ANCIENT ROME

LEGEND OF ROMEMythological start of Rome:Founded in 753 B.C. by twins Romulus &

RemusAbandoned on Tiber River – raised by

she-wolfLater the brothers quarrel – Romulus kills

Remus

GEOGRAPHYUnlike Greece - geography allowed

people in Rome to UNITE under one government

Built on seven rolling hills on the Tiber River

CENTER of the Italian PENINSULAMidway between ALPS and Southern tip

of ItalyNear the Mediterranean Sea

Three Early Groups3 groups battled for control:I. LATINSII. GREEKSIII. ETRUSCANS600 B.C. Etruscans take over509 B.C. last Etruscan King (Tarquin

the Proud) overthrown – Rome sets up a REPUBLIC

{“public affairs}

REPUBLICForm of Government power is with citizens who

have right to vote for leaders {Rome – only free-born male citizens had voting rights}2 Main Groups struggle for power:PATRICIANS – wealthy landowners- held most

powerPLEBEIANS- majority of the people: farmers,

artisans, merchants

{Plebeians could vote but could not hold high office}

TWELVE TABLES 451 BC. – creation of written law code: TWELVE TABLES OF LAWCarved on Twelve Tablets hung for all

to seeBecame the basis for all Roman LawsAll free citizens had right to

protection

ROMAN ARMYAll land owning citizens required to serve in

armyLEGIONS – large military units of Roman

soldiersBy 265 B.C. Rome had conquered all of ItalyMain enemy becomes CARTHAGE – located in

North Africa

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/the-rise-and-fall-of-carthage/

Punic WarsSeries of 3 wars fought

between Rome and Carthage

1st Punic War (264 BC- 241 BC)• Romans

defeat Carthage

• Gain control of Sicily and the western Mediterranean

2nd Punic War(218 BC- 202 BC)

• Carthage led by Hannibal surprise Rome by attacking Spain

• Used elephants – used elephants

• Romans led by General Scipio defeat Hannibal

3rd Punic War(149 BC- 146 BC)• Rome invades

and conquers Carthage

• Rome becomes the dominant power in the Mediterranean!

END OF THE REPUBLICBy 270 B.C. Rome had conquered all of ItalyThrough a series of WARS Rome became the

DOMINANT power in the Mediterranean areaExpansion led to a widening gap – RICH/POORThousands of slaves captured in wars caused

unemploymentRome’s enlarged TERRITORY made the Republic

unstableEventually the republic gives way to a DICTATOR

ruled empirePeriod of Civil War broke out

60 B.C. 1st TRIUMVIRATE

3 leaders: JULIUS CAESAR, CRASSUS, POMPEY brought stability back to Rome

58B.C. -Caesar becomes Governor of GAUL (France) & invades Britain

49 B.C. – Civil War breaks out again between Caesar and Pompey – Caesar’s troops force Pompey to flee to Rome

Caesar follows Pompey to Egypt where Pompey is killed {while in Egypt Caesar becomes involved with CLEOPATRA}

JULIUS CAESAR46 B.C. –Julius Caesar comes to powerCaesar returns to Rome – because of his

popularity {with both army & poor) he is appointed DICTATOR

44 B.C. – Caesar is appointed “dictator for life”Caesar governed as an ABSOLUTE ruler – total

powerCaesar was very popular:

*Romans conquered most of central and western EUROPE *Created jobs for the poor *Increased pay for military *Made Rome the largest EMPIRE in the world

DEATH OF CAESARMany Nobles & Senators were upset with

Caesar’s Power, Success, & PopularityMarch 15, 44 B.C. – “IDES OF MARCH” –

Caesar is murdered in the Senate Chambers – stabbed to death

Rome once again fell into Civil War…

2nd TRIUMVIRATEAfter Caesar’s death 3 supporters took control

of Rome:OCTAVIAN- Caesar’s adopted sonMARK ANTONY- experienced generalLEPIDUS- powerful politicianThe three ruled for 10 yearsCivil War (again!) – after Lepidus retired –

Octavian and Mark Antony fought for control of Rome

2nd TRIUMVIRATEWhile in Egypt Mark Antony had become

involved with Cleopatra30 B.C. – Mark Antony defeated by Octavian

{both Mark Antony & Cleopatra commit suicide to avoid capture}

Octavian become sole ruler of Rome

AUGUSTUSOctavian took title of AUGUSTUS {“Exalted

One”}Also took title of EMPEROR {“Supreme Military

Commander}Rome was now an EMPIRE ruled by one manAugustus ruled from 27 B.C. – 14 A.D. –

absolute power {27 B.C. is considered start of Roman EMPIRE}

PAX ROMANA 27 B.C. – 180 A.D.

