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Before Rome became an empire, it was a republic, meaning the people elect who they want to represent them in the government. The United States and other countries have a republic today.

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To keep one from making all the decisions, Rome decided to split the republic into three branches, which is what the US has:
1. Executive - Roman consuls/US president
2. Legislative - Roman Senate & Assemblies/US Senate & House of Representatives
3. Judicial - Roman praetors/US Supreme Court

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The Romans wrote their code of law on Twelve Tablets that were laid out in the Forum of Rome for all to see. The United States shows laws in a similar way in the Constitution, which everyone has access to.

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Some ideas that Roman laws reflected were:
1. All had right to equal treatment under law
2. Innocent until proven guilty
3. Punished for actions, not thoughts
These principles are shown in law-making today, especially in the US.

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Ancient Romans' common language was Latin, which came from the people that first lived in Italy, the Latins. Today people don't really speak Latin, but many words in English have a basis in Latin, such as village, antique, and picture.

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Latin was also the basis for many languages spoken today called "Romance Languages" because they come from the Romans. Some of these languages are Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and Romanian.

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The Alexander Mosaic is a mosaic of the Battle of Alexander out of colored stone/glass. This mosaic was made in Pompeii, and it survived Mt. Vesuvius.

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"Annals and Histories" is a book written by the Roman historian Tacitus telling the accurate history of Rome. Many historians use his works as a reference and basis for their understanding of the history of Rome.

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Augustus of Prima Porta is a statue of Augustus Caesar, a Roman emperor. This statue was made using concepts of realism, an art concept many artists and sculptors use today.

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"The Aeneid" is an epic poem written by the Roman poet Virgil. It is told about a hero, Aeneas, similarly to the way Homer, a Greek poet, told his stories.

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Roman engineers built and kept aqueducts stable by the building technique of an arch.  Engineers in Western Civilization  today use arches for support but also as aesthetic.

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The Romans built the Colosseum, an ancient gladiator arena in Rome, Italy using concrete. The building is still standing today, proving concrete's strength, which is why it is used for building many sturdy buildings.

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The Pantheon is a Roman temple to the gods that they used a dome for to give wider space inside and to look impressive. Many important buildings today are built with domes, such as The Capitol Building in the USA.