3. In the Beginning…
• Ancient Rome
begin as a group of
villages along the
Tiber River in what
is now Italy.
• Around 750 B.C.
these villages
united to form the
city of Rome.
5. 3 Branches of Government3 Branches of Government
EXECUTIVE
●
2 leaders of the executive branch
●
consuls- elected for one year by the
upper class.
●
DUTIES
●
Supervised the SenateSupervised the Senate
●
ordered the Roman army during warsordered the Roman army during wars
●
Other members of the executive
branch
●
tax collectors, mayors, city police, and
other people in positions of power in
cities.
6. 3 Branches of Government3 Branches of Government
LEGISLATIVE
●
SenateSenate
●
most powerful part of themost powerful part of the
legislative branchlegislative branch
●
group of about 300 malegroup of about 300 male
citizenscitizens
●
WHAT DID THEY DO?WHAT DID THEY DO?
●
They could tell the consulsThey could tell the consuls
how much money theyhow much money they
could spend and on what.could spend and on what.
●
HOW DID THEY GET THEHOW DID THEY GET THE
JOB?JOB?
●
electedelected
7. 3 Branches of Government3 Branches of Government
JUDICIAL
●
had six judges
●
elected every two years.
●
decided punishments for
criminals
●
job was similar to the job
that judges have today in
the India.
8. Patricians & Plebeians
• In the beginning most of
the people elected to the
Senate were patricians.
• Patricians controlled the
law since they were the
only citizens allowed to
be judges.
• Plebeians had the right
to vote, but could not hold
public office until 287
B.C, when they gained
equality with patricians.
10. Formation of Roman Republic
• For more than 200 years, kings ruled
Rome.
• In 509 B.C. Rome became a republic.
• The Roman Senate was an assembly of
elected representatives. It was the single
most powerful ruling body of the Roman
Republic.
11. Roman Expansion
• Under the leadership of ambitious
generals, Rome’s highly trained soldiers
took over most of the land surrounding the
Mediterranean.
• The ancient Romans called the
Mediterranean mare nostrum, meaning
“our sea”.
13. The End of the Roman Republic
• A successful Roman general and
famous speaker, Julius Caesar, was
a governor of the territory of Gaul and
managed to take control of many nearby
territories.
• Fearing him the Roman Senate ordered
him to resign…but he had other ideas.
• Caesar fought for control and won,
becoming the dictator of the Roman world,
ending the Roman Republic.
14. The Roman Empire
• Less than a year after gaining power a
group of angered Senators stabbed
Caesar to death on the floor of the Roman
Senate. (March 15, 44 B.C.)
• This caused a civil war that lasted several
years.
• In 27 B.C., Caesar’s adopted son,
Octavian was named the first emperor of
Rome.
15. The Roman Empire
• An empire is a nation or group
of territories ruled by a single powerful
leader, or emperor.
• Emperor Octavian took the name
Augustus.
• Augustus ruled the Roman Empire for
more than 40 years, known as the
Augustan Age.
16. The Augustan Age
• During the rule of Augustus the Roman
empire continued to expand.
• Augustus kept soldiers along all the
borders to keep peace in the Roman
world.
• During this time trade increased with olive
oil, wine, pottery, marble, and grain being
shipped all across the Mediterranean. This
was also a time of great Roman literature.
17. The Fall of the Roman Empire
• First a monarchy,
then a republic, then
an empire – all roads
led to Rome for over
1200 years.
• Rome had some
wonderful emperors.
Rome also suffered
from a series of bad,
corrupt and just plain
crazy emperors.
18. The Fall of the Roman Empire
• The empire was too large
to govern effectively.
• The army was not what it
used to be. There was
corruption in the military -
dishonest generals and
non-Roman soldiers.
• Civil wars broke out
between different political
groups.
• Emperors were often
selected by violence, or by
birth, so the head of
government was not
always a capable leader.
• The increased use of
slaves put many Romans
out of work
• The rich became lazy and
showed little interest in trying
to solve Rome problems.
• The poor were overtaxed and
overworked. They were very
unhappy.
• Prices increased, trade
decreased.
• The population was shrinking
due to starvation and
disease. That made it difficult
to manage farms and
government effectively.
• The eastern half of the
Roman Empire received a
new name – the Byzantine
Empire. It lasted for another
1000 years!
20. Roman Family
• The Roman family was male-dominated; it was headed by the paterfamilias,
the dominate male (usually the eldest male).
• Paterfamilias dominated entire household, including wives, children, and
slaves.
• Romans raised children in the home
• Slaves that were educated (and usually) Greek were hired to teach children
in the home
– Roman boys learned reading, writing, moral principles, family values, law, and
rhetoric, in addition to having physical training to prepare them to be soldiers
– Roman girls were taught to read and run their household accounts
– Boys “graduated” at the age of 16, when they were considered adults and could
begin wearing the toga
21. Roman Family: Attitudes toward
Women
• Paterfamilias arranged marriages for daughters
– Marriage legal at 12 for girls and 14 for boys, though
marrying this young was unusual
• Roman women often had male guardians out in
public
• Roman marriages were meant to be for life, but
divorce was permitted
• Women could own, sell, and inherit property
• Women were not supposed to participate in
politics and could not hold any political office
22. Roman Family: Changing Roles
• By second century CE, the paterfamilias
no longer had absolute authority over
children
– Could no longer sell children into slavery
– Could not have children
put to death
• Women were no longer
required to have guardians.
