ROMEROME

Travel to Rome

Romans Create a
Republic
• According to legend,
Rome was founded by
Romulus and
Remus= twin sons of
the god Mars and a
Latin princess
• Abandoned on the
Tiber river, raised by a
she-wolf

Romulus & Remus Cartoon

Feral Children

Feral Children: Dog Girl

• 3 groups battled for
control of Italian
peninsula
– Latins, Greeks, and
Etruscans
• Latins: farmers and
shepherds who
wondered into Italy
across the Alps (1000
B.C.)
– Built the settlement at
Rome (cluster of huts),
These were the first
Romans

• Greek settlers come in contactGreek settlers come in contact
with other civilizationswith other civilizations
– Greeks teach Romans how toGreeks teach Romans how to
growgrow grapes and olivesgrapes and olives
• Etruscans were native toEtruscans were native to
northern Italynorthern Italy
– SkilledSkilled metalworkersmetalworkers andand
engineersengineers
– Influenced the development ofInfluenced the development of
Roman civilization andRoman civilization and
architecture-use ofarchitecture-use of archarch
– Romans adopted theirRomans adopted their alphabetalphabet
• Greek settlers come in contactGreek settlers come in contact
with other civilizationswith other civilizations
– Greeks teach Romans how toGreeks teach Romans how to
growgrow grapes and olivesgrapes and olives
• Etruscans were native toEtruscans were native to
northern Italynorthern Italy
– SkilledSkilled metalworkersmetalworkers andand
engineersengineers
– Influenced the development ofInfluenced the development of
Roman civilization andRoman civilization and
architecture-use ofarchitecture-use of archarch
– Romans adopted theirRomans adopted their alphabetalphabet

• Similar Gods to Greeks
– Polytheistic
– Roman: Jupiter and Juno
– Greek: Zeus and Hera

Roman Gods

•2. Romans
established a new
government-
Republic: form of
government in
which power rests
with citizens who
have the right to
vote to select their
leaders
•Citizenship with
voting rights was
granted only to
free-born male
citizens

Rome Becomes a Republic

• Patricians= aristocratic
landowners who held most of the
power, inherited power and social
status
• Plebeians= common farmers,
artisans, and merchants, make up
the majority of the population,
couldn’t hold most important
government positions

• 451 B.C. Rome’s laws
were written on twelve
tablets or tables,
• Hung in Forum
• Established the idea
that all free citizens,
patricians, and
plebeians had a right to
the protection of the law
•Consuls: two officials, like
kings, command the army and
direct the government
•Senate: aristocratic branch,
both legislative and
administrative functions in the
republic
•300 members chosen from
upper class Roman society
•Dictator: leader who had
absolute power, appointed in
times of crisis

Roman army
• Legion: made up of 5,000 heavily armed
foot soldiers
• Rome conquers Italy, Latins become
citizens, other territories the citizens became
2nd
class-given citizenship but no right to
vote, All other conquered groups became
“allies” of Rome

War with Carthage=
Punic Wars
– Rome took rich, grain-
growing island of Sicily as
the chief prize of the victory
–Hannibal, 29-year old
Carthaginian
– Wanted to surprise Rome,
led army through the Alps
– Invaded Northern Italy
– In 202 B.C., near
Carthage, Romans
defeated Hannibal
• Rome’s victories in the Punic
Wars gave it domination
over the western
Mediterranean
War with Carthage=
Punic Wars
– Rome took rich, grain-
growing island of Sicily as
the chief prize of the victory
–Hannibal, 29-year old
Carthaginian
– Wanted to surprise Rome,
led army through the Alps
– Invaded Northern Italy
– In 202 B.C., near
Carthage, Romans
defeated Hannibal
• Rome’s victories in the Punic
Wars gave it domination
over the western
Mediterranean

Punic Wars: Carthage

Hannibal's troops crossing the Rhone River on their way to attack northern Italy.

Hannibal’s Elephants: Elephants in War

Roman Empire Brings Change, Sec 2
• Punic Wars and Rome’s
increasing wealth brought a
widening gap between
RICH and POOR
• Rich landowners lived on huge
estates called latifundia
– Slaves, captured people,
worked on the latifundia
• Small farmers found it difficult
to compete with large estates
run by small labor
– Many farmers became
jobless or homeless
• Class tensions planted the
seeds of the republic’s
collapse
• Punic Wars and Rome’s
increasing wealth brought a
widening gap between
RICH and POOR
• Rich landowners lived on huge
estates called latifundia
– Slaves, captured people,
worked on the latifundia
• Small farmers found it difficult
to compete with large estates
run by small labor
– Many farmers became
jobless or homeless
• Class tensions planted the
seeds of the republic’s
collapse

Roman Social Classes: HBO’s Rome Casting Directors

• Generals recruited
soldiers from the landless
poor by promising them land
• Rivalries between generals
• Ambitious and daring leader,
Julius Caesar, emerges!

