Roman Law, Latin, and Christianity
Understand that Roman law became the basis for legal systems across Europe and beyond, that Latin is the root of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian and gave English hundreds of words (e.g. exit, video, annual, education), and that Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, eventually becoming its official religion under Emperor Constantine
What a learner can do afterwards
- Give examples of English words that come from Latin
- Explain that Roman law influenced modern legal systems in Europe and beyond
- Describe how Christianity spread through the Roman Empire and became its official religion
The lesson
The Roman Empire fell hundreds of years ago, but three things it built are still part of your world: its laws, its language, and a religion called Christianity.
Romans wrote their laws down and expected the same rules to apply to everyone, from a senator to a shopkeeper. They set up courts and judges, and they believed a person accused of a crime deserved a fair hearing. As Rome's empire grew, these ideas spread across Europe. Centuries later, when European countries built their own legal systems, they borrowed heavily from Roman law. Pieces of that Roman thinking still show up in courts across Europe and in many countries those nations once ruled.
Latin was the language every Roman used, from generals to shopkeepers. When Mia's teacher told her that 'annual' comes from the Latin word for year, and 'exit' comes from the Latin for 'go out,' Mia realized she already knew more Latin than she thought. English borrowed hundreds of words this way, including video and education.
Christianity started as a small, often persecuted group within the Roman Empire. As Roman roads and trade routes connected cities, the religion spread from person to person across the empire. By the year 313, Emperor Constantine allowed Christians to worship freely, and Christianity later became the empire's official religion.
Rome fell, but its laws, its language, and its religion had already spread across Europe, and pieces of all three are still with us today.
Watch it
Where it sits
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.