ANCIENT ROME

ROMAN EARLY DAYS• GEOGRAPHY:

-Rome- built on 7 rolling hills at a curve on the Tiber River, in the middle of the Italian peninsula, near river and sea

MYTH:• 753 BCE: Romulus and Remus:

twins of the god Mars and a Latin Princess-Twins abandoned on Tiber River and raised by she-wolf-Twins built a city; Romulus killed Remus, City named ROME

REALITY:

• -Latins (the first Romans), Greeks, and Etruscans originally settled: 1000-500 BCE

• -From 750-600 BCE the Italian villages were ruled by KINGS

• -during this time, Romans lived in peace• -600 BCE- ETRUSCANS from N. Italy

conquered Rome• -For 100 years Rome was ruled by Etruscan

Kings

LEGACIES OF ETRUSCANS:• -built city wall

• -built first sewer system

• -Alphabet

• -Moved Rome from small farming town to CITY STATE!

The Etruscans:• -Ordered the construction of Rome’s 1st

temples, public centers. The most famous: The Roman Forum: the heart of Roman Political Life

• -The last king of Rome: Tarquin the Proud

• -driven from power in 509 BCE

• -harsh tyrant• -Rome forms a REPUBLIC

THE ROMAN REPUBLIC• -509 BCE- The Romans rebelled

against the Etruscans and form a Republic.

• -Republic: controlled by people, no king, citizens elect men to make laws: Only FREE-BORN MALE CITIZENS VOTED

Two Types of People:

• PATRICIANS: wealthy landowners• PLEBEIANS: common farmers, artisans,

and merchants: Most of Rome. Could vote but not hold important government positions.

• In time….Rome’s leaders allowed Plebeians to form an assembly and elect representatives called TRIBUNES: these protected Plebeians from unfair acts.

TWELVE TABLES

• -Important victory for Plebeians: Written Code of Laws

• -Before, laws were interpreted by Patricians

• -451 BCE: laws carved in stone and hung around Forum

• -SIGNIFICANCE: all free citizens had a right to protection of the law!

GOVERNMENT OF ROMAN REPUBLIC

• LEGAL CODE: The Twelve Tables: a list of rules that was the basis of Roman Legal System

• CITIZENSHIP: ALL ADULT MALE LANDOWNERS

•In time of crisis, the republic could appoint a DICTATOR: a leader who had absolute power to make laws and command army. Only for 6 months, chosen by consuls and elected by senate.

ROMAN MILITARY

• -Great Importance placed on MILITARY!• -All those seeking public office must have spent

10 years in military!• -All citizens who owned land were to serve!• -Legions: large military units• -5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers (infantry)• -Group on horseback: (Cavalry)• -Century: legions were divided in units of 80 men

THE PUNIC WARS• As a Republic: Rome has

expanded its empire through trade and conquest.

• RESULT: Rome and CARTHAGE, Rome’s greatest enemy: go to WAR!

• PUNIC WARS: series of three wars from 264-146BCE!

• SIGNIFICANCE OF WARS:• -By 70 BCE Rome controlled

the West and East Mediterranean

THE REPUBLIC COLLAPSES!

• CAUSES: increasing wealth, expanding boundaries, discontent within the lower classes, and breakdown of military!

EFFECTS: #1 ECONOMIC TURMOIL

• -As the empire grew, so did the wealth of the elite

• -1000s of enslaved peoples worked on estates of the rich

• -100 BCE: 1/3 of population slaves

• -Small farms cannot compete with estate ran by slaves

• -Forced to sell land to rich: Unemployment

• -Migrated to city: creating Urban Poor: 1/4 of population

Economic cont…

• Tiberius and Gauis Gracchus, 2 brothers, tried to help urban poor by asking for the elite’s estates to be limited in size.

• “The savage beasts have their….dens…but the men who bear arms and expose their lives for the safety of their country, enjoy…nothing more than the air and the light…and wander from place to place with their wives and children.” Tiberius Gracchus

• Both brothers became enemies of the senate and met violent deaths.

