Identifier: firstbookinameri01sout (find matches)
Title: A first book in American history with European beginnings
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: Southworth, Mrs. Gertrude Van Duyn, 1874-
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Chicago, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
eserved theliterature of the Greeks and added to it. Many of hergreat soldiers and statesmen were famous orators andwriters. Julius Caesar wrote an account of his battles inGaul, and this book is one of the first that Latin scholarsnow study. As there were no printing presses, all the copying wasdone by slaves. The slaves wrote from dictation onlong strips of thin paper. The strips were then fastenedto two light, round sticks. When reading, a stick washeld in each hand and the strip of paper was unrolledfrom one stick and rolled upon the other. Thousands of Greek prisoners lived as slaves inRoman homes. These slaves were often brilliant scholars,far better educated than their masters, and they taughtGreek learning and customs to the members of the Ro-man household. Many Greek words were adopted intothe Latin language and from the Latin have come to us. 19 A FIRST BOOK IN AMERICAN HISTORY As Rome grew greater, more slaves were brought in,more wealth was gained from captured cities. The
Text Appearing After Image:
A Street Scene in Rome. Roman nobles gave themselves up to new luxuries. Allthe work was done by slaves, so there was no way for the poorer classesto earn a living.These people gath-ered in the citiesand lived as beg-gars, supported bygifts of grain fromthe state, andamused by publicentertainments inthe vast Romantheatres and circuses. Such entertainments were sometimesvery beautiful, sometimes very brutal, always very costly. 20

Note About Images