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Roman Society Document Analysis Directions: Read the following documents then complete the chart to help you address the document analysis task - Evaluate the positive and negative aspects of Roman society.

Document 1 Source: Epitaph [tombstone inscription] of Cornelius Scipio Hispanus, member of the patrician class, c. 135 B.C.E. By my good conduct, I heaped honor upon the honor of my family; I had children, and I tried to equal the deeds of my father; I won the praise of my ancestors and made them glad I was born; My own virtue has made noble my family tree.

Document 2 Source: Diodorus, Greek historian, The History of the World, 30 B.C.E. Their bodies are worn down from working in the mine shafts both day and night. Many die because of the terrible treatment they suffer. They are given no rest or break from their work but are forced by the whiplashes of their overseers to endure the most dreadful hardships….They often pray more for death than for life.

Document 3 Source: Seneca the Younger, philosopher, Letters, 60 C.E. There is nothing more harmful to one’s character than going to one of these [gladiatorial games]. … When I come home from one, I find that I am greedier and more aggressive….I am more cruel.

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Document 4 Source: State Regulation on the sale of surplus grain, circa 97 C.E. Whereas the [officials] of the most illustrious colony of Antioch have written to me that on account of the severity of the winter the price of grain has soared…all who are either citizens or residents of the colony of Antioch shall declare…within thirty days after this edict of mine is posted in public, how much grain he has and in what place…and he shall make all the remaining grain available to purchasers of the colony of Antioch….it is most unjust for anyone to profiteer from the hunger of his fellow citizens, I forbid the price to exceed…

Document 5 Source: Livy, Roman historian, writing about an event sometime in the 1st century C.E. about an event that happened around 200 B.C.E. The law said that no woman might own more than half an ounce of gold nor wear a multicoloured dress nor ride in a carriage in a city or in a town within a mile of it, unless there was a religious festival [Note: the law was passed to raise money in order to defend from Hannibal’s attacks during the Second Punic War]. The tribunes…said that they would not allow its repeal….The matrons, whom neither counsel nor shame nor their husbands’ order could keep at home, blockaded every street in the city and every entrance to the Forum. As the men came down to the Forum, the matrons besought to let them, too, have back the luxuries they had enjoyed before, giving as their reason that the republic was thriving and that everyone’s private wealth was increasing with every day. This crowd of women was growing daily, for now they were even gathering from the towns and villages. Before long they dared go up and solicit consuls, praetors, and other magistrates [officials].

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Document 6 Source: Juvenal, Roman writer, about his friend’s decision to leave Rome, 112 C.E. Since at Rome there is no place for honest pursuits, no profit to be got by honest toil – my fortune is less today than it was yesterday, and tomorrow must again make that little less….It is that the city is become Greek…that I cannot tolerate; and yet how small the proportion even of the dregs of Greece! Syrian Orontes has long since flowed into the Tiber, and brought with it its language, morals, and the crooked harps with the flute-player, and its national tambourines, and girls made to stand for hire at the Circus. Go thither, you who fancy a barbarian harlot with embroidered turban.”

Document 7 Source: Fan Yeh, Chinese traveler, upon visiting the Roman city of Antioch, circa 150 C.E. The defences of cities are made of stone. The postal stations and mile-stones on the roads are covered with plaster. There are pine and cypress trees and all kinds of other trees and plants. The people are much bent on agriculture, and practice the planting of trees and the rearing of silk-worms. They cut the hair of their heads, wear embroidered clothing, and drive in small carriages covered with white canopies…They are honest in their transactions, and there are no double prices. Cereals are always cheap. The budget is based on a well-filled treasury.

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SOAPS-Tone Chart for Roman Society Document Analysis Directions: Complete the chart based on your analysis of the documents

Document # Subject Occasion Audience Purpose Speaker Tone

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