• RESULTS: CIVIL WAR between the rich and poor

2. MILITARY TURMOIL

• -as Republic grew unstable, the military turned disloyal

• -generals seized more power for themselves and recruited landless poor to fight for them promising land

• -these soldiers fought for their general, not Rome

• RESULTS:

• -It is now possible for a military leader to TAKE OVER by force, and…well……one did:

JULIUS CAESAR 60-44 BCE

• 60 BCE: Becomes military leader• -His team: Crassus (wealthy) and

Pompey (general)• 59 BCE: Elected Consul: for next 10

years these 3 men DOMINATED Rome as a TRIUMVIRATE (group of 3 rulers)

• Served as Consul 1 year (term), to remain in power:

• 58-50BCE: appoints himself governor of GAUL (France)

• -A military genius, conquered all of Gaul, won support of his men

Caesar cont.• Caesar gains popularity,

Pompey gets jealous, becomes his rival!

• Pompey gets senate to orders Caesar to disband and come home in 50 BCE.

• Jan. 10, 49 BCE: Caesar defies Senate and crosses Rubicon River into Italy and marches army towards Rome. Pompey flees!

• Caesar’s troops crushed Pompey’s troops in Greece, Asia, Spain & Egypt (while there, had a little affair with Cleopatra)!

• 46 BCE: Caesar returns to Rome with support of army and people.

• Senate appoints him DICTATOR!

• 44 BCE: named dictator for life

CAESAR’S REFORMS• -absolute ruler

• -granted citizenship to many in provinces

• -expanded Senate

• -Created jobs for poor (Construction)

• -Created colonies for the landless

• -increases soldier’s pay

• -improved calendar

• -pressed for “honest” government

• -planned founding of public libraries

• -gave free grain to extreme poor

ASSASSINATION• -Senators feared a loss of their

influence, considered him a tyrant• -group of Senators led by Marcus

Brutus and Gaius Cassius plotted assassination

• -IDES OF MARCH: March, 15, 44 BCE: stabbed to death in Senate Chamber

RESULTS• -Civil War

• -2nd Triumvirate: OCTAVIAN and MARC ANTONY and LEPIDUS

OCTAVIAN TO AUGUSTUS• 2nd Triumvirate• Octavian, Marc

Antony, Lepidus:• ALLIANCE ENDS: • Lepidus forced to retire• Octavian & Antony

become rivals• Split empire: Octavian:

West….Antony (w/ Cleopatra): East

• TENSION LEADS TO another CIVIL WAR:

• Octavian accused Antony of plotting to rule all of Rome from Egypt with Cleopatra

• Octavian and Antony fight: Battle of Actium 31 BCE

• Octavian wins, Antony & Cleopatra commit suicide

OCTAVIAN becomes: AUGUSTUS• 1st emperor of Rome• Glorified Rome• Civil workers (pulled from

Plebeians or former slaves) hired to manage affairs of government such as tax collection and postal system: minimizes unemployment: but still a problem

• Senate still functioned, but Augustus has supreme power

• Augustus, Rome’s most capable emperor, created a system of government that kept its stability long after his death

ROMAN EMPIRE

• PAX ROMANA: “Roman Peace”

• Rome was at the peak of its power from the beginning of Augustus’ rule in 27 BCE until AD 180.

• For 207 years: peace existed in Rome

• Population grew: 60-80 million in empire, 1 million in Rome

• Advanced road and aqueduct system

COLOSSEUM

• -The Name Colosseum comes from the Latin word meaning: GIGANTIC!!

• BUILT: AD 72-82 • -Building began under Vespasian, opened by

Titus, and completed by Domitian.• -CAPACITY: 45,000-50,000 people• -MATERIALS: Stone and concrete• -SIZE: 157 Feet high, 620 feet long• -80 entrances, central arena, elevators and ramps

from the cells and animal cages• -Held events: GLADIATOR FIGHTS!!!

GLADIATORS

• Gladiators were slaves and freemen! Used for entertainment!

• Emperors put of GAMES to appease their citizens and to show their power!

• -Men and women both were gladiators!• -fought each other and wild animals:

lions, tigers, elephants, hippos• -Many animal populations were

severely hurt!

