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PAGES 128-131
SETTING THE SCENE
Romans loved stories of heroes Horatius
Single handedly held off Etruscan army while his fellow Romans tore down the bridge behind him
He then dove into the river with the bridge and swam to safety on the other side
This story tells us the virtues that Romans admired Courage Loyalty Devotion to duty
Geography
Rome began as a small city-state on the Italian peninsula which is centrally located on the Mediterranean Sea.
Rome is the center of Italy Italy was much easier to unify than
Greece Apennine Mountains are less rugged. Broad fertile plains in the north & in the
west supported a growing population
People
800BC- Latins migrated into Italy Settled along the Tiber River in small villages over
seven low-lying hills These Latins were the ancestors to the Romans Their villages grew into Rome, the city on 7 hills
Etruscans- Greek colonists shared Italian peninsula with
Romans Etruscans even ruled over Rome for a time Romans adapted the alphabet, the use of the arch
in building, and gods & goddesses from the Etruscans
The Roman Republic
509BC Founding of the Roman state by driving out their
Etruscan ruler Set up a republic to keep one person from too much
power Senate was most powerful governing body
300 members were patricians, landholding upper class Made the laws & served for life
2 consuls Elected by the senators Supervised the business of the government Commanded the armies
Rome had system of checks on the power of government During war senate could choose a dictator, but they
could only rule for 6 months and then had to give up their power
Plebeians
Farmers, Merchants, Artisans, & Traders Made up most of population, but had no influence
450BC Government had laws of Rome inscribed on 12
tablets 1st breakthrough for Plebeians because they had
protested that no one knew all of the laws because they were not written down
Plebeians eventually gained right to elect their own officials called tribunes
Tribunes could veto laws they felt were harmful to Plebeians
Plebeians eventually were elected to consuls & other high offices, & then the Senate.
2,000 years later U.S. adapted a Senate, the Veto, & political checks on power
Roman Society
Family was the basic unit of Roman society
Roman law stated the male was the head of household, & had absolute power
His wife was subject to his authority, & was not allowed to take care of her own affairs
Roman Women
Played a larger role in society than Greek women
Most worked at home raising their family, spinning, & weaving
Women gained more freedom as the centuries passed on.
They were eventually allowed to: Go to public baths Dine out Attend theater Have political influence
Roman Education & Religion
Girls & boys learned to read & write
Children began learning about history later in the republic
Roman gods & Greek gods shared similarities Jupiter is Zeus Juno is Hera Neptune is Poseidon
Expansion
Rome succeeded because of a loyal & well-trained army
5,000 men made up a legion Fought without pay & supplied their own weapons Rewards & harsh punishment
Showing courage in battle would get you gifts, but if your unit fled from a battle….1 out of 10 men in the unit were put to death
Defeated enemies had to acknowledge Roman leadership, pay taxes, & supply soldiers, & in return they got to keep their own customs & local government.
Rome placed soldiers throughout the empire & built all-weather military roads
This began the unification of Italy under the Roman Empire