Roman Law in Modern Life: Citizenship

The ancient Romans created citizenship, but at first glance it seems very different from our citizenship. For instance, women were not allowed to become citizens. Citizenship could be bought, but at a very high price. Citizenship could be awarded to those who helped the empire in some way. Nowadays, however, most people who apply for citizenship get it, and there is no racial or gender bias. According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, you must have "good moral character, the ability to read, write, and speak English, knowledge about the Constitution, and a favorable disposition towards the United States.

Noa

Sources Cited:

"US Citizenship Application." US Immigration Support. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

"Roman Citizenship." Www.wikipedia.com. 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Roman Art in Modern Life: Masks

Above left, Roman tragedy and comedy masks, and above right halloween masks.

The ancient Romans used masks in plays, to depict the character more accurately than with just acting. Today, we also use masks to appear as someone that we're not, usually on Halloween.

Noa

Sources Cited:

"Roman Masks." Commons.wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, 28 Sept. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Santa Barbara County Education Office. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Editors of Publications International. "Halloween Masks." HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Roman Architecture in Modern Life: Obelisks

Above left, a Roman obelisk and above right, the Washington monument.

The Romans were very interested by obelisks, to the point where there were more than twice as many obelisks in Rome than in Egypt. We also use obelisks today, the most famous of which is the Washington Memorial.

Noa

Sources Cited:

Cook, Jeff. "Italy Travelogue." Jeff Cook Informational Site. 2 July 2003. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Kanoa. "Washington Monument." Daily Venture : Travel Journal with Free Desktop Wallpapers and Stock Photos. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

"Obelisk." Wikipedia. 18 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Roman Art in Modern Life: The Sarcophagus

Above left is Abraham Lincoln's sarcophagus and to the right, is an ancient Roman sarcophagus.

Sarcophagus's, stone coffins, were used both in ancient day Rome and now. While sarcophagi were made more for the the wealthy than the middle or poor classes, they were one of the most common forms of burial. In our modern day society, sarcophagi are used rarely, most often for people of great stature and importance, such as Abraham Lincoln.

Noa

Sources Cited:

Administrator. "High-Resolution PTM of Large Objects." Visual Computing Lab. Http://vcg.isti.cnr.it/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=199&Itemid=48, 19 July 2006. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Frysinger, Galen R. "Lincoln's Tomb." Travel Photos of Galen R Frysinger, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Web. 20 Oct. 2009. .

Roman Language and Writing in Modern Life: Latin in the Textbook

Five examples of words with a latin root:

impact

artist

popular

adopt

modern

Noa

From my textbook:

Mifflin, Houghton. World History Medieval And Early Modern Times California Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.

Roman Language and Writing in Modern Life: The Statue of Liberty

Completed in 1884, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most important statues in America. But many do not know that it features some Roman numerals.

On the Statue of Liberty's tablet, it reads:

JULY IV MDCCLXXVI

Which literally means, July 4, 1776, the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Noa

Sources Cited:

"Statue of Liberty Inscription." How Tall is the Statue of Liberty? Web. 16 Oct. 2009. .

Roman Language and Writing in Modern Life: Latin

As some might know, many English words are derived from Latin.

For example, the following words, found on page 975 of Webster's College Dictionary, published in 1991:

pallium, pallmall, pallor, palm, palmar, palmary, palmate, palmer, palomino, palpable, palpate, palpebral, palpitate, palpus, paludal, paludism, pamphlet.

These are all valid words, although some may be considered out of date and old fashioned.

Noa

Sources Cited:

Costello, Robert B. "Pallium-pamphleteer." Webster's Dictionary. 1991. 975. Print.

Roman Architecture in Modern Life: Arches

In Rome, arches and aqueducts went hand in hand, as shown by the picture below right, of the aqueduct of Segovia:

The arches in this aqueduct are mainly used to hold the structure in place.

This particular aqueduct is made of granite blocks, although many others are made of concrete and brick.

The Roman tradition of "triumphal arches" are used to celebrate victories in war and rulers. They are a often, although not always, a single arch.

The earliest known triumphal arch was built in 196 BCE. Triumphal arches have since been built in countries such as Australia, Bulgaria, Iraq, and Turkey, to name a few.

Perhaps the most famous arch in the United States, however, is probably the St. Louis Gateway Arch, shown above left as well.

Noa

Sources Cited:

Manzanares, Mary Jo. "Tram to the Top of the St. Louis Arch." Blisstree.com. 2007. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .

"Triumphal Arch." Wikipedia. 13 Oct. 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .

Www.wikipedia.com. 13 Oct. 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .

Roman Law in Modern Life: Leadership

Above, the United States Congress and Roman Senate.

The Romans believed that no leader should have too much power. Thus, they had two elected consuls, while a Senate and Assembly were in charge of making rules. The Senate was very similar to today's Congress. The senators could pass decrees called "senatus consultum," which were much like today's bills.

Therefore, my first example for Roman Law in Modern Life is our United States Congress. Like our Congressmen, their Senators were elected as well. Like our modern day President and the Congress, the Senate acted as a check to the consul's power.

Noa

Engraving of a Meeting of the Roman Senate. Digital image. LAT 311: Roman Authors. University of Texas. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. http://www.utexas.edu/courses/lat311moore/lat311images2.htm.

United States Congress. Digital image. Knowledgerush.com. 2005. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. .

Brown, Brian. "The Great Dictator: Julius Caesar and the Death of the Roman Republic." Thefreelibrary.com. Junior Scholastic, 23 Jan. 2006. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. .