10/20/2011

1

The Roman Republic

Chapter 6

Chapter Outline

• The Romans built a great city

• The Roman Republic spread its power

• Republican government collapsed in Rome

Chapter Outline

• The Romans built a great city

– � What city did the Romans build? Where did they build it? Why did they build it where they built it?

• The Roman Republic spread its power

– � How did it spread its power? At whose expense

did Roman power expand? What were the key factors in that expansion?

• Republican government collapsed in Rome

– � Why did it collapse? Why did it collapse at the particular time it collapsed? What could have been done to prevent its collapse?

10/20/2011

2

Romans Built a Great City• Geography’s impact on Roman success

• Greeks, Latins and Etruscans

• Rome’s religious borrowing

• Overthrown kings followed by a Republic

• Rome valued family ties

• Class divisions in Rome

• Rome’s mighty army

Romans Built a Great City• Geography’s impact on Roman success

– � How did geography help/hinder Roman success?

• Greeks, Latins and Etruscans

– � What did these groups have to do with Rome?

• Rome’s religious borrowing

– � Where did the Romans borrow from? What did they borrow? What was original to them?

• Overthrown kings followed by a Republic – � Why were the kings overthrown? Why did the Romans establish a Republic

after their early kings?

• Rome valued family ties

– � Why? What effect did this have on Roman culture?

• Class divisions in Rome – � What were the class divisions in Ancient Rome? What benefits/problems did

these divisions create?

• Rome’s mighty army

– � Why was the Roman army so effective?

Geography’s Impact on Roman Success

• Midpoint of Mediterranean

• Midpoint of Italian peninsula

• 15 miles inland, near an easy Tiber crossing

• Mountainous, but not rugged

• Alps provide some protection

• Fertile lands around Rome

10/20/2011

3

Etruscans

• Etruscans– Entered Northern

Italy between 1200-800 BC

– Likely arrived from Asia Minor

– Civilized, literate people with writing system adapted from Greek

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/04/02/science/03

etrusc.graphic.html

Latins

• Latins– Settled on Tiber’s

banks in region they called Latium after arriving over the Alps around 1000 BC

– Began as a settlement of shepherds

– Romulus, Rome’s legendary founder, established Rome in 753 BC

Greeks

• Greeks

– Established approximately 50

colonies in S. Italy and Sicily around 750-600 BC

– Brought all of Italy into contact with Greek civilization

10/20/2011

4

Rome’s Religious Borrowings

• Roman religion influenced by Greek and

Etruscan traditions

– Polytheistic like the Greeks, but Gods did not initially have names or personalities

– “Spirits” associated with daily cares

– Etruscan custom of “taking the auspices” was adopted by early Romans

– Over time, Romans adopted Greek Gods but gave them their own names

Overthrown Kings followed by Republic

• Royal Era – approximately 600-509 BC

• Rome had 7 kings during this period, some Roman, some not

• Last king’s son attacked Lucretia, people revolted and declared a republic in 509 BC

• Republic’s government was not a democracy– Not all citizens had the right

to vote

Roman’s valued family ties

• Roman emphasis on discipline, strength and loyalty (gravitas)

• Family at the heart of Roman culture• Pater familias – head of

household/father of family…also chief priest– Complete, total control over property

and family members

• Roman women ran household affairs, had citizenship, could own property and testify in court– Social interaction between the sexes

was allowed

– Wives often advised on business and political affairs

– No right to vote

10/20/2011

5

Class divisions in Rome

• Patrician families descended from Rome’s “patres” or Founders– Ancestry was basis for authority

for law-making

• Plebian class made up of common farmers, artisans and merchants– This class had the right to vote

– Rarely held political office and thus had limited power

• Birth, not merit or wealth, determined social standing

• Intermarriage forbidden by law in early Republic

Rome’s Mighty Army

• Threat of war forced both Patrician and Plebian men to serve as both farmers and soldiers