PANTHEON• Built: 118-126 AD by Hadrian• -Roman Temple built to honor gods• -Built as a Roman Temple and later

used as Catholic Church

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY-EMPERORS

• Augustus Caesar – – First Roman Emperor– Julius Caesar’s adopted Son

• Changed name from Octavian to Augustus – Augustus means “The Majestic”

• Starts the Pax Romana – “Roman Peace” 27 BC to 180 AD

• Under Pax Romana – the Empire is restructured

• Trade Improved– End of the Pirates and

Bandits– Roads and Sea Lanes

cleared for commerce

• Creates Professional Civil Service

• Creates Program of Public Works – “Bread and Circuses”

THE GOOD• Trajan - • Born in Spain• Conquered Dacia – Romania – source

of gold/Roman wealth into 2nd Century• Building Campaign throughout the

Empire• Trajan’s Column • Extends Rome to its greatest extent

• Hadrian• Trajan’s cousin• Reformed the Civil Service• Suppressed Jewish Revolt• Continued Building Program of Trajan• Hadrian’s Wall – Northern Britain• Defended borders – Strengthened

Frontiers

• Marcus Aurelius• Last of the “Five Good Emperors”• Followed Stoicism – Good is

determined by the state of the soul• Therefore a virtuous life is VERY

important• Disastrous Campaign – Army brings

back a plague weakening Rome and Europe

• Biggest mistake – chose his son to be the Emperor instead of someone qualified

THE BAD

• Caligula

• Insane• Murdered Senators for their property

and wives• Considered making his horse a

Consul• Demanded to be worshipped as

Jupiter

• Nero

• Made Emperor when 15 years old• Murdered Wife and Mother• 64AD – FIRE IN ROME• Half the city destroyed• He blames Christians• Persecutions break out – Martyr of St.

Peter and St. Paul• Rebellion in Gaul• Commits suicide when rebellion

reaches Rome

• Commodus

• More interested in the gladiatorial games then in running the empire

• Once killed an ostrich in the arena and held up its head to the Senators

• “to show us that he had the same fate in store for us” – Dio Cassius

• Strangled by his wrestling partner

THE UGLY• Vespasian

• Crushed the Jewish Rebellion in Palestine

• His son destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple

• Destroys remainder of rebellion at Masada – a hilltop fortress

Three Unifying Elements that Preserved the Empire

• Figure of the Emperor

• Civil Servants and City Councils

• The ArmyDisruptive Influence is the Praetorian Guard

• Founded by Augustus

• Begin interfering in politics in 41AD (Claudius)

LANGUAGE AND LATIN • About ½ of the words in present-day English

come from languages other than English!

• Romance Languages:

• -Languages that developed from Latin!

• Romans spoke something called Vulgar Latin

• Each area had its owe dialect: version of Latin

• These dialects became separate languages

– Such as: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian

Germanic Languages• -Languages that came from Germanic Tribes • ENGLAND: although part of the Roman

Empire, England developed its language from the Germanic Tribes that invaded them.

• Germanic Languages: English, German, Polish, Russian, and Scandinavian dialects are just a few!

• Americans speak a Germanic Language, not a Romance language.

CHRISTIANITY• Anno Domini: “in the year of our lord” AD• Roman Empire spread to Jerusalem in 63

BC. Jews felt threatened: around 6 to 4 BC, Jews named Jesus their savior.

• Christianity began with Jesus: Jesus of Nazareth

• JESUS- a Jew, lived during the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus– born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth – His story: New Testament of the Bible called

the GOSPELS written by a group of 12 men called the APOSTLES (his disciples or students)

JESUS’ LIFE• -as a young man he was a

carpenter

• -at 30 he began public ministry

• -for 3 years he preached and reportedly performed miracles

BELIEFS• -monotheism

• -Ten Commandments

• -God has a personal relationship with everyone

• -Good treatment to thy neighbor

• -That all who followed God’s wishes would be rewarded after death

• His teaching appealed to the poor. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”

THE DEATH OF JESUS• -Jesus’ popularity threaten Roman

and Jewish leaders• -Roman governor, Pontius Pilate

accused Jesus of defying the power of Rome

• -Jesus sentenced to death by crucifixion

• -After death, his body was placed in a tomb and according to the Gospels, 3 days later it was gone, and a living Jesus began appearing and finally ascended to heaven

• Because of this….Jesus’ followers were more convinced he was the messiah (savior)…..They began to call him JESUS CHRIST.

• CHRIST comes from the Greek word Christos meaning savior, the word Christianity came from this as well.

• SACRED CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS:• Christmas: December 25: celebrate birth

of Christ• Good Friday: Jesus’ death• Easter: Jesus’ Resurrection

THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY• Christianity initially accepted, but as it

grew, Roman gov’t saw it as a threat!

• How did it spread so easily?

• -PAX ROMANA: 207 years of peace in Rome!

• -made travel and exchange fairly safe

• -COMMON LANGUAGES: Latin and Greek, allowed the message to be easily understood

• -PAUL: wrote letters called the Epistles to groups of believers stressing the Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins, and that Christianity welcomed all converts: made it not just a local religion!

