The Mythical Founding of Rome: Romulus & Remus Romulus and
Remus were twin brothers. They were abandoned by their parents as
babies and put into a basket that was then placed into the River
Tiber. The basket ran aground and the twins were discovered by a
female wolf. The wolf nursed the babies for a short time before
they were found by a shepherd. The shepherd then brought up the
twins.
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When Romulus and Remus became adults, they decided to found a
city where the wolf had found them. The brothers quarrelled over
where the site should be and Remus was killed by his brother. This
left Romulus the sole founder of the new city and he gave his name
to it Rome. The date given for the founding of Rome is 753 BC.
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How Rome was formed The city of Rome grew out of a number of
settlements that existed around seven hills that were near the
River Tiber. The settlements were near the river for the obvious
reasons of a water supply. The Tiber was also narrow enough at this
point to be bridged. However, the area also suffered because of the
nearness of the river. Each settlement was separated from the other
by marshland.
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Each individual settlement was vulnerable to attack as a single
settlement. By joining together they were stronger. To join
together, the marshland had to be drained. This was something that
took years to do. The legend of Romulus and Remus gives the
impression that Rome was created very quickly; the truth was very
different.
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Early Romans were successful farmers and traders and they
became rich and successful. Therefore, Rome from its early days was
a rich city. This eventually created jealousy and brought the city
of Rome into conflict with surrounding areas.
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For this reason, the leaders of Rome invested in an army. This
skilled force both protected the city and expanded its power. By
300 BC, the Romans controlled most of the Italian peninsula. Can
you remember what a peninsula is? (Greece)
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Rise of Rome Video Clip
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The Roman Army The Roman Army was extremely important in
explaining the success of the Romans and the expansion of the Roman
Empire. The Roman Army, at the peak of its power, conquered what we
now call England/Wales, Spain, France, most of Germany, the
northern coast of Africa, the Middle East and Greece.
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The Roman Army is recognised by historians as an extremely
effective fighting machine. The lowest level of soldier in the
Roman Army was the legionnaire. Between 5000 and 6000 legionaries
made up a legion that was commanded by a legatus. A whole legion
could be punished for failing to fight well in battle - even if the
Romans did win the battle itself! Training was brutal and tough but
it paid huge dividends for the Romans.
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LEGIONNAIRE
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A 'tortoise- when the soldiers lifted the shields flat above
their heads so that they effectively interlocked and protected them
from anything thrown at them from on high.
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A legionnaire went into battle equipped with three main
weapons: A Pilum Similar to a javelin. It could do serious damage
as the thinner top section would crumple into you on impact and
removing it would be very painful. The wooden stock of the pilum
was also re-useable as the Romans only had to add another spear
head to it.
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The Gladius The gladius was the main weapon for the Roman
soldier when he got into close quarter fighting. This was a sword
which was kept razor sharp. Anyone on the receiving end of a blow
from a gladius would suffer severe injuries.
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A Pugio The Pugio was a small dagger used in combat if all else
had been lost.
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Youtube Video of Legionnaire
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Roman Republic Before the Roman Republic there were Roman
monarchs. However, the romans overthrew the last remaining monarch
in 509 BCE, establishing a REPUBLIC. In a Republic, there is an
elected council voted on by Roman citizens.
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Social Structure Early Rome was divided into two groups or
orders The patricians and the plebeians. Patricians- Wealthy
landowners who became Romes ruling class. Plebeians- Less wealthy
landowners, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Men in both orders
were citizens who paid taxes, owed military service, and could
vote. Only patricians could be elected to office.
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War and Conquest At the beginning of the Republic, Rome was
engaged in almost continuous warfare. However, due to their
enormous strength, they were consistently victorious in battle,
even over the Greeks who lived in the southern part of Italy
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Forming a Roman Military Confederation eventually allowed for
Rome to take over all of Italy because it allowed some peoples of
Italy to have full Roman citizenship, while most of the remaining
communities were made allies. The people of Italy were allowed to
run their own affairs but were required to provide soldiers for
Rome. The Romans made it very clear that loyal allies could improve
their status at becoming a Roman citizen.
