CULTURE, URBANISM AND ART

ROMAN

TOWNS

URBANISM

The Roman Empire was an

urban empire.

• Towns were political,

administrative, economic

and cultural centers

• What important political

or cultural events took

place in towns?

ROMAN TOWNS

Newly-created towns followed a similar plan:

• Square/rectangular shape

• Surrounded by walls

• Two central roads:

• Cardum – North/South

• Decumanus – East/West

• Central square, forum

• Streets forming a grid

PARTS OF THE

ROMAN TOWN

1. Forum

2. Baths

3. Amphitheatre

4. Basilica

5. Christian

Church

6. Temple

7. Town House

8. North Gate

FORUM

• The forum was like a town square.

• Important government buildings like law courts and offices

were built around it and markets were sometimes set up inside

it.

• It was often the center of the city where people met and did

business.

AMPHITHEATRE

• The amphitheatre was where shows were put on. some of

these seem cruel to us today.

• People could watch wild animals fighting each other or

attacking people.

• There were also gladiator fights where two men would fight

each other until one of them was dead.

TEMPLES

• The temple was where the Romans went to worship their gods

the Romans believed in many different gods.

• When they took over a new land they often took over the gods

worshipped there as well.

• Some emperors were worshipped as gods after they died.

Later, Christianity spread through the Roman Empire and

became the official religion in 380 A.D.

REVIEW

1. What is the forum?

2. What is the cardum and the decumanus?

3. What events took place in the amphitheatre?

LABEL THE PARTS OF

THE ROMAN TOWN

Temples, amphitheatre,

forum, cardum,

decumanus, city walls,

etc.