ANCIENT ROME

Unit 1

Ancient Rome Italy-Through trade, the Greeks influenced the Italian peninsula by colonizing there; though the Etruscans were already living there..-Mountains cut off land travel, thus, the people depended on sea trade. -Became the center of trade between Asia, Europe, and Africa.

The Rise of Rome

A rivalry began to brew between two brothers who wanted to start their own city by the Tiber River. As babies, they had been abandoned and nursed by a wolf. While building their cities, Remus made fun of Romulus’ efforts, and in a fit of rage, Romulus killed Remus. He went on to create Rome.

Under Etruscan rule, two social classes developed.

Patricians-the wealthy nobility.

Plebeians-the artisans and farmers.

-All could vote, but only the patricians could hold office.

The Roman Republic-people elect leaders to represent them. 2 branches of government were formed:

Executive Branch-2 officials were elected for 1 year terms. Called consuls, they consulted each other before acting, and could veto (Latin for “I forbid”) each other. They oversaw judges, censors, and tax collectors.

Legislative Branch-divided between 2 houses of government. • Assembly of Centuries-lower house of 100

men; they elected officials in the executive branch. • Senate-upper house of 300 men who

outweighed the Assembly. They advised consuls and served for life.

Plebeians against Patricians -wanted representation in government, and refused to serve in the army until given a voice. Patricians then allowed plebeians to elect representatives, tribunes, who had power to veto legislation and were elected from the Assembly of Tribes. The plebeians insisted the government write down the laws, thus the Twelve Tables were written. Plebeians also could serve in some unsalaried public offices.

Religion

-Romans borrowed Greek gods and gave them new names: Aphrodite (love) became Venus; Ares (war) became Mars; old god Jupiter was given characteristics of Zeus. They also worshipped ancestral spirits at home.

Roman Expansion

Legionaries-Roman Soldiers conquered new land and established permanent military settlements called coloniae, forming a chain of roads and major trade routes.

Punic Wars with Carthage The First Punic War-Carthaginians (Punici) wanted to gain control over a strategic water way of the Romans. Rome hooked to Carthage ships and boarded, easily winning. Carthage repaid a huge indemnity for damages.

The Second Punic War-New Carthaginian leader, Hannibal, crossed the Alps with elephants to defeat Rome. Romans rallied, attacked Africa and Hannibal had to go home; Carthage surrendered.

The Third Punic War-Rome wanted to end Carthaginian independence for good and burned Carthage, selling the population into slavery.

-Rome now had complete control over the western Mediterranean from Spain to Asia Minor.

Problems in the New Provinces

Roman democracy was only good for the small city-states. The Senate appointed a proconsul (governors) who accepted bribes and stole from the treasury. The publicans (tax collectors) also stole. This caused many territories to revolt.

Latifundia (large estates owned by the wealthy) used slave labor and cheap labor to produce more crops, causing small farmers to sell out and go to the cities, where jobs there were already taken by slaves. A new social class thus developed between the plebeians and patricians: equites-wealthy enough to ride horses in battle, but not noble enough to be patricians.

Reform

Tiberius Gracchus-a patrician who decided to represent the plebeians in the Tribune, developed a law to return land back to landless citizens. After passage, a riot developed against him, killing him and 300 followers.

Gaius Gracchus-Tiberius’ brother then elected to the Tribune; he set up a government program to sell grain at lower prices to the poor. He started a new court using the equites, and upset the Senate. He was also killed by his opponents.

Gaius Marius-elected consul and gave poor people jobs by enlisting them into the army, led by General Sulla, who turned against Marius, overthrowing the government and appointing himself as dictator.

The First Triumvirate Pompey and Crassus were elected consuls, gaining the support of Julius Caesar, a young aristocrat. The three united and formed a triumvirate, meaning three leaders with equal power controlling the government.

Caesar, a strong military leader, conquered Gaul. Crassus wanted to prove his leadership, but was killed in battle • Pompey was scared Caesar might use his

army to take total control, thus, Pompey and the Senate ordered Caesar to leave his troops behind and return to Rome. Caesar refused to step down, and with his troops, drove Pompey and his allies out of Rome.

Julius Caesar-45 B.C., became dictator for life, giving jobs to the unemployed and land to the poor. Many thought Caesar was a wise ruler; others felt he was a tyrant who wanted to be king and end the republic. To prevent his rule, Brutus and Cassius assassinated Caesar as he entered the Senate on March 15, 44 B.C.-the Ides of March.