200 year period of PEACE, PROGRESS, PROSPERITY, STABILITY {Pax Romana – “ROMAN PEACE”}

Rome’s “GOLDEN AGE” – size: 3 million square miles {from Spain to Mesopotamia, North Africa to Britain} Population over 70 million (city of Rome over 1 million)

http://www.history.com/topics/pompeii/videos#pompeii

http://www.history.com/videos/deconstructing-history-pompeii#deconstructing-history-pompeii

AUGUSTUS’ CONTRIBUTIONSCreated CIVIL SERVICE System – CORRUPTION

cut down Gov’t Officials based on MERITVast TRADING network – shipping and complex

ROADSAGRICULTURE – 90% of people engaged in

farmingStrong CENTRAL Gov’t (but believed in

governing for the GOOD of all – brought REFORMS, fairer TAXES)

Glorified Rome with Splendid BuildingsDeveloped efficient Postal SystemCommon Currency

http://www.history.com/topics/emperor-augustus/videos#deconstructing-history-colosseum

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/what-have-we-learned-from-gladiator-graveyards/ http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/did-nero-really-play-the-fiddle-while-rome-burned/

DECLINE OF ROMETwo CENTURIES of Pax Romana ended in 180

A.D. with the death of Emperor MARCUS AURELIUS (A.D. 161- 180 )

PEACE & PROSPERITY was never duplicatedNumber of causes contributed to the decline &

fall:*MILITARY*POLITICAL*SOCIAL*ECONOMIC

DIOCLETIANA.D. 284 – DIOCLETIAN becomes Emperor –

strong ruler restored order to the Empire – doubled size of the army – controlled inflation – persecuted Christians

Believed the Empire had grown too large & complex – divided the Empire into two parts:

EAST – GREEK speaking {Greece, Syria, Egypt, Anatolia}

WEST – LATIN speaking {Italy, Spain, Britain, Gaul}

Diocletian became the first and only Roman Emperor to resign when he “retired” in A.D. 305

CONSTANTINEConstantine best known for being first Christian

emperorA.D. 312- while fighting for control in the WEST

Constantine reportedly saw an image of a cross – symbolizing Christianity – the day before an important battle – he had crosses put on his soldiers’ shields – and was victorious – took over as undisputed emperor of WESTERN empire

A.D. 313- issued Edict of Milan - ended persecution of CHRISTIANS {A.D. 380 – CHRISTIANITY becomes Empire’s Official Religion} [proclaimed by Emperor Theodosius]

“CONSTANTINE SEES A SIGN”

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/rome-and-christianity/b

CONSTANTINEA.D. 324 – Empire restored to a single ruler –

Constantine defeats Eastern EmperorA.D. 330 – Constantine moves capital from ROME

to BYZANTIUM (today this is in Turkey)Constantine built a new city modeled on Rome

but also reflecting Christianity – Byzantium would be renamed CONSTANTINOPLE {“city of Constantine”} today the city is known as Istanbul

A.D. 337 Constantine dies – Empire is divided again

Eventually the East would survive, West would fall

END OF ROMAN EMPIREDecline of the WESTERN Roman Empire took place

over many years – both internal & external problems

Main external cause – Invasions by Germanic Tribes & Huns

A.D. 476 – last Western Emperor overthrown by GERMANIC invaders

Eastern Empire became known as the BYZANTINE Empire – preserved Greek & Roman heritage - survived for another1,000 years ruling from Constantinople

1453 – Eastern Empire conquered by Ottoman Turks

LASTING ACHIEVEMENTS OF ROMANSLAW – fair, equal, innocent until proven guilty,

punished for actions not thoughtsLANGUAGE – Latin basis for other languages –

French,Spanish, Portugese,Italian (Romance Languages), many English words from Latin, language of Catholic Church

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING – roads, bridges, arches, domes, use of concrete in spectacular buildings ex: A.D. 80 – COLOSSEUM, built AQUEDUCTS to bring water to cities

LITERATURE – poets Virgil & Ovid

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/how-the-seven-wonders-of-the-ancient-world-work/

military political

economic

social

Factors surrounding the collapse

of Rome

MilitaryLoss sense of patriotismWarlike mentality weakened by the spread of Christianity

The government hired foreign soldiers (mercenaries) to defend borders. ◦(Army lacked training, discipline and loyalty)

PoliticalInefficient and corrupt government

Civil wars and citizens were no longer loyal to officials

Sometimes, Roman legions fought one another

Too large to govern effectively

EconomicPlebian class weakenedFarmers left land because of overreliance on slave labor

Unfair taxes and unemployment cause inflation

Constant civil war hurt economy1/3 of population was on welfare

SocialInequality of wealth created rigid class structure

Many of the underemployed became lazy and selfish

Instead of correcting economic problems, the government gave them bread and circuses –(the Colosseum)

Foreign Invasion

Rome was in decline from 200AD to 500 AD◦Final collapse came as a result of foreign invasion

German tribes, who had been at peace with the Romans for several years, invaded the territory

The Huns, a group of Mongol nomads from Central Asia, led by Atitila, destroyed several Roman cities

The Visigoths, Vandals and Franks all led attacks on the Roman Empire.

In 476 AD, the last Roman Emperor was removed and German chief named himself King of Italy.◦This overthrow led to almost a complete

collapse of western civilization