Julius Caesar

• Julius Caesar is elected
consul in 59 B.C.
• Formed a triumvirate=
group of 3 leaders, with
Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey
• Caesar only serves as consul
for one year, but conquers
Gaul (now France)
• 44 B.C. the senate appointed
him dictator for life
• He governed as an absolute
ruler= one who has total
power
• Julius Caesar is elected
consul in 59 B.C.
• Formed a triumvirate=
group of 3 leaders, with
Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey
• Caesar only serves as consul
for one year, but conquers
Gaul (now France)
• 44 B.C. the senate appointed
him dictator for life
• He governed as an absolute
ruler= one who has total
power

• Many nobles and senators were troubled by Caesar’s growing
power, success, and popularity
• Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius plotted Caesar’s
assassination
• Caesar was stabbed to death in the senate chamber, March 15,
44 B.C. (Ides of March)

Caesar’s Assassination

• Octavian
became the
unchallenged
ruler of Rome
– Accepted title of
“Augustus”
• Rome was at the
peak of its power
from the
beginning of
Augustus’ rule in
27 B.C. to A.D.
180
• Pax Romana=
Roman peace

• Agriculture was the
most important industry in
the empire
• Rome had a vast trading
network
• Complex network of
roads
• Roman army drew upon the
men of the provinces as
auxiliary, or support, forces
• Augustus was Rome’s
ablest emperor
– Stabilized frontier,
glorified Rome, set up
civil services (paid
workers to manage tax
collection, postal
service…etc)
• No law for selecting a new
emperor, 5 bad emperors-
ending Pax Romana

Example of Bad Roman Ruler:
Nero

Life in Imperial Rome
• Heart of Roman
society was the
family
• Women were nearly the
equals of men
– Couldn’t vote
• Attended public baths,
plays, festivals, and
games
• Favored boys
over girls
• Girls weren’t even
given their own
names (received
feminine form of
the father’s name)
• Few children went
to school

• Slavery was significant
• May have been 1/3 of
population
• Children born to slaves
were also slaves
• Property-punished,
rewarded, set free, or put
to death
•Wealth and social status made
a huge difference
•Rich lived extravagantly, had
banquets, rare and costly food-
boiled ostrich and parrot-tongue
pie

Gladiators

Gladiators
• Some strong, healthy
males were forced to
become gladiators
to gain freedom
• More than a million
slaves lost their lives
attempting freedom

Gladiator Training

Gladiator School

Rise of Christianity, Sec 3
• Christianity arises in Roman-occupied
Judea and spreads throughout the
Roman Empire

Life and Teachings of Jesus
The Rise of Christianity
– Romans Conquer Judea
– Rome conquers Judea, home of
Jews; makes it part of empire,
A.D. 6
– Many Jews believe a Messiah,
or savior, eventually will free
them
Jesus of Nazareth
• Jesus—a Jew born in Bethlehem
(around 6 to 4 B.C.), raised in
Nazareth
– At age 30 begins preaching
monotheism, Ten
Commandments
– Does good works, reportedly
performs miracles
– Stresses personal relationship
with God, love for friends and
enemies

A Growing Movement
• Apostles—the twelve
men who are disciples
(or pupils) of Jesus
– Jesus ignores
wealth and status;
his message
appeals to poor
The Life and Teachings
of Jesus
• Jesus’ Death
• Many Jews view Jesus
as the Messiah; others
see him as a heretic
• Roman governor
Pontius Pilate
sentences Jesus to be
crucified
• Apostles believe Jesus
ascended into heaven
after death
• Christos, Greek word
for “savior”; Christianity
derived from “Christ”

Growth of Christianity
• Followers spread
Christianity—new
religion based on Jesus’
teachings
• Paul’s Mission
• Apostle Paul—spends
life preaching and
interpreting Christianity
• Common languages of
Latin and Greek help to
spread message
• Paul stresses Jesus is
son of God who died for
people’s sins
• Paul declares that
Christianity open to all
converts

Jewish Rebellion
• Jews rebel against Rome;
Romans storm Jerusalem,
destroy Temple
• Rebellions in A.D. 66, 70,
132 fail; Jews driven from
homeland
• Diaspora—centuries of
Jewish exile (from Greek
word for “dispersal”)
Persecution of the
Christians
• Christians won’t worship
Roman gods; become
enemies of Roman rule
• Roman rulers use Christians
as scapegoats for hard
times
• As Pax Romana crumbles,
Christians crucified,
burned, killed in arena

