the roman conquest of greece. rome: from republic to empire
TRANSCRIPT
The Roman Conquest of Greece
Rome:From Republic to Empire
Geography
• Italian Peninsula (Italy today)
Location of Rome
• The Alps and Mediterranean Sea protected Rome from invasion
• Rome prospered due to trade on the Mediterranean Sea
Roman Gods
• Jupiter (Zeus): Chief god
• Juno (Hera): Goddess of marriage; wife of Zeus
• Apollo: God of light, the sun and music
• Diana (Artemis): Goddess of hunting and wild things
• Venus (Aphrodite): Goddess of love
• Minerva (Athena): Goddess of wisdom and war
Based on Greek Gods
Roman Religion
Roman Republic• Republic: rule by the people (re=by,
public=people)
• Representative democracy: legislators (representatives) are elected by the citizens to
represent their interests
Roman Citizens• Paid taxes
• Men had the right to vote
• Men had to serve in the military
Patricians:• Land-owners of noble Latin birth
“Patricia is a rich snob”
Plebeians:• Majority of Romans-
common people
• Artisans, shopkeepers, and small farmers
Slaves• The property of
their owners
• Were taken by conquest
• Had no freedom or rights
The Assemblies
• Patricians and plebeians met in the assemblies to vote for tribunes, magistrates (judges), and consuls.
• The assemblies were more democratic but less powerful than the senate.
The Senate• The most powerful
lawmaking body in Rome.
• 300 members were chosen (for life) from the Patrician class
• Later plebeians were allowed to join
Tribunes
• Were elected by the plebeians to protect the rights of ordinary people.
Consuls• Two officials elected to
command the army and direct the government
• Served for a one-year term.
• One consul could always veto (overrule) the other’s decisions.
Dictator
• In a times of crisis, a dictator would be given absolute power to command the army and make laws
• A dictator’s power lasted for only six months
One whose word was law
Twelve Tables
• The laws of Rome.
• Established ideas seen in modern laws such as the principle of innocent until proven guilty.
Laws carved on tablets and hung in the forum
Punic Wars
• 3 wars fought between Rome and Carthage
264 to 146 BC
Carthage was a Trading empire located in North Africa (present-day Tunisia) that competed with Rome for
control of trade on the Mediterranean Sea
• Hannibal was the general of Carthage
Second Punic War
• His army crossed the Alps and invaded the Italian Peninsula
• Hannibal was defeated when Rome attacked Carthage
• Rome destroyed Carthage• Increased trade brought great wealth to Rome
Growth of Rome• Following the Punic wars, Rome grew rapidly,
taking control of the Mediterranean basin (including Greece and the Hellenistic world of the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and Spain).
Punic Wars
Spread of Slavery• Romans made slaves
of captured peoples during the wars and
conquests which followed
• By 100 BC slaves made up one-third
of Rome’s population
Roman Slave Collar
Expansion and Wealth Creates Problems
• The spread of slavery caused small farmers (former soldiers) to lose their land.
• The influx of wealth caused prices to rise (inflation)
Unemployment• Landless former
farmer-soldiers flocked into the into cities looking for jobs and joined the ranks of the restless urban poor (25% of the population)
• The gap between the rich and the poor widened.
Loss of jobs
Decline of the Republic
• The end of democracy in Rome
• Civil wars erupted due to class conflicts and rivalries between politician-generals
• Another civil war erupted over the power of Julius Caesar
Roman Republic Grows
The First Triumvirate• Three rulers who joined forces to take power
from the senate and dominate Rome.
Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey
Julius Caesar• He conquered Gaul
(France today)
• He had the support of the masses and the army
• Caesar went to war with Pompey and won• He returned to Rome with his army and forced the
senate to make him dictator for life.
Julius Caesar Emerges as Dictator
Julius Caesar is Assassinated
• A group of senators stabbed Julius Caesar to death in the senate chamber
More Civil Wars• After Julius Caesar’s death civil war erupted
• Octavian (Augustus) joined forces with Mark Anthony and Lepidus and together they took control of Rome for ten years.
Octavian vs. Marc Anthony• Civil war
erupted again between Octavian and Mark Anthony
• Octavian won.
Octavian (Augustus)
Anthony and Cleopatra
Julius Caesar is AssassinatedOctavian Caesar Becomes Emperor
Augustus Caesar• Octavian assumed
absolute power and accepted the title “Augustus”
• Rome became an empire ruled by an emperor (no longer a republic or democracy).
The Pax Romana• 200 years of peace and
prosperity established by the rule of Augustus (pax = peace, Romana = Roman)
• The Roman Empire continued to expand and solidify
Roman Empire• By the end of the
second century, the Roman Empire stretched from Spain to Mesopotamia, and from North Africa to Great Britain.
Economic Impact• Augustus established a
uniform system of money helping to expand trade.
• It was safe to travel and trade on Roman roads.
Social Impact
• Augustus returned stability to the social classes
• Increased emphasis on the family
Political Impact• Augustus created a civil service: He paid
workers to manage the affairs of government (postal system, tax collection, etc.)
• He developed a uniform rule of law
Problems With Succession
• Succession – selection of the next emperor
• Because Rome had no written law for choosing a new emperor, crisis or civil war could occur when an emperor died.
Octavian - Augustus
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