Roman Empire
An empire, that, at it's height, around 117 C.E; spanned the whole of Mediterranean world, from northern Africa to the Scottish border, from Spain to Syria
art
Human creations intended to express beauty and convey messages
architecture
The art of designing buildings
engineering
The science of building structures and the like
language
The means of verbal and written communication, an aspect of culture
philosophy
The study of wisdom, knowledge, and the nature of reality
law
A legal system
citizenship
A membership in a community
mural
A painting on a wall
mosaic
A picture made up of small pieces of tile, glass, or colored stone
fresco
A picture painted on the moist plaster of a wall or ceiling
vault
An arched structure used to hold up a ceiling or a roof
dome
A roof shaped like a half-circle or a hemisphere
cathedral
A large and important church
aqueduct
A pipe or channel built to carry water between distant places
scribe
A person trained to write or copy documents by hand
proverb
A popular saying that is meant to express something wise or true
arches
curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight
sculpture
creating figures or designs in three dimensions, create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material
amphitheaters
an open theater used in ancient Greece and Rome to house contestants and other events
republic
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
senate
In ancient Rome, the supreme governing body, originally made up only of aristocrats.
mosaics
patterns or pictures made by embedding small pieces of stone or glass in cement on surfaces such as walls and floors
Octavian
first emperor of Rome
Pax Romana
the Roman peace
slavery
the condition of being owned by another person and being made to work without wages
Civil war
a war between people of the same country
barbarians
Northern Tribes who invaded and sacked Rome, Generic term for foreign invaders of a different religion.
Byzantine Empire
a continuation of the Roman Empire in the Middle East after its division in 395
trade
exchange or give (something) in exchange for
Christianity
a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior
Eastern Orthodox
branch of Christianity that officially split from Roman Catholicism in the 11th century C.E.; about 10% of all Christians are part of this branch; it's strong in Eastern Europe and Russia
Roman Catholic
A branch of Christianity based in Rome. The original Christian church.
patriarch
A principal bishop in the eastern branch of Christianity
pope
the head of the Roman Catholic Church
feudalism
a political and social system that developed during the Middle Ages; nobles offered protection and land in return for service
lord
a person who has general authority over others
knights
warriors who fought on horseback
peasants
people who worked the land or served the nobles
monarchs
Kings or queens who rule a kingdom
fiefs
pieces of land given to vassals by their lord
manors
large farm estates of the Middle Ages that were owned by nobles who ruled over the peasants living in the land
nobles
people from rich and powerful families
moat
a deep trench usually filled with water that surrounded a castle
hierarchy
Any system of persons or things ranked one above another
duke
a nobleman (in various countries) of high rank
armor
protective covering made of metal and used in combat
chivalry
courtesy towards women
serfs
men of women who were the poorest members of society, peasants who worked the lord's land in exchange for protection
peasants
lower class people, working heavy labor, very poor