JEWISH REBELLION• #1 • -66 AD: Band of Jews rebelled

against Rome• -70 AD Romans storm Jerusalem

and burn the Temple• - All that is left- small portion of

Western Wall- Holiest• -1/2 million Jews were killed

throughout the rebellion

• #2

• -132 AD In 3 yrs. another ½ million died: they refused to worship Roman Gods (like Christians), didn’t want to be under Roman control

• -Religion survived, but Jewish Political State did not for 1800 yrs. Until the creation of Israel in 1948!

• -Most Jews were forced from homeland into exile: called DIASPORA

CAUSES OF THE ROMAN COLLAPSE

• Marcus Aurelius (180 AD) ended Pax Romana.

• Next wave of emperors….completely

• incapable of ruling Rome.

ROME’S ECONOMY FAILS• Hostile tribes outside boundaries

and pirates on Mediterranean Sea disrupted trade!

• Reached limit of expansion, could not get new resources (gold and silver)

• Desperate for revenue, taxes are raised and coins minted not worth their face value

• INFLATION: drop of value of $ and increase in prices

• Agriculture: harvest suffer due to overworked land and war

• Food shortages and disease spread.

MILITARY AND POLITICAL TURMOIL

• Soldiers less disciplined and loyal, fight for general not Rome.

• Mercenaries: foreign soldiers hired to fight, had less loyalty to empire

• Citizen loyalty drops, indifference emerges

• Lack of motivated, worthy emperors

ATTEMPTS AT REFORM• DIOCLETIAN SPLITS THE

EMPIRE• 284 AD: strong willed army

empire, limited citizens personal freedoms, restored the empire, doubled army, fixed priced goods.

• -Presented himself god like –preserves emperor role and honor

• **Splits Empire: • -EAST: Greek Speaking

(Greece, Anatolia, Syria, Egypt)• - WEST- Latin Speaking (Italy,

Gaul, Britain, Spain)• DIOCLETIAN takes the east! Co-ruler

takes West!• -Diocletian kept overall control• Retires 305 AD: Civil War breaks out

311 AD, 4 rules fights over Rome!!

CONSTANTINE MOVES THE CAPITAL

• 312 AD: Gains control of Western half

• 324 AD: Gains control of entire empire

• 330 AD: Moves Capital of Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium: Greek City in Anatolia.

•

• -SIGNIFICANCE: center of power from west to east!

• -soon Byzantium becomes a wonder like Rome

• -CONSTANTINOPLE: name changes to honor emperor. (City of Constantine)

• After death of Constantine: Empire splits again: West Crumbles, and East survives!!!!

THE EMPIRE CRUMBLES!!!!• GERMANIC

INVASIONS:

• -370 AD: Mongol Nomads called HUNS moved into regions outside empire forcing Germanic People in!

• Romans call invaders: BARBARIANS!!!

• 410 AD: Tribes overran Rome itself and devastated the city!

ATTILA THE HUN!!!

• -Huns indirectly responsible for Germanic Invasion!

• 444 AD: Huns became a direct threat- United under Attila: 100,000 Huns terrorize both halves of empire!

• -attack 70 cities (not Constantinople or Rome)

• 453 AD: Attila dies, Huns no longer a threat!

NO MORE ROMAN EMPIRE!!!! • LAST EMPEROR: Romulus Augustulus• -removed by Germanic Tribes in 476 AD• FATE OF ROME:• WESTERN PROVINCES:• -Roman power disappeared• -Tribes from Northern Frontiers of Empire!• -Had to flee Attila the Hun• -Attila was forcing Barbarians into

Roman Empire • -Attila himself was a direct threat to

Rome

SIGNIFICANCE:• -after collapse of W. Roman Empire, tribes set up

own independent states. • EASTERN PROVINCES:• -BYZANTINE EMPIRE!!!!- Flourished for 1000

years!!!!• -Emperors ruled from Constantinople • -Endured until 1453- fell to Ottoman Turks

LEGACIES OF ROME

• GRECO-ROMAN CULTURE: mixing of elements of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman Cultures (classical civilization)

• Fine Arts–Pompeii: many preserved

• Learning and Literature–Virgil: Aeneid: epic poem

about the birth of Rome–Livy: historian

Legacies cont.

• Language: Latin: Romance languages

• Architecture

–Colosseum

–Pantheon

–Aqueducts

–Roads