Focus question a

What were the defining characteristics of ancient Roman religious beliefs?

Source 1: (record the bibliographical details, including page numbers)

Robert Darlington (2012). History alive 7 for the Australian curriculum. Milton QLD: John
Wiley and sons Australia Ltd. 198 199.

Direct information from the text (include page numbers):

Roman homes also had shrines at which families sacrificed to their
household gods. Romans believed that it was important to know the will of
the gods before political decisions.

Interpretation (how does the above information answer the focus

question?):
It answers the above focus question because one of the most defining
things about roman religion was that they had household gods and shrines

Source 2: (record the bibliographical details, including page numbers)

Robert Darlington (2012). History alive 7 for the Australian curriculum. Milton QLD: John
Wiley and sons Australia Ltd. 198 199.

Direct information from the text (include page numbers):

As the empire expanded Romans adopted more gods from the people they
conquered, especially the Greeks.
Interpretation:
It answers the focus question because the fact that the romans adopted
gods from other cultures is quite defining

Source Commentary:
Choose one of your sources and respond to the following prompts:
1. Explain why it can be classified as either a primary or secondary
source. (Analysis)
2. Justify the degree of reliability of your chosen source. (Evaluation)
3. Suggest how you can use this source when completing your website
(Decision-Making)
They a secondary source because the author was not in ancient Rome. It
is a reliable source because the author speaks to historians and scientists.
I can use this source because it is reliable and has lots of information on
defining things about roman religion.

Focus Question b.
What were the defining characteristics of ancient Roman government?

Source1: (record the bibliographical details including the page numbers)

K.E. Karr. (2016). Roman Government. Available: quatr.us/romans/government/.
Last accessed 8/9/16.

Direct information from the text:

From 500 BC to nearly 1500 AD, for two thousand years, Roman government had more or
less the same system. Of course there were some changes in Roman Republican
government over that time too!
When the Roman Republic was first set up, about 500 BC, the people in charge were two
men called consuls. (Nobody's sure whether the Romans had this idea first, or
the Carthaginians - the two places had similar governments. Compare this also to the
government of Sparta at the same time.) Roman men didn't let women become consuls. The
consuls controlled the army, and they decided whether to start a war and how much taxes to
collect and what the laws were. Both consuls had to agree in order to change anything; if
one of them said veto, Latin for "I forbid it", then the law didn't pass.

Interpretation:
Roman politics was defining because it was a major influence on our politics
today

Source 2: (record bibliographical details including page numbers)

Donald L. Wallson. (2015). Roman Government. Available:
www.ancient.eu/Roman_Government/. Last accessed 8/9/16.
Direct information from the text:

The Roman Republic emerged out of what one historian called the ashes of the
monarchy. Years underneath the unyielding yoke of a king taught the people of
Rome that they had to safeguard against the rule, and possible oppression, of
one individual. The real authority or imperium of the republic, and later empire,
was to be divided among three basic elements - elected non-hereditary
magistrates, a Senate to advise and consent, and popular assemblies.
Unfortunately for many people in Rome, in the early stages of the Republic,
power lay solely in the hands of the elite, the old landowning families
or patricians. The remainder and largest share of the citys population - the
plebeians - had few if any rights. This unequal division of power would not last
very long.
Interpretation:
It was defining because the romans were once a republic but were transformed
into an empire
Source Commentary:
Choose one of your sources and respond to the following prompts:
1. Explain why it can be classified as either a primary or secondary source.
(Analysis)
2. Justify the degree of reliability of your chosen source. (Evaluation)
3. Suggest how you can use this source when completing your website
(Decision-Making)
Bothe sources were secondary sources because neither of the authors were in
ancient Rome. They were both not super trustworthy but the sites were not
dodgy or official. I can use these sources when I am finding about the roman

republic and empire.

Focus Question c.
What were some important government or religious texts and what were
they about?

Source 1: (record the bibliographical details, including the page numbers)

Donald L. Wasson . (2013). Roman Religion. Available:
www.ancient.eu/Roman_Religion/. Last accessed 13/9/16.
Direct information from the text:
Early forms of the Roman religion were animistic in nature, believing that
spirits inhabited everything around them, people included. The first
citizens of Rome also believed they were watched over by the spirits of
their ancestors. Initially, a Capitoline Triad (possibly derived from a
Sabine influence) were added to these spirits" - the new gods
included Mars, the god of war and supposed father of Romulus and
Remus (founders of Rome); Quirinus, the deified Romulus who watched
over the people of Rome; and lastly, Jupiter, the supreme god.
Interpretation:
It is related to the focus question because it is some of the early roman
gods and religious beliefs.Source 2: (record the bibliographical details,
including the page numbers)
Mark Cartwright . (2013). Roman law. Available:
www.ancient.eu/Roman_Law/. Last accessed 13/9/16.
Direct information from the text:
One of the most important sources on Roman law is the Corpus Iuris
Civilis, compiled under the auspices of Justinian I and covering, as its
name suggests, civil law. One of its four books, the massive Digest,
covers all aspects of public and private law. The Digest was produced in

533 CE under the supervision of Tribonian and is an overview of some

2000 separate legal volumes.
Interpretation:
It is related to the source question because it is about the books of civil
law with about 2000 separate legal volumes.

Source Commentary:
Choose one of your sources and respond to the following prompts:
1. Explain why it can be classified as either a primary or secondary
source. (Analysis)
2. Justify the degree of reliability of your chosen source. (Evaluation)
3. Suggest how you can use this source when completing your website
(Decision-Making)

They are both secondary sources because the authors were not in ancient
rome during the time. The articles are somewhat reliable because the
article was written by an adult and the site looks proffesinal.