Rome

Myths and Legends

Romulus and Remus 6:20

Roman Republic• Voters elect representatives• In Rome it was based on tradition, not a written

constitution• SENATE – council of representatives made up

of patricians• CONSULS – 2 senators, one year term,

proposed laws, led army, one had veto power over the other, most important officials

• MAGISTRATES – government officials, included consuls, praetors (judiciary), aediles (supervised marketplace), questors (financial officers), censors (counted the population every 5 years). Most terms were one year

• TRIBUNES – plebeian elected council

Roman Republic Society• PATRICIANS – descendants of founding

families of Rome, upper class, ran the government

• PLEBEIANS – commoners, controlled tribal assemblies, made up the military

• Plebeians demanded more rights from patricians and in 451bc forced patricians to publish the first written code of Roman Law: the Twelve Tables

• Patricians and plebeians owned slaves• Women gained rights and independence,

eventually took part in government and owned property

• Religion borrowed from Greeks: Jupiter (Zeus), Juno (Hera), Minerva (Athena)

Punic Wars of the Republic• 265bc Rome controlled most of Italy while Carthage controlled the Western Mediterranean• “Punic” comes from the Latin word for Carthage• 264-241bc 1st Punic War: Romans won, gaining control of Sicily• 218-202bc 2nd Punic War: Hannibal (C) entered Gaul wanting to conquer Rome; Battle of Cannae (216bc) Romans lost so decided to invade

Carthage; Battle of Zama (202bc) Scipio (R) defeated Hannibal

• 149-146bc 3rd Punic War: Rome destroyed Carthage and took its territory; Rome also conquered Greece at this time

• FINAL RESULT: Rome controls all of the Mediterranean

Cupid and Psyche 7:32

Roman Empire• Established in 31bc by first emperor, Augustus• All emperors took the title, caesar• Caesars controlled the army, supervised provincial

governors, took direct control of troubled provinces• The Senate advised the caesar, maintained the

treasury, and oversaw the peaceful provinces• No laws said who the next caesar would be making

the job of caesar a dangerous one• A series of roads connected the provinces to the

city of Rome helping trade and the movement of troops

• The Roman army was organized into legions, highly organized and efficient groups of 80-100 soldiers lead by an officer called a centurion

Christianity Jesus• As a Jew in Judaea, his family was allowed to worship freely• Herod the Great was ruler of the province at the time of his birth in city of Bethlehem • ad6 – Judaea officially becomes Roman and Roman laws are

strictly enforced• Taught Jewish ideas of “one God” and laws like the Ten

Commandments• Called himself the “Son of God” or Messiah (Hebrew: “anointed

one”) later called Christ (Greek: “anointed one”)• ad30 Roman Governor Pontius Pilate sentences him to death

by crucifixion at the urging of outraged Jews who disagreed with his teachings

Christianity Christians• First followers: Jesus' 12 apostles• Spread first through Greek part of Roman world, taking on

Greek name for messiah, Christos• Followers became known as Christians• Met in private homes, renounced evils though baptism,

assembled on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist (Last Supper)• Persecuted by Romans and Jews, murdered Christians

became martyrs• Church hierarchy developed: Patriarch Bishop priest;

lead by men• Teachings based on Hebrew scriptures and letters written by

the apostles to early Christians• Became official religion of Roman Empire in ad380 by

Theodosius I

Romance Languages: Languages based on Latin

Fall of Rome: Barbarian Invasions