• Army made up of Legions – 4000-6000 men organized into centuries of approximately 80 men. – Legion included cavalry and infantry

– Greater flexibility than Greek phalanx due to century system

Vocabulary

• Republic

• Gravitas

• Pater familias

• Toga

• Patrician

• Plebian

• Legion

• Century

• Italy

• Rome• Romulus

• Palatine Hill• Alps• Tiber River

• Apennines• Latins• Etruscans

• Forum

10/20/2011

6

The Roman Republic Spread its Power

• Plebians slowly won more power

• Rome achieved a balanced government

• Rome won control of Italy

• Rome governed Italy skillfully

• Rome fought with Carthage

• Hannibal sought revenge on Rome

• Rome made conquests to the East

• Rome finally destroys Carthage

Background

• The era of the Roman Republic (approximately 509 BC – 44 BC) was divided into two periods

– 509-265 BC

• Rome’s troops battled for control of Italy

• Plebians forced patricians to surrender some power

– 265-44 BC

• Civil war & the rise of army leaders

• Triumph of Julius Caesar

• Expansion of Roman rule around the Mediterranean

Plebians slowly won more power

• SPQR – Senatus Populusque Romanus or Senate and the Roman people

• Senate dominated by patricians

• Plebians barred from high government positions, army command, high priests or other high offices

•494-287 BC• Plebians forced reform by

refusing to military service• Plebians gained access to political offices, obtained

favorable laws• End of debt enslavement• End of ban on patrician /

plebian inter-marriage

10/20/2011

7

Rome’s 12 Tables

• Cicero, De Oratore, I.44: Though all the world exclaim against me, I will say what I think: that single little book of the Twelve Tables, if anyone look to the fountains and sources of laws, seems to me, assuredly, to surpass the libraries of all the philosophers, both in weight of authority, and in plenitude of utility.

• 451 BC

• Rome’s laws were written down for the 1st time

• Established the right to protection under the law for all citizens

Rome Achieved a Balanced Government

• Three-part government

• Office of dictator appears in times of crisis– Law making, army

command

– 6 month terms

– Chosen by consuls, elected by Senate

Cincinnatus

• The ideal dictator

• Left farm to take over as dictator

• Defeated enemies in

15 days

• Stepped down and

returned to his farm

10/20/2011

8

Rome won control of Italy

• Political struggles between patricians and

plebians calm in Rome

• Rome’s legions subdued Italy, city by city

• Success interrupted by defeat at the

hands of the Gauls

• Rome was reconstructed with larger,

stronger walls

War with the Greeks

• 282 BC Greek

colonists in Southern Italy

appeal to Pyrrhus

for protection from Roman legions

• Pyrrhic victory

Rome governs Italy skillfully

• By 275 BC, Rome controls all of Italy except the Po Valley

• Different treatment for different people and regions

• Full citizens have right to marry, vote, appeal for justices

• Half-citizens – no right to vote

• Allies – required to contribute troops, free to govern without Roman interference

10/20/2011

9

Rome fought with Carthage

• Athenian decline leads to trading domination by Alexandria and Carthage in the Mediterranean

• 264 BC – Rome goes to war over Sicily and the Western Mediterranean

• Punic Wars – 3 periods of struggle

• Carthage – strong navy of 500 ships, mercenary

army, cultural focus on trade

• Rome – no navy, strong army of 500,000 troops,

cultural focus on military success

Punic Wars

• 1st War – Rome copies and improves on Carthaginian warship design

• 23 year war, ends in defeat of Carthage by Rome

• Rome gains Sicily

Hannibal Sought Revenge on Rome

• At age 9, swears to defeat Rome

• At 29, in 218 BC, leads army through Spain, over Alps to attack Rome, launching 2nd Punic War

• 13 years of success

• Defeated when Scipio Africanus attacks Carthage and draws Hannibal into the battle of Zama

