Ancient Rome

The Beginnings of Rome

■ According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of the god Mars and a Latin princess.– Rome was built on seven rolling hills near the

Tiber River.

Inhabitants of Rome

■ Three groups that lived in the region and fought for control were the Latins, the Greeks, and the Etruscans.

■ Latins:▪ Were farmers and shepherds who wandered into Italy across the Alps in 1000 B.C.

▪ They settled into a region on the Tiber River known as Latium.

▪ They were the 1st Romans

Latium

Inhabitants of Rome

■ Greeks:▪ Between 750-600 B.C., Greek settlers established about 50 colonies on the coasts of Italy and Sicily.

▪ Their cities thrived and it brought Romans into closer contact with Greek civilization.

Greek Colonies

Inhabitants of Rome

■ Etruscans:▪ The Etruscans were native to northern Italy. ▪ They were skilled metalworkers and engineers. ▪ Also had a system of writing and the Romans adopted the Etruscan alphabet.

▪ They influenced Roman architecture by using the arch.

Etruscans

Roman Religion

■ Borrowed religion from the Greeks

■ Roman gods also took on the personality traits as the Greek gods except with different names.

▪ Example: Zeus was the king of the Greek gods, while Jupiter was king of the Roman gods

The Roman Republic

■ Last king of Rome was Tarquin the Proud. – Tarquin was overthrown in 509 B.C. for a new

type of government.▪ They called it a republic which is a form of government in which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote to select their leaders.

Patricians vs. Plebeians

■ Two groups battled for power early in the Roman republic.– Patricians: They were the aristocratic landowners who held

most of the power. – Inherited their power and social status.– Claimed their ancestry gave them power to make the laws for Rome

and the people.

– Plebeians: They were the common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population.

– Citizens of Rome who had the right to vote– Were barred from holding the most important government positions. – In time, the Senate allowed them to form their own assembly and elect

representatives called tribunes. Tribunes protected the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts of patrician officials.

The Roman Forum

Roman Government

■ In the place of a king, Rome had two officials called consuls.

▪ Like kings, they commanded the army and directed the government.

▪ A consul’s term lasted only one year and could not be re-elected for 10 years.

▪ One consul could always override, or veto, the other’s decisions.

Roman Government

■ The Senate was the aristocratic (patrician) branch of Rome’s government.

▪ It had both legislative and administrative functions in the republic.▪ Powers also included influence on foreign and domestic policy.

■ The Assemblies were the more democratic (plebeian) side of the government.

▪ All citizen-soldiers were members of the Centuriate Assembly.▪ An assembly, called the Tribal Assembly, elected the tribunes and

made laws for the common people. – In times of crisis, the republic could appoint a dictator – a

leader who had absolute power to make laws and command the army.

Roman Army

■ All citizens who owned land were required to serve in the army.

▪ To secure certain public offices, 10 years of service were required.

▪ Roman soldiers were organized into large military units called legions. The Roman legion was made up of some 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers which was known as an infantry.

▪ Legions were divided into smaller groups of about 100 men, each of which was called a century.

■ This military organization and fighting skill of the Roman army were key factors in Rome’s rise to greatness.

The Roman Army

The Punic Wars

■ In 264 B.C., Rome and Carthage went to war. This was the beginning of the long struggle known as the Punic Wars.

▪ Between 264-146 B.C., Rome and Carthage fought three wars.

– The 1st Punic War, for the control of Sicily and the western Mediterranean, lasted 23 years (264-241 B.C.). ▪ It ended in the defeat of Carthage and Rome took the rich,

grain-growing island of Sicily as the chief prize.

The 1st Punic War

The Punic Wars

■ The 2nd Punic War began in 218 B.C..

■ The mastermind behind the war was a 29-year-old Carthaginian general named Hannibal.

■ Hannibal was a brilliant military strategist who wanted revenge on Rome.

The 2nd Punic War■ Hannibal assembled an army of 50,000

infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and 60 elephants with the intent of capturing Rome.

■ To surprise the Romans, he led his army on a long trek from Spain across France and through the Alps.

■ Although he lost half of his men, Hannibal’s greatest victory came at Cannae in 216 B.C.

■ Hannibal inflicted enormous losses on the Roman army, but they regrouped led by Scipio.

■ In 202 B.C., Scipio invaded Carthage and forced Hannibal back to defend his country.

■ Finally, at Zama near Carthage, the Romans defeated Hannibal.

The 3rd Punic War

■ By the time of the 3rd Punic War (149-146 B.C.), Carthage was no longer a threat to Rome.

▪ The Romans did not forget the destruction Hannibal left at Rome.

▪ So in 149 B.C., the Romans invaded Carthage and by 146 B.C. the city was set afire and 50,000 inhabitants were sold into slavery.

■ By 70 B.C., Rome was now in control of the ancient world.

The 3rd Punic War

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

■ In 60 B.C., Caesar joined forces with Crassus, a wealthy Roman, and Pompey, a popular general.

▪ With their help, Caesar was elected consul in 59 B.C.

– For the next 10 years, these 3 men would dominate Rome as a triumvirate, a group of three rulers.

Caesar

■ Caesar was a strong leader and military genius.

▪ After serving his year of consul, he named himself governor of Gaul.

▪ During 58-50 B.C., Caesar led his legions in a successful campaign to conquer all of Gaul.

▪ This would make Caesar very popular in Rome.

Caesar vs. Pompey

■ Pompey became weary of Caesar and his success.

▪ In 50 B.C., the Senate ordered Caesar to disband his legions and return home……. Caesar refused.

– The Result?

– On the night of January 10, 49B.C., Caesar and his army marched into Rome and Pompey fled.

– Caesar’s troops would defeat Pompey’s armies in Greece, Asia, Spain, and Egypt.

