Chapter 6: Ancient Rome 500 BCE-500 CE

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Chapter 6 Ancient Rome 500 BCE-500 CE
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Section 1 The Roman Republic
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The Origins of Rome

• Legend Romulus Remus
• Important location Tiber River, center of
  Italian peninsula, center of Mediterranean
• Greatly influenced by Greece

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Legend of Romulus and Remus
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The Early Republic

• 600 BCE Rome has its first king
• 509 BCE Tarquin the Proud has its last king (he
  was a jerk)
• Kings replaced by a republic a form of govt. in
  which power rests with the citizens who have the
  right to vote for their leaders

See page 157. What are some similarities in the
governments of the Roman Republic and the United
States? Which government seems more democratic?
Why?
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• Early in the republic, patricians (wealthy
  landowners who had most of the power) and
  plebeians (common farmers, artisans, and
  merchantsmajority of pop.) struggled for power
• Plebeians were eventually allowed to form their
  own assembly and elect representatives called
  tribunes
• The plebeians forced the creation of the first
  law code called the twelve tables

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• What government under the republic looked like

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• In times of crisis, the republic could appoint a
  dictator (a leader who had absolute power to make
  laws and command the army)
• All citizens who owned land were required to
  serve in the army
• Roman soldiers were organized into large military
  units called legions

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Rome Spreads its Power

• Rome conquers Italy by 265 BCE
• Romes location gave it easy access to the
  Mediterranean Sea
• 264 BCE-146 BCE Rome and Carthage fight the
  Punic Wars
• Romes general Scipio wins war against Carthages
  general Hannibal

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Section 2 The Roman Empire
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The Republic Collapses

• As Rome grew, the gap between the patricians and
  plebeians grew wider and this discontent led to a
  civil war in Rome
• As the republic grew unstable, generals began
  taking power for themselves, recruiting the
  landless poor to become their soldiers in
  exchange for land and pay
• 60 BCE Julius Caesar (a military leader) joins
  forces with Crassus (a wealthy Roman) and Pompey
  (a popular general) and is elected consul in 59
  BCE for 10 years these three men ruled Rome as a
  triumvirate (a group of three rulers)

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Rome Under Caesar

• 44 BCE Caesar named dictator for life started
  reforms (more citizenship granted, expanded the
  senate, created jobs for poor)
• Some nobles and senators were concerned about
  Caesars growing power, success, and popularity
  and feared losing their influence
• March 15, 44 BCE Caesar assassinated (stabbed to
  death) by a number of important senators

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Beginning of the Empire

• Civil war broke out again after Caesars death
  and destroyed what was left of the republic
• 43 BCE Octavian (Caesars adopted son), Mark
  Antony (a general), and Lepidus (a powerful
  politician) take control of Rome and rule for 10
  years as the Second Triumvirate
• Octavian becomes the unchallenged ruler of Rome,
  taking the title Augustus (or exalted one)
  hes also called emperor

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A Vast and Powerful Empire

• Pax Romana time of peace and prosperity lasted
  207 years
• Augustus stabilized the frontier, glorified Rome
  with public buildings, and set up a civil service
  where he paid workers to manage the empire
• Agriculture was the most important industry in
  the empire (90 of people engaged in farming!)
• Romes vast trading network by land and sea
  brought additional food

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The Roman World

• Slavery was widespread and important (maybe 1/3
  of total population)
• There was a large gap between the rich and the
  poor
• Many people are poor, homeless, and starving

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Section 4 The Fall of the Roman Empire

• Problems from within the empire and from outside
  the empire

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A Century of Crisis

• Romes interior weakens due to
• tribes outside the boundaries of the empire and
  pirates on the Mediterranean disrupting trade
• raising taxes
• making more money (inflationa drastic drop in
  the value of money along with a rise in prices)
• food shortages and disease spreading (less
  people)
• the military becoming less disciplined and loyal
• hiring mercenaries (foreign soldiers who fought
  for money) who had little sense of loyalty to the
  empire
• Average citizens losing their sense of patriotism

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Emperors Attempt Reform

• Diocletian
• divides the empire in two (Greek-speaking East
  and Latin-speaking West)
• rules the east and appoints a co-ruler in the
  west
• Constantine
• gains control of the western part of the empire
  then the eastern part, restoring the concept of a
  single ruler
• Moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium
  (eventually renamed Constantinople)

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The Western Empire Crumbles

• Final collapse was due to
• worsening internal problems
• the separation o the Western Empire from the
  wealthier Eastern Empire
• outside invasions
• the Huns push Germanic tribes into Roman lands
• Attila the Hun and his soldiers terrorized both
  halves of the empire
• Last Roman emperor (14-yr old Romulus Augustus)
  was ousted by Germanic forces in 476
• Eastern Empire continues to flourish until 1453

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• What group of invaders came the greatest
  distance?
• What do these invasion routes have to do with the
  song Roll Over? (There were 10 in the bed and
  the little one said, roll over, roll over. There
  were 9 in the bed and the little one said)

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Section 5 Rome and the Roots of Western
Civilization
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The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization

• Greco-Roman Culture mixture of Greek,
  Hellenistic, and Roman culture
• Sculptors create realistic portraits in stone
• Much art was intended for public education
• The poet Virgil wrote epics (like Homer)

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The Legacy of Rome

• Latin was adopted by different peoples and
  developed into French, Spanish, Portuguese,
  Italian, and Romanian (romance languages)
• Aqueducts, the Colosseum, and the network of
  roads all show how the Romans were master
  builders
• Romans were the first to believe that laws should
  be fair and apply equally to all people