1. Stable Food and Water Supply: food, farming, agriculture, aqueducts, trade

2. Government: Organized leadership for the benefit of all. Laws, crime and punishment, military, Imperial Rome, Roman Republic, Senators

3. Specialized Labor: The exchange of goods and services allows people to train and work in a specific trade/job. Jobs: craftsmen, merchants, builders, doctors, etc.

4. Social Structure: Social distinctions such as ruling class, working class, rich vs. poor, plebian, patrician, slaves, homes, clothing, role of women

5. Highly Developed Culture

• Religion

• Art and Leisure: Moving beyond the merely functional, people can dedicate time and resources to the finer things including:

• Decorative arts, painting, sculpture, mosaics

• Performing arts, theater, music, dance

• Leisure Activities/Entertainment: Colosseum (gladiators and the games, Chariot Races, the Baths

• Fashion and beauty

• Architecture, Public Works, Invention: Large scale building projects that benefit all such as pyramids, temples and palaces. Advances in science and invention.

• Trade, Money

6. System of Writing (and numbers) - Formal and organized written communication for use in religion, government, business, and recording history. Writing, Roman Numerals, Calendar, Literature, Plays, Education, Writers

Use the books in the library to read about your topic. As you build your understanding of the topic, write down notes about this topic, then organize and connect some of the information into sub-topics. These groupings, or sub-topics can be areas your want to research more. They can be the basis of your research questions.

BACKGROUND FOCUS AREAS

Background Research and Questions Sheet (BLUE SHEET)

• Lined Blue Sheet