Ancient Rome: How Much Do You Know?

The Roman Empire is the model and the subject of much fascination for the western world for centuries. This empire lasted almost 1,500 years and saw the birth of Jesus and Christianity, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, and many important architectural advances. While to Roman Empire fell over 1,500 years ago, there are still movies, books, and tv shows made about it. Even so, how much do you really know about the Roman Empire?

The Romans didn’t come up with many original ideas, however, they did take many old ones and improve them. Many have heard about the aqueducts, the colosseums, and the Pantheon with the largest free-standing dome. What do all of these have in common, Roman Concrete. Roman concrete was a mix of volcanic ash, lime, and water. This was then mixed with other small rocks, and once hardened, became concrete. The strength of the Roman concrete is part of the reason why so many of their buildings are still standing thousands of years later.

Julius Caesar is probably one of the most famous leaders of the Roman Empire, known for naming himself emperor, his love affair with Cleopatra, and being killed by his Senate. But there are many other ways that his decisions still affect us today. Caesar was the first to implement a standard calendar that is now known as the Gregorian Calendar and is used by many countries. It is known as Gregorian as Pope Gregory XIII made some alterations, but it is mostly true to the original. The month of July was originally named, Quintilis, and was Caesar’s birth month, so in his honor, the name was changed. While Caesar did name himself ruler of the Roman Empire, he named himself “Dictator Perpetuus” or dictator for life. Caesar never claimed the title of emperor, which would later become a common misconception. Caesar’s life came to an end when he was stabled to death 23 times by many of his advisors. Julius Caesar’s life was full of major historical events and his brutal ending seems fitting for his brutal nature. Caesar shows his importance, even now, with a month and a pizza place named after him.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.