SOCIAL LIFE UNDER THE EMPIRE. The continued decadence at Rome--The shows--Theatre--Circus--Amphitheatre--Gladiators--The Roman peace--Fusion of the peoples--Superstitions. CHAPTER XXV ARTS AND SCIENCES IN ROME. Letters--Imitation of the Greeks--The Augustan Age--Orators and rhetoricians--Importance of the Latin literature and language--Arts--Sculpture and painting-- Architecture--Characteristics of Roman architecture--Rome and its monuments. ROMAN LAW. The Twelve Tables--Symbolic process--Formalism-- Jurisprudence--The prætor's edict--Civil law and the law of nations--Written reason. CHAPTER XXVI THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. Origin of Christianity--Christ--Charity-- Equality--Poverty and humility--The kingdom of God. FIRST CENTURIES OF THE CHURCH. Disciples and apostles--The church-- Sacred books--Persecutions--Martyrs--Catacombs. THE MONKS OF THE THIRD CENTURY. Solitaries--Asceticism--Cenobites. CHAPTER XXVII THE LATER EMPIRE. The revolutions of the third century--Military anarchy--Worship of Mithra--Taurobolia--Confusion of religions. REGIME OF THE LATER EMPIRE. Reforms of Diocletian and Constantine-- Constantinople--The palace--The officials--Society of the later empire. CHURCH AND STATE. Triumph of Christianity--Organization of the church--Councils--Heretics--Paganism--Theodosius. CHAPTER I THE ORIGINS OF CIVILIZATION PREHISTORIC ARCHÆOLOGY =Prehistoric Remains.=--One often finds buried in the earth, weapons, implements, human skeletons, débris of every kind left by men of whom we have no direct knowledge. These are dug up by the thousand in all the provinces of France, in Switzerland, in England, in all Europe; they are found even in Asia and Africa. It is probable that they exist in all parts of the world. These remains are called prehistoric because they are more ancient than written history. For about fifty years men have been engaged in recovering and studying them. Today most museums have a hall, or at least, some cases filled with these relics. A museum at Saint-German-en-Laye, near Paris, is entirely given up to prehistoric remains. In Denmark is a collection of more than 30,000 objects. Every day adds to the discoveries as excavations are made, houses built, and cuts made for railroads. These objects are not found on the surface of the ground, but ordinarily buried deeply where the earth has not been disturbed. They are recovered from a stratum of gravel or clay which has been deposited gradually and has fixed them in place safe from the air, a sure proof that they have been there for a long time.