23. Slavery was widespread in the ancient world,
and it was essential to Roman society. Between
200 BCE and 200 CE, slaves made up as much as a
third of the population of Rome.
Slavery
24. Slavery in Rome
• Romans were dependent on slave labor
• Most slaves were foreign prisoners of war
• Greek slaves were in demand as tutors, musicians,
doctors, and artists
– Greeks would voluntarily sell themselves as slaves in return for
family life, pay, and possibility of Roman citizenship at the end of
their service
• Slaves were used to build public roads, aqueducts, and
other public projects
• Some slaves were treated humanely, given wages;
others were abused, especially those working in mines
and large-scale agriculture
25. • A free Roman who borrowed money and failed to
repay it could be sold into slavery, but most
slaves were a result of plunder from war and
conquest.
• They were important to the Roman economy as a
commodity and as a labour supply.
• They were important to the Roman economy as a
commodity and as a labour supply.
CarvingCarving
showsshows
tinytiny
slaves,slaves,
reflectingreflecting
theirtheir
positionposition
inin
society.society.
26. Rich vs. Poor
• The wealthy of Rome lived in large houses that were
actually villas – a group of buildings.
• The poor lived in apartment buildings called insulae,
which reached as many as six stories high.
– The buildings were made of concrete and often collapsed, since
they were poorly built
• Fire was a constant threat in the insulae because of
cooking fires, candles, torches, and other open flames.
• High rents forced families to live together in one-room
insulae.
• With no plumbing or central heating, insulae were
uncomfortable and unsanitary
Daily Life in RomeDaily Life in Rome :
27. Public ProgramsPublic Programs
• Roman emperors built temples, marketplaces, baths,
theaters and stadiums that were used by the public.
• Emperors also provided food for the city poor; about
200,000 people received free grain
• Entertainment was provided on a grand scale: public
officials believed as long as the poor were fed and
entertained, they would not revolt against the upper
classes
– The phrase “bread and circuses” was used to describe this
phenomenon
– Stadiums like the Colloseum and the Circus Maximus were
used for gladiator shows, horse and chariot races, and
other entertainments
29. The Circus Maximus was used mostly for chariot
racing. It could seat 250,000 people! There were
other circuses in ancient Rome.
30. Roman ReligionRoman Religion
• Roman religion had declined during the late Republic
• Augustus brought back traditional festivals and
ceremonies to revive the Roman religion.
• The official state religion focused on a umber of gods
(based on Greek gods)
• Romans believed that practicing the proper rituals
brought them into a right relationship with the gods
• Romans were tolerant of other religions in their
conquered provinces
• Eastern religions became popular in Rome after
Hellenistic Greek territories were conquered
31. Rise of Christianity
• In Roman Empire, it was
practiced by more people than
any other religion
• Views of God, humans and the
world very different than Greco-
Roman
• Originally a sect of Judaism
• Emperor Constantine 1st
Christian emperor (4th century)
• 378 - 395 becomes official
religion of the Roman Empire
32. Growth of Roman Population in the
Late Republic
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
220 BCE 190 BCE 170 BCE 50 BCE 1 BCE
Population (x 1000)
34. In The Beginning..
• An economic balance was maintained
between the wealthy and productive East
and the relatively poor and backward
West.
• The East was taxed heavily, and the
money transferred to the West, which was
used to purchase goods from the East.
35. in around 1 BCE. (million dollar)in around 1 BCE. (million dollar)
36. TRADETRADE
Trade was helped
by…
• A common currency for
all territories of the
empire.
• A road network, which
offered security and
speed.
• Control over the
Mediterranean. Most
trade was by sea and the
Romans made it secure.
37. Trade
• Italy imported grain, meat, raw materials from provinces
• Merchants brought silks, linens, glassware, jewelry, furniture from Asia
• Rome, Alexandria became commercial centers
Trade
• Italy imported grain, meat, raw materials from provinces
• Merchants brought silks, linens, glassware, jewelry, furniture from Asia
• Rome, Alexandria became commercial centers
Military and Merchant Routes
• Most roads built, maintained for military purposes
• Cheaper to transport grain by ship from one end of Mediterranean to
other than to send it overland; most goods went by sea
Military and Merchant Routes
• Most roads built, maintained for military purposes
• Cheaper to transport grain by ship from one end of Mediterranean to
other than to send it overland; most goods went by sea
Transportation
• Commercial activity possible because of empire’s location around
Mediterranean and extensive road network
• Ultimately about 50,000 miles of roads bound empire together
Transportation
• Commercial activity possible because of empire’s location around
Mediterranean and extensive road network
• Ultimately about 50,000 miles of roads bound empire together
Opportunities for Trade