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The Privilege of being a Roman The right to vote in the Roman
assemblies The right to stand for civil or public office The right
to make legal contracts and to hold property as a Roman citizen The
right to have a lawful marriage with a Roman citizen The right to
preserve one's level of citizenship upon relocation to a polis
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The right of immunity from some taxes and other legal
obligations The right to sue in the courts and the right to be
sued. The right to have a legal trial (to appear before a proper
court and to defend oneself). The right to appeal from the
decisions of magistrates and to appeal the lower court decisions. A
Roman citizen could not be tortured or whipped, nor could he
receive the death penalty, unless he was found guilty of treason.
If accused of treason, a Roman citizen had the right to be tried in
Rome, and even if sentenced to death, no Roman citizen could be
sentenced to die on the cross.
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Roman Expansion The Punic Wars Carthage- Major rival of Rome
which had a large commercial empire. They controlled trade in most
of the Western Mediterranean Phoenician colony founded in the 8 th
century BCE Punic is Latin for Phoenician
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How many Punic wars were there? 1st 264-241 BCE Fought over
Sicily Rome won 2nd 218-201 BCE Rome challenged Carthaginian
expansion in Iberia (Spain) Rome won 3rd 149-146 BCE Rome feared
Carthage was again becoming a threat Rome attacked Carthage and
obliterated the threat for good
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Results of the Punic Wars: During and After Rome and Carthage
had been what you might call the superpowers of the Mediterranean
at the time Romes defeat of Carthage left Rome as the only
remaining superpower It was much easier for Rome to conquer the
rest of the Mediterranean once Carthage was out of the way Roman
control of Macedonia Hannibal had made an alliance with the
Macedonian king Rome attacked and defeated Macedonia in 197 BCE
Rome went on to conquer the remnants of Alexander the Greats empire
in Eurasia Fighting among the Greek city-states Rome took over,
ending Greek independence (146 BCE) Kingdom of Pergamum In
modern-day Turkey Under Roman rule in 133 BCE
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The Roman Empire
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From Republic to Empire As Rome grew, the aristocracy became
more powerful, and the ideals of the Republic changed. By 129 BCE,
Rome stood supreme over the Mediterranean Sea, but problems arose
in Rome itself. Greed
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Growing Unrest The Senate and political offices were
increasingly controlled by a small circle of wealthy and powerful
families. These small groups of wealthy were able to gradually
extend their wealth by acquiring land from farmers who lost their
lands. The rich were getting richer while the poor were growing in
numbers insecurity was taking place in Rome due to political
instability.
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A new Role for the Army Farmers were promised land by high
level officials for loyalty and military service. These new armies
were swearing allegiance to generals, not to Rome. A fracture was
forming in the way Rome was being run Armies were forming, but not
all under government control. The senate was losing control of
Rome
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Julius CAesar I came, I saw, I conquered!
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Julius Caesar Caesar managed to become a General who made a
strong name for himself through his successful conquests and
political advancements.
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Forming an alliance with two other men (Crassus and Pompey),
they managed to become very influential because of their military
strength, wealth, and political power. This partnership became
known as a TRIUMVIRATE (A government ruled by three people under
the guidance of the senate).
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Crassus was known as the richest man in Rome, Pompey was a
military hero, and Julius Caesar was also a military commander and
a very ambitious politician. When Crassus was killed in battle,
only two powerful men were left. Fearing Caesar's popularity and
bullying tactics, leading senators decided that Pompey should be
the sole ruler and instructed Caesar to lay down his command.
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Caesar refused to obey the Senate and chose to enter Italy
illegally. Caesar's march on Rome started a civil war between his
forces and Pompeys. Pompeys defeat left Caesar in complete control
of the Roman government. He was officially made dictator, or
absolute ruler, in 45 BCE
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I came, I saw I conquered! Julius Caesar - YouTube A 365 day
Calendar Dictator The Die has been cast! The month of July
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Augustus The first Roman Emperor
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As Julius Caesars grand nephew, Octavian who was later called
Augustus started life with more advantages than his uncle. Caesar
made Octavian his heir, but only 18 at the time of Caesars death he
lacked political and military experience necessary to be ruler. He
spent the next 15 years eliminating his opponents.
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The military and political experience he gained helped him to
consolidate his power and become the first Roman emperor. Under his
rule he instituted civil service. His political and economic
reforms brought peace and stability to the empire. He made it
possible to select his successor from his natural or adoptive
family. Eventually, future emperors grew more powerful and many
became more corrupt.
