WorldHistory I(If "The Decay of Rome"

Read the description of Rome afbr 117AD and answer the questions that follow.

rn thc decltnlng days of tbe Emplre, Rome. v*rose grandeur made erren the

worldltest, most sophtsttcated havdler gape ln. ailre,.'had also become the

lllthieet .{qf h the crrld. .

Ttre dty wae teemlng wlth a populatlon that was mostly unemployed (one-

thlrdof thepopulatlonwas onwelfarc) and thatlived ln tenementswtlcfr werc

crawllngwlth vdnuirt and crtrmb[hgafith decay.

.' .ilome was a shtHng corrt of op,rlence and decadencs, of spiendid publlc

butldlngc ofbrtck and marble.""tand squaltd. hazardous apartrrentbuildhgg, A

large pollee licrteendeavored.to lccp oider, but most honest clttzens fearea to

venhrrc outpast darlsrcBe. and marrlr kna.r' of scvrral plaees wherc thery would

not dare to be fouird ln dayltght- ."

Thosc dweurng ln thc apartment houees also had epeclal fears. The flimsy

eonstmcflons put up for proflt by slurn.landlords'werc'trre hszarilsand ftre was

a parttcularp:oblem ln the ovcrcrourded.streets of Rome. Also. thi butldlngs

tended to colLapse, sometlrmcs all at once, and eome[mes by btts and pleces.

mueh to the chagrtn ofanyone passtngby. t\fiany an unwary Rouian was douncd

by a pail of slop from an upper-story apartrnent or brained wtth a file from a

collapalng roof.

Contrast thts wlth the magnLficent vlllae in the outfyfng.parts of the'clty

surrounded by spaclous. gardens and Bltrated pogls. Wthln thelr walled

eourtyards were bulldtngs ofgrace and beauty, cpol and fragrant. lnhablted by

the prtvlleged famtlles of Rome.

The two clagses ln Rome had llttle to do wltfr one another soclally, other than

thelr attendance at the clrcuses. where the poor rec.etrrcd bread whlte thry
qatched the free chartot races or the gladldtor contests. But ln actuallt5l, one

group from eactr of ttre two cliagses had much'lh comrnon...the women

The women of Rome, no matten wtrat thetr soclal status, had one thfng m
mmmon-. none of then had anyrlghts at all. other than the small dghts gtven

by the men wtro controlled thelr lives.

1. Does the author feel mostly positive or mostly negafive about Rome? Support your answer with 3

specific references to the article.

Do you believe the author's description is accurate? Explain your reasoning.

Suppose we found out the following information. For each piece of information explain whether it
makes what helshe says more or less accurate. Explain your reasoning.

a. the author lived in Ancient Rome at the time

the author was from a region conquered by the Romans

b.
c. the author was a poor Roman who lived in Rome at the time

d- the author wrote this in his/her diary

e. the author was a rich Roman who lived in Rome at the time
the information is similar to what is written in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

f.
by Gibbons, generally seen as the best history book on Ancient Rome ever written

o
b. the authqr was the emperor of Rome at the time

h. the information conrcs from the web site of a American college student who is majoring

in accounting, but has always been fascinated by Ancient History

#1 based on evidence in the text the author does not have a positive outlook on Rome. One reason
I know this is on paragraph 4 the author refers to apartment buildings as "the flimsy constructions
put up for profit by slum landlords" that is hardly a positive statement. Another was in paragraph
two when the author discribes the people's homes as "tenements witch were crawling with vermin
and crumbling with decay". And finally the first paragraph when the city is described as "the filthiest
city in the world.

#2 I do not believe the authors discription because I have heard great things about the city of
Rome.

#3

A. This makes the authors statement of Rome more accurate because no one insults their home
town unless it is really true.

B. This makes the authors statement less true because they prob only don't like that their home
was taken over.

C. This makes the authors statement less accurate because of course he would speak ill of his
landlords and Ritchie people if he were poor.

D. I don't think that this fact affects the prompt.

E. This effects the prompt because a ritch person doesn't have as much nolege on the poor.

F. This makes the prompt more accurate because it is close to one of the best history books.

G this makes the prompt more true because only if it were absultly true would the empower say
that.

H. If he is not majoring in history it might not be the most accurate.