doing the best you can. They have high values and wanted to do everything good something we miss sometimes in culture nowadays. They valued loyalty and discipline something we don't always value nowadays. Roman society is a good society with good values to live by something Greek did have but in modern times not so much.