The Second Triumvirate Octavian (nephew of Julius Caesar), Marc Antony, & Marcus Lepidus condemned to death Caesar’s assassins, dividing the Roman Empire into three empires • Octavian-Italy & West; Antony-Greece &

east; Lepidus-North Africa.

Octavian-wanted the entire empire, and forced Lepidus out of power; persuaded the Romans that Antony and Cleopatra (queen of Egypt) wanted to conquer them, thus, declared war on them. To evade capture, they committed suicide in Egypt, giving Octavian rule of Rome.

Roman Empire

Octavian gave himself the title of Augustus (Majestic One); 27 BC-AD14 -became Rome’s first emperor (absolute ruler) -rebuilt the city of Rome; built new roads; fed the hungry; became a great patron of the arts.

-built new buildings with concrete and stone (e.g.-Colosseum, where gladiators, meaning armed slaves, competed; Pantheon, a temple for the gods). -created aqueducts to carry water. -instituted the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) that lasted 200 years.

Pax RomanaDuring this time, the conquest of colonies increased trade and the economy. There were changes in lifestyle: more divorces, fewer children, and women gained some legal rights. Those equites were able to move up the social ladder and become patricians. 130 holidays were celebrated each year; among the favorites were the gladiator fights, where men often faced death with wild animals.

-Augustus chose his own successor but failed to devise any law for the selection of later emperors.

Julian Emperors (all related to Julius Caesar); 14AD to 68AD.

Tiberius-accused people of treason against him. Caligula-mentally disturbed and assassinated. Claudius-very old; had problems with ruling. Nero-bankrupted Rome to pay for his horse racing habit and love of music; killed his wife, mother, many senators; was sentenced to death for crimes against the state, but committed suicide before the sentence was carried out.

Good Emperors AD96-Senate chose Nerva as emperor, followed by Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius.

-These emperors ruled according to the system created by Augustus, with “jus gentium,” a law that dealt with foreigners and non-citizens; and “jus civile,” a law for citizens. The authority of the state was stressed over the individual; the accused was considered innocent until proven guilty. People lived by the Stoic philosophy which stressed mind over emotion.

Diocletian realized the Roman Empire was too big for one man, thus he divided it into two administrative units. To slow inflation, he issued the Edict of Prices, freezing wages and setting maximum prices for goods. Citizens sold goods on the black market-through unofficial & illegal trade. Many workers were forced to remain working the same job for life.

Constantine came to power after years of civil war. He made it legal for landowners to chain their workers so they would not leave. All jobs became hereditary; sons had to follow in their fathers occupation. The capital of the empire was moved from Rome to Byzantine and renamed Constantinople (an ideal site for trade).

Theodosius declared that the eastern and western sections of the empire be divided into the Byzantine Empire in the east, and the Roman Empire in the West.

Roman Decline

Germanic tribes had always been a threat. After the Good Emperors, Rome was in constant change searching for good emperors, but ending up with a series of bad emperors.

Armies fought internally and could not easily defend Rome’s border from Germanic tribes: Goths, Franks, and Saxons, ending the Pax Romana.

The economy also suffered. Trade and crops weakened. More money was printed; a time of inflation-rise of prices due to a decrease in the value of money.

Germanic invasions occurred because they were searching for a warmer climate and wanted a share in the Roman’s wealth. Romans considered them to be barbarians.

Three tribes successful in bringing down the Roman Empire: Visigoths, Huns (leader-Attila; efforts ended early when the plague hit), and the Vandals, who overtook Rome, setting up their own kingdom.

Other Aspects of Roman Civilization

Latin was the official language of Rome. Many words had several meanings. Latin served as the foundation for the Romantic languages-Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romania. Latin words are the basis for many English words.

Roman writers Cicero-a Roman senator who published many speeches. Horace-a poet who wrote about the shortness of life and rewards of companionship. Virgil-wrote the Aeneid-an epic that expresses the humility and pride of Romans.

The Rise of Christianity

Although many Chrisitians were at first persecuted, this belief in Jesus Christ continued to spread.

The Romans became dissatisfied with their polytheistic religion, feeling it had failed them.

Constantine, while leading his army into battle, saw a flaming cross in the sky.

He ordered his troops to paint crosses on their shields.

After winning the battle, Constantine credited the victory to God and started defending Christians, allowing them to worship freely and ordering that destroyed churches be rebuilt.

Christianity spread throughout the Roman world and influenced the creation of the Roman Catholic Church.

Tiberius Gracchus Gaius Gracchus Gaius Marius Pompey Crassus Julius Caesar

Octavian Marc Antony Marcus Lepidus Tiberius Caligula Claudius

Nero