Expansion
Christianity’s Expansion
• Christianity becomes powerful
force; reasons for widespread
appeal: embraces all people,
gives hope to the powerless,
appeals to those repelled by
extravagance of Roman life, offers
personal relationship with a loving
God, promises eternal life after
death

Christianity
Constantine Accepts
Christianity
• Constantine—Roman
emperor battles for control
of Rome in A.D. 312
• Has vision of cross,
Christian symbol; places on
soldiers’ shields
• Believes Christian God
helped him win; legalizes
Christianity
• In A.D. 380 Emperor
Theodosius makes
Christianity religion of
empire

Early Church
Early Christian
Church
• Priests direct a
single church;
bishops supervise
numerous
churches
• Apostle Peter—first
bishop of Rome;
clergy trace their
authority to him
• Pope—the father, or
head, of Christian
Church; Rome,
center of Church

ScripturesScriptures
A Single Voice
• Church leaders compile standard Christian beliefs in New Testament
• New Testament added to Hebrew Bible (also called Old Testament)
The Fathers of the Church
• Early writers and scholars of teachings called Fathers of the Church
• Augustine, bishop in North Africa, one of the most important Fathers
• Stressed receiving sacraments to obtain God’s grace
• Wrote famous book, The City of God

The First Christians

The Decline of the RomanThe Decline of the Roman
Empire, Sec 4Empire, Sec 4
Rome’s Economy
Weakens
• Hostile tribes outside
the empire disrupt
trade
• Inflation—drop in value
of money and rise in
prices—weakens trade
• Overworked soil, war-
torn farmland leads to
food shortages

Military and Political
Turmoil
• By third century A.D.
Roman military in
turmoil
• Soldiers loyal to
commanders, not
Rome;
commanders
fighting for throne
• Government enlists
mercenaries—
foreign soldiers they
pay to fight
• Average citizens lose
interest in the affairs
of Rome

Diocletian Reforms the
Empire
• In A.D. 284 Emperor
Diocletian restores
order, divides empire in
two
• • Two emperors in
Greek-speaking East,
Latin speaking West
• In A.D. 305 Diocletian
retires, rivals compete
for power
Constantine Moves the
Capital
• Constantine becomes
emperor of Western
Empire in A.D. 312
• Seizes Eastern Empire in
A.D. 324; moves Roman
capital to Byzantium
• Byzantium eventually
renamed
Constantinople—city of
Constantine

Germanic Invasions
• Mongol nomads from Asia,
the Huns, invade northern
borders of empire
• Germanic tribes flee the
Huns and enter Roman
lands to escape (spread
out over Roman Empire)
Attila the Hun
• Attila—unites the Huns in
A.D. 444; plunders 70
cities in East
• Attacks Rome in 452;
famine and disease
prevents victory
An Empire No More
• Last Roman emperor falls to
Germans in 476; end of
Western Empire
• East thrives for another
thousand years (Byzantine
Empire)

Rome and Roots of Western
Civilization, Sec 5
A New Culture Emerges
• Romans adopt aspects of Greek
and Hellenistic culture
• Results in Greco-Roman
culture, or classical civilization
Roman Fine Arts
• Romans develop bas-relief
sculptures to tell stories
• Artists skilled in creating
mosaics, painting frescoes
•

PompeiiPompeii
• Pompeii—Roman town; ash from volcanoPompeii—Roman town; ash from volcano
eruption A.D. 79 preserves arteruption A.D. 79 preserves art

Visit Pompeii

Pompeii: The Last Days

Learning and Literature
• Romans borrow from
Greek philosophy and
literature
• Poet Virgil writes epic
Aeneid modeled after
Homer’s Greek epics
• Roman historian Tacitus
excels in writing factually
accurate history
• Annals and Histories
provide comprehensive
look
at Roman life

The Latin Language
• Latin was official language
of Roman Catholic Church
until 1900s
• Develops into French,
Spanish, Portuguese,
Italian, Romanian
• More than half the words in
English stem from Latin
Master Builders
• Romans pioneer use of
arch; also used domes and
concrete
• Create aqueducts—
structures to bring water
into cities, towns

Discovery of Roman Aqueducts

Roman System of Law
• Principles of Roman law
form basis of modern
legal systems
Rome’s Enduring
Influence
• By preserving and adding
to Greek civilization,
Rome strengthened the
Western cultural tradition

Baths of Caracalla

Arch of Constantine

Basilica of Constantine

Arch of Septimius Severus

Forum of Julius Caesar

St. Peter’s Basilica

Trajan’s Market

Pantheon

Tomb of Hadrian

Hadrian’s Wall