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At the beginning of the second century, a series of five
so-called good emperors came to power. They were Nerva, Trajan,
Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius ( gosh, where did we
hear that name before? ) The five were responsible For their period
of peace and Prosperity, known as PAX ROMANA (Roman Peace)
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Hardrian's Wall The emperor Hadrian had built a wall to protect
the northern border of Roman- controlled Britain. This wall is
still standing today.
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Family Life and Womens Roles All Roman upper-class children,
boys and girls, were expected to learn to read. The father was the
chief figure in providing for the education of his children. He
decided to teach his children himself, acquire a teacher for them,
or send them to school. At age 16, childhood ended for Roman males.
At a special ceremony, a young Roman exchanged his purple-edged
toga for a plain white toga. The toga of manhood.
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Women were thought of as being weak, therefore, needed to have
male guardians. The dominant male was in charge of taking care of
any females in the household. When the dominant male died the
responsibility was passed on to either the next male in the family
or a relative. Fathers also arranged the marriage of their
daughters. The legal minimum age for marriage was 12, although 14
was a more common age.
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Games of Death Gladiatorial combat began as funerary rites and
evolved into spectacles sponsored by the wealthy to gain prestige.
The fights were widely popular, and so were taken over by the
government and later by the emperor himself. The Roman view of
gladiatorial combat was complex. Men who ran training schools for
gladiators were wealthy, but were looked down upon by socially.
Gladiators were admired as kind of heroes, but most of them were
slaves, prisoners of war, or criminals.
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The Colosseum
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The Development of Christianity Christian views on God, human
beings, and the world were quite different from those of the Greeks
and Romans. For example, Christian beliefs held that one would be
taken care of and his or her needs met by seeking righteousness
from one God.
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In contrast, Romans believed in many gods, even accepting
foreign gods and philosophical practices into their culture. The
rise of Christianity marked an important break with the dominant
values of the Greek and Roman world.
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Jesus Jesus, a Jewish teacher, travelled and preached
throughout Judaea and neighboring Galilee. These teachings began a
new movement within Judaism. After reports spread that Jesus had
overcome death, the movement gained additional support throughout
Judaea and Galilee and led to the development of a new faith that
became known as Christianity. Unfortunately, Christianity was not
always welcomed in Rome. It was regarded as being harmful to the
Roman state, because Christians refused to worship the state gods
and emperors.
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The conversion of the Emperor Constantine aided in the spread
of Christianity. Although he did not make it the official religion
of the empire, he took an active role in protecting Christians and
in shaping the religion. He made it a permitted religion and gave
Christians back confiscated property. He ordered the construction
of churches. In 380 AD Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the
official religion of the empire.
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Decline and Fall Political upheavals, the plague, and the
division of the empire led to its decline. After the death of
Marcus Aurelius (the last of the five good emperors) in 180 AD, A
period of conflict, confusion, and civil wars followed. Between
235-284, the Roman throne was occupied by whoever had military
strength to seize it. During this time there were 22 emperors, most
of whom died violently.
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Diocletian and Constantine Two emperors, Diocletian and
Constantine helped to give Rome a new lease on life by implementing
a new governmental structure, a rigid economic and social system,
and a new state religion. Diocletian (204-305) divided the empire
into four units, each with its own ruler, because he was able to
recognize that the empire was much too large for one ruler.
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Constantine (306-337) continued, and even expanded the policies
of Diocletian. He constructed a new capital city in the east
(Constantinople- now Istanbul, Turkey)
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Constantinople was developed for defensive reasons. Its
strategic location provided protection of the eastern frontier. It
became the centre of the Eastern Roman Empire and one of the great
cities of the world.
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Unfortunately, with the reforms of Diocletian and Constantine
came a hefty price to keep the army and civil service going. This
drained public funds. The population was not growing and taxes
could not pay for everything. Roman currency began to lose
value.
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Germanic Tribes With Rome in a weakened state it made it much
easier for takeovers. The German Visigoths eventually settled into
Roman territory as allies. However, after a while they revolted and
sacked Rome. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of Germanic
tribe takeovers but it marked the end of the Roman Empire. The
Roman Empire - Ancient Superpower - YouTube The Roman Empire -
Ancient Superpower - YouTube