the image above is a triumphal arch. in ancient rome these arches were built to honour great...
TRANSCRIPT
The image above is a Triumphal Arch. In Ancient Rome these arches were
built to honour great leaders or military victories.
The image above is the Arch of Constantine built in 315 AD.
Many of these structures were temporary last from a few days to a few years.
However, we have record of 36 permanent arches that were built during the Roman republic.
Today only 5 Roman arches remain. Throughout history many leaders and
nations have adopted the arch as a symbol of honour and power.
Today some of the most famous triumphal arches are located outside the boundaries of the former Roman empire.
For example: Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Arch of Triumph in Korea.
Canada has several smaller arches. Ex: National War memorial
Historians know that Rome grew out of a small farming village in the 10th century BC (1000 BC).
However, the exact dates and timeline for the development of Rome is unknown.
Many historians use 509 BC as the start of the Roman empire.
There is evidence to suggest another date for the founding of Rome.
According to legend Rome was founded by two brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were descendants of a Trojan prince.
The date derived from some ancient sources is April 21, 753 BC.
It is said that the brothers (twins) were abandoned near the Tiber river and raised by a she-wolf.
As adults the brothers founded Rome in the same spot as they were found by the she-wolf.
The Roman empire started and developed slowly.
The Romans built their empire by slowly annexing (taking over) new territories.
The Romans followed the same type of expansion as the Persians.
However, their political system resembled that of the Greeks.
Previously to 509 BC Rome was nothing more than a city state.
It is believed that early in Rome’s history (before 509 BC) this area was inhabited by the Etruscans.
The Etruscans lived in Rome for a very long time roughly around 1200 BC.
Along with the Etruscans the Italian peninsula was shared by the Latins, Samnites and those from Campania.
Until 509 BC there was limited contact between these groups (War).
In 509 BC the Romans (a sub-group of the Latins) took over the city of Rome and forced out the Etruscans.
Once the city has been taken over the Romans started to expand its territory.
According to Roman law, war was only justified as defence.
This means that Roman armies would attack and conquer territory as a form of preventative measures.
Therefore, as Rome expanded it needed to attack and conquer more territory in order to protect their empire.
Rome conquered territory in order to prevent attacks against their empire
Once Rome had conquered all of the Italian peninsula they began expanding outward.
One of the first foreign opponents that Rome had to face was Carthage.
Carthage was a powerful city located in Northern Africa.
Today Carthage would be located in Tunisia.
Originally Rome and Carthage fought over control of Mediterranean trade routes.
Rome and Carthage fought three wars called the Punic Wars.
The First war started in 264 BC. The third and final war ended in 146 BC.
In 146 Carthage surrendered fully As result Rome destroyed the city of
Carthage and took over the surrounding territories.
Hannibal was the leader of Carthage during the Second Punic War.
The war lasted for 218 BC to 203 BC. Hannibal was actually the most
successful of all Carthaginian leaders.
Hannibal was a brilliant military leader and tactician.
He had a strategy that used very quick movement from place to place.
Hannibal was famous for his use of war elephants.
Hannibal landed in Gaul (France) and marched through the Alps.
This journey cost Hannibal many of his troops. Many died from lack of food and the cold.
Hannibal marched all the way to Rome defeating many of Rome’s armies along the way.
Hannibal was finally defeated at the Battle of Zama (203 BC)
The Romans were a naval superpower at the time.
The Carthaginians lost many ships to the Roman Navy.
By 146 BC Carthage had fallen and Rome expanded it’s empire.
However, Hannibal showed the Roman leaders major flaws in Rome’s defences and military mobilization.
Rome also acquired the understanding and use of war elephants.
Rome had a very powerful and well-organized army.
Rome was able to use this army to keep control over the territories that it had conquered.
Rome’s institution, government, and laws were constantly changing in order to meet the new needs of the state.
State: country or government of a country
Over the span of only a few centuries Rome had taken control of the entire Mediterranean area.
Many of the enemies that Rome faced were very strong.
Rome lost many battles during its history however, they ultimately won wars due to their persistence and organization
With every war that Rome had fought their army grew and became stronger.
This is because many enemies pledged their allegiances to Rome and joined the army.
Furthermore, Rome borrowed military tactics and weapons from their enemies.
For example: War elephants from the Carthaginians, short swords from the Spanish tribes.
Caesar started his public career as a senator.
It was during this time that he accumulated religious, political, and military powers.
Caesar was an extremely successful general and added much territory to Rome’s empire.
One of Caesar’s most famous military campaigns was the Gallic Wars.
From 58 to 51 BC the Romans were at war with the Gauls (modern day France). Rome was victorious
After these wars Caesar gained more power.
He became Rome’s first Emperor and was assassinated shortly after.
His adopted son Augustus took over as emperor.
Rome was led by kings until about 509 BC.
Eventually these kings were overthrown and a new system of government was put into place.
The new system was called the Republic.
Magistrates and senators were elected by the citizens of Rome, to hold very high offices and powers.
The republic lasted for approximately 450 years.
The republic was the pride of the ancient world.
The Romans prided themselves on the fact that their empire was ruled by the people.
For nearly 450 years the republic was able to prevent any one person from gaining too much power.
When a senator or magistrate was given a high ranking office it was customary for them to return power to the Republic.
Most high ranking offices had a term of 1 to 2 years.
Military offices were less defined. Usually power was given back at the end of a conflict.
If power was not returned people were put in jail or exiled.
Some like Caesar were assassinated.
During the Republic, Roman citizens elected magistrates.
There was a citizen assembly but it did not hold any official power.
The lowest office was that of Quaestor. This office was in charge of finance. There were 20 Quaestors.
The next office was the Aediles. There were 4 and were in charge of maintenance.
The next office was that of Praetor, there were 8 and were in charge of justice.
The final office was the most prestigious and most powerful. Which was the office of Consul.
There were 2 Consuls, and were in charge of the military.
All of these offices had a 1 or 2 year term. Once the term was over these
magistrates became senators. There were 300 and were named for
life. Their were in charge of foreign policy (war and trade with other territories)
The Senate also supervised the magistrates.
The made sure that no one person gained too much power .
There were 10 Tribunes. These offices were filled by plebeians only.
There role was to protect the plebeian citizens. They could veto any law of any magistrate if it proved to be unfair.
Veto: means to overrule, final say with any issue.
During the Empire the Emperor was the head of the government and army.
The Emperor appointed senators and governors to manage the empire and apply laws.
Citizens still voted for magistrates. However, the emperor could suggest people he thought could do the job
During the empire citizens could vote on laws proposed by the emperor.
The Tribunes lost their veto power. The Emperor held the final say
(veto power) on all matters. Magistrates still kept their offices for
a term of 1-2 years. Basically the Roman emperors kept
the structure of the government, but offices held no official power.
Emperors passed down their power when they died. Usually to their son or adopted son or close male relative.
During the height of the Roman Empire, Rome was home to about 1 million people.
Many elaborate building were constructed for religious, political, entertainment purposes.
All riches and wealth acquired during war was used to make the city more elaborate and luxurious.