10/20/2011

10

Rome made conquests to the East

• Rome’s dominance extends and focuses

on Greece and the eastern Mediterranean for 70 years

• Fragments of Alexander’s empire were weakened by rivalries

• Rome initially welcomed as a liberator

• Later on Rome becomes more ruthless

Rome finally destroys Carthage

• Third Punic war follows destruction of

Corinth

• Carhago delenda est – Cato speaks

against Carthage in the Roman Senate

• Scipio Aemilianus leads Rome against

Carthage, destroys the city

Vocabulary

• Consul

• Veto

• Senate

• Assembly

• Dictator

• Mercenary

• SPQR

• Twelve Tables

• Cincinnatus• Gauls

• Pyrrhus• Carthage• Punic Wars

• Hannibal• Battle of Zama• Scipio Africanus

• Scipio Aemilianus

10/20/2011

11

Republican Government Collapsed in Rome

• Gap between rich & poor grew

• Slavery became widespread

• The Gracchi attempted reforms

• Army leaders took political power

• Julius Caesar rose to power

• Caesar made himself ruler of Rome

• Civil war followed Caesar’s death

• Octavian became sole ruler

Gap between rich & poor grew

• Latifundia

• Proletariat

• Corruption

• Impacts

– Imports of luxuries

– Riots

Slavery became widespread

• First Punic War led to 75,000 formerly free

men and women becoming slaves

• Slaves

– Low-priced, unskilled slaves worked in mines, on farms, in vineyards, in shipyards

– High-priced slaves worked in households as teachers, tutors, musicians, cooks, private

secretaries, messengers, etc.

• What risks to Roman culture did slavery present?

10/20/2011

12

Gladiators

The Gracchi’s Reforms

• Two brothers, Tiberius and Gaius elected

by assembly to represent the Plebian class as Tribunes.

• Tiberius offered land grants, redistribution of land

• Gaius offered programs to ease unemployment, limit power of Senate

Fruits of Social & Political Conflicts

• Hellenized, urban culture• Roman literature imitates

Greek models• More opportunities for

Roman aristocrats to enrich themselves politically and materially

• Demise of foreign enemies = loss of patriotism and Roman value of frugality

10/20/2011

13

�� Gaius Marius (157Gaius Marius (157--86 86 BCE)BCE)

�� Consecutive terms as Consecutive terms as ConsulConsul

�� Opened the army to the Opened the army to the propertyproperty--lessless

�� All freeborn Italians All freeborn Italians made citizensmade citizens

Marius

Sulla

�� Social War propelled Social War propelled Sulla to powerSulla to power

�� Sulla leads his army Sulla leads his army against Marius and against Marius and Rome itselfRome itself

�� Marius regains power Marius regains power and enters on his own and enters on his own reign of terrorreign of terror

Pompey & The 1st Triumvirate

�� Formation of the First Formation of the First TriumvirateTriumvirate----Crassus, Pompey and Crassus, Pompey and Julius CaesarJulius Caesar

�� Julius Caesar’s Julius Caesar’s daughter Julia marries daughter Julia marries PompeyPompey

10/20/2011

14

Caesar

�� Triumvirate dissolves and Triumvirate dissolves and

Pompey made sole consulPompey made sole consul——another tradition destroyedanother tradition destroyed

�� Julius Caesar marches on Julius Caesar marches on

Rome; “Crosses the Rome; “Crosses the

Rubicon” (49 BCE)Rubicon” (49 BCE)

�� Victory over Pompey and Victory over Pompey and love affair with Cleopatralove affair with Cleopatra

�� assassination of Julius assassination of Julius

Caesar (44 BCE)Caesar (44 BCE)

---- “The Ides of March”“The Ides of March”

Civil War

• 2nd Triumvirate – Lepidus, Octavian and

Marc Antony

• Octavian & Marc Antony quarrel over

Cleopatra

• Octavian becomes sole ruler, accepts title

of Augustus