– Finally in 46 B.C., Caesar returned to Rome, where he had the support of the army and the common people.

■ In 46 B.C., Caesar was named dictator for life.

The Assassination of Caesar

■ Many nobles became weary of Caesar’s popularity. – A number of important senators, led by

Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius, plotted his assassination. ▪ On March 15, 44 B.C., they stabbed him to death in the senate chamber.

The 2nd Triumvirate

■ After Caesar’s death, civil war broke out and destroyed the Roman Republic.– Three of Caesar’s supporters banded together

to crush the assassins.

– Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus formed the 2nd Triumvirate in 43 B.C.▪ They ruled for 10 years until jealousy and violence led to its resolve.

The 2nd Triumvirate

■ 1st: Octavian forced Lepidus to retire■ 2nd: Octavian and Mark Antony became rivals.

– Mark Antony fell in love with Queen Cleopatra while in Egypt and Octavian accused Antony of plotting to rule Rome from Egypt.

■ At the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., Octavian defeated the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra. Later, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.

Octavian Becomes Augustus

■ After the war, Octavian returned to Rome where he would become the unchallenged ruler.

■ Eventually, he accepted the title of Augustus, or exalted one.

The Pax Romana■ Rome was at its peak under Augustus from 27 B.C. until 180 A.D.

– This period of peace and prosperity is known as the Pax Romana or Roman peace.

■ Augustus was Rome’s ablest emperor. – After he died in 14 A.D., Tiberius, his son, became emperor.

■ After Tiberius’s death, Rome’s peace and prosperity depended on the transfer of power between emperors.

■ The problem was solved with the invention of the Five Good Emperors. – Beginning with Nerva in 96 A.D., and ending with the reign of Marcus Aurelius in

180 A.D., these 5 emperors adopted a respected leader to succeed them.– With Aurelius’s death in 180, this marked the beginning of the empire’s decline

and the end of the Pax Romana.

Jesus

■ Jesus was born sometime between 6-4 B.C.– He taught many

fundamental Jewish beliefs that were contained in the Old Testament.

– The New Testament contains information about his life and his teachings. ▪ Followers of Jesus were

known as apostles.

Early Years of Christianity

■ Jews tried to rebel against the Roman government. – In 70 A.D., Romans stormed Jerusalem and

destroyed the temple complex. ▪ 500,000 Jews were killed

– Then in 132, another half-million Jews died in three years of fighting.

– Most Jews were driven from their homeland into exile after this.▪ This dispersal of the Jews is called the Diaspora.

Spread of Christianity

■ The widespread of Christianity was the result of a variety of reasons.

▪ 1. It embraced all people- men, women, slaves, poor, and nobles.

▪ 2. It gave hope to the powerless▪ 3. It appealed to those who were repelled by imperial Rome.

▪ 4. It offered a personal relationship with a loving God.

▪ 5. It promised eternal life after death.

Constantine and Christianity

■ A critical moment in Christianity occurred in 312 when the Roman emperor Constantine was fighting 3 rivals for his life.– On the day before the battle at Milvian Bridge,

Constantine prayed for divine help▪ He then saw a cross of light in the heavens bearing the description, “In this sign, conquer.”

– Constantine won the battle and gave credit for his success to the Christian God.

The Official Religion

■ In 313, Constantine ordered an end to all persecution of the Christians.

■ In the Edict of Milan, he declared Christianity to be one of the religions approved by the emperor.

■ Finally in 380, the emperor Theodosius made it empire’s official religion.

Decline of the Roman Empire

Decline of the Roman Empire

■ The Roman Empire began its decline in 180 A.D.– 1st problem was the economy.

– Sources of income began to disappear– Pirates disrupted trade on the Mediterranean– Wars were costly

– 2nd problem was agriculture– Overworked soil produced no crops– Farmland was destroyed by warfare– Food shortages resulted from these reasons

– 3rd problem was the Roman Army– Army began to lose wars– Discipline and loyalty collapsed

Diocletian■ In 284 A.D., Diocletian, a strong-

willed army leader, became the new emperor.

■ Diocletian accomplished many reforms:– 1. Doubled the size of the Roman

armies– 2. He divided the empire into

Greek-speaking East, and Latin-speaking West

– 3. Diocletian took the Eastern Empire and appointed General Maximian ruler of the Western Empire

– 4. Each emperor had an assistant, who was to become their successor.

Diocletian

■ Diocletian retired in 305 A.D. and plans for his succession failed after his death in 311.

■ The results:– 312: Constantine gains control of the Western Empire– 324: Constantine gains control of the Eastern Empire– 330: Constantine moves the capital from Rome to the

Greek city of Byzantium, a grave consequence for the Roman Empire. He renamed the city Constantinople.

Decline of the Roman Empire

■ After Constantine’s death, the empire would once again be divided; the East would survive, the West would fall.

– 408: The Visigoths, led by Alaric, and destroyed Rome in three days.

– 444: The Huns, led by Attila, attacked both sides of the empire.

– 455: The Vandals invaded Rome, thus ending the Roman Empire forever.

Greco-Roman Culture

■ A new culture emerged after the Roman Empire. The Greco-Roman culture mixed elements of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture.

■ This is often called the classic civilization.

Greco-Roman Culture

■ During the Greco-Roman culture, the Romans developed a type of sculpture called bas-relief. In bas-relief, images project from a flat background.

■ Romans also created mosaics. Mosaics were pictures or designs made by putting small pieces of stone, glass, or tile onto a surface.

Roman Literature

■ Virgil:– Spent 10 years writing the

most famous work of Latin literature, The Aeneid, the epic of the legendary Aeneas.

■ Tactius:– Wrote The Annals and

Histories of Rome. In this book, he wrote about the good and the bad of imperial Rome.