Ancient Rome

Geography
• The city of Rome was • The legend of
established along the Romulus and Remus
Tiber River was used to describe
• Located on the Italian the beginnings of
Peninsula Rome
(surrounded on three • The land was ideal for
sides by the Med. trade and
Sea) communication within
• Rolling hills and fertile the peninsula
soil made farming
possible
 The Etruscan Civilization
• The Etruscan people lived to the north of Rome
• They traded with the Greek colonies of the
region
• Etruscan’s adapted the Greek alphabet for their
own language (also borrowed ideas about
pottery, and sculpture)
• Formed independent city-states governed by a
King (ruled the Italian peninsula for over 100
years
 The Roman Republic
Consuls (2)
Served for one year
Headed the republic and controlled the army
Had Veto Power
Senators
Served for life
Served for life, declared wars, handled
money matter
Elected by the Patricians
 The Roman Republic
(Continued)
Tribunes
Were elected by the Plebeians
They represented the Plebeians in the Roman
Republic
There were more Plebeian citizens than
Patricians-so they controlled the tribal
assembly
 Social Classes of Rome
• Patricians were the • The Patricians decided to
highest social class give rights to the
during the early Roman Plebeians so they would
Republic come back to Rome
• Patricians did not allow • Slaves in Rome had more
the Plebeians to take part rights than in other lands
or have an equal say in • They were often given
the government their freedom upon their
• The Plebeians decided to owners death or could
leave Rome (when they buy their freedom
did this there was no
more workforce)
 The Punic Wars
• The Punic Wars were fought against
Carthage in northern Africa
• Fought three wars against Carthage to
gain control of the Mediterranean sea
• During the second Punic War, Hannibal
invaded the Italian Peninsula by taking an
army of elephants over the Alps
• Rome won the Punic Wars by destroying
the city of Carthage
 Impacts of the Punic Wars
• New territories were • Slaves were taken back
added when Carthage to Rome
was defeated • Plebeians lost jobs
• Conquered people had to because of the increased
pay taxes to Rome number of slaves
• These taxes made the • The rich got richer and
Patricians more wealthy the poor got poorer
• Captured enemy soldiers
were forced to become
slaves
 Julius Caesar
• Caesar had been consul and then took an
army and conquered Gaul
• Caesar then set his sight on Rome
• He brought his army to Rome and within
60 days conquered the Italian Peninsula
• His leadership and military victories
convinced the Senate that Caesar should
rule for ten years
 Caesar
(Continued)
• He improved the lives of the poor
• Created new jobs and gave citizenship to
more people
• Changed the Senate so it better
represented the Roman people
• The Senators wanted more power so they
assassinated Caesar on the ides of March
44 B.C.
 After Caesar
• After Caesar’s death • Antony then united
Rome was broken with Cleopatra and
into a triumvirate fought Octavian
• The three leaders • Octavian defeats
were Antony, Antony and Cleopatra
Octavian, and in 31 B.C.
Lepidus • Octavian became the
• Antony and Octavian single ruler of the
united and defeated Roman Empire-
Lepidus changed his name to
Augustus Caesar
 The Rule of Augustus
• Though he was the • Created new laws
emperor-he made sure • Under his reign Rome
some elements of the began taking a census to
Republic remained ensure all people paid
• Augustus carefully chose their taxes
people to serve as • The empire grew and
governors for the more soldiers were
provinces needed to protect the
• He gave Roman borders
citizenship to those who • Soldiers were given land
lived in the provinces for their services
 The City of Rome
• Augustus had libraries, • The Aqueducts brought
government offices, fresh water to the city of
temples, and public baths Rome
to be built • The gladiator games took
• Their was a great deal of place in the Colosseum
entertainment found which held 50,000 people
throughout the empire-the
Circus Maximus and the
Colosseum, public baths,
and theatres
 Beginnings of Christianity
• Roman religion was • Pontius Pilate sentences
based on the Greek gods Jesus to death
(polytheistic) • Jesus’s followers
• Christianity comes from reported that on the third
the Greek word Cristos or day after his death he
messiah rose from the dead-
• Jesus was a Jewish convincing them that he
teacher who delivered a was the Messiah
message of peace • The Roman roads
• As Christianity spread, allowed Christianity to
the Roman governors in spread quickly throughout
the region became the Roman Empire
nervous
 Christianity
(Continued)
• Romans began to persecute Christians for
their beliefs-they believed it would stop the
spread of Christianity
• Christianity continued to grow despite the
threats of sever punishments
• Constantine made Christianity an
accepted religion (after seeing the word
Christos in the sky)
 The End of the Roman Empire
• The Roman Empire ended because:
– It became to big to protect all of its borders
– Bad leaders fought for control and no
consistency was established
– Rome’s economy fell, people lacked food and
jobs resulting in riots
– The capital was moved to Constantinople
– Barbarians from the north were much bigger